Explores Jesus' symbolic practices, his teachings, and his public career, and emphasizes how his actions, such as his healings, were just as important as his words. Placing Jesus in his proper historical context by considering Jewish religion and society in the land of Israel under Roman rule, Bauckham concludes by considering the significance Jesus has come to have for Christian faith worldwide.

1. Jesus -- a universal icon -- 2. The sources -- 3. Jesus in his 1st-century context -- 4. Enacting the kingdom of God -- 5. Teaching the kingdom of God -- 6. A question of identity -- 7. Death and a new beginning -- 8. Jesus in Christian faith.1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Preface -- List of illustrations -- Jesus -- a universal icon -- The sources -- Jesus in his 1st-century context -- Enacting the kingdom of God -- Teaching the kingdom of God -- A question of identity -- Death and a new beginning -- Jesus in Christian faith -- Further reading -- Index.