Believing that a firm basis for understanding Jesus could be found in the sources of the Bible, Purinton undertook to justify such sources as Paul's letters and the gospels as authentic source material for the life of Jesus. He examined all the books of the New Testament, but with the realization that not all of the Epistles add to our knowledge of who Jesus was. Purinton wished to make Jesus accessible by means of a scholarly study of his life, in this venture his book has few equals even today.