Introduction and Purpose of This Book

Summary

Jesus of Nazareth, apparently a carpenter’s son, lived in the early decades of the first century ce; he became a freelance religious teacher and attracted a following. Eventually, while in his thirties, he was executed in Jerusalem by the Roman imperial authorities. His movement did not die with him but went on after his death, becoming the world religion it still is today. In 2015, it was estimated that Christianity had 2.3 billion adherents (out of 7.3 billion, i.e. 31.2 per cent, of the total world population) and that Islam, which also honours Jesus highly, had 1.8 billion adherents (i.e. 24.1 per cent of total world population).¹

It is clear that the impact of Jesus on world history has been extraordinary.