The objective of this volume is not to seek out the historical Jesus behind the Gospel, but rather to make audible the polyphonic recollections of Jesus through the continuities and discontinuities of the tales handed down in the New Testament. Many different facets of his work are examined: Jesus in an early Jewish context, Jesus as the originator of incomparably succinct maxims and parables, Jesus as a miracle worker and, finally, Jesus before the Roman court – perspectives that are attended in this volume by fundamental methodological questions on the one hand and christological and ecclesiastical outlooks and case studies on the other. The volume was compiled in honour of Professor of the New Testament Dr. Rudolf Hoppe on the occasion of his 65th birthday.