Was Jesus a real person? If so, what did he teach? What did he see as his mission? Do the reports of his life, including his resurrection from death, mean anything for us today, two thousand years later?
This website/blog is a continually updated publication of my views on these topics, using historical methods to try to answer these questions. My motivations are both personal and political.
On a personal level, I was raised as a Roman Catholic Christian and the teachings and example of Jesus as portrayed in the Christian scriptures have been deeply embedded in me. My beliefs about Christianity have changed over time, but I still derive inspiration and guidance from how I understand Jesus. I want to insure that my understanding is well-grounded and determine how honestly I can still consider myself a follower of Jesus.
On a political level, for many years now I have been concerned about the political activities of people who regard themselves as conservative Christians. More recently the rise of Christian nationalism and Christian supremacy in the U.S., and its hold on many members of the MAGA alliance supporting Donald Trump, is something I want to challenge with better information and understanding of what Jesus taught to his followers.
As for my credentials, I am not a professional historian or Biblical scholar, although many years ago I considered becoming the latter. I completed an undergraduate degree (1985) with a major in Religious Studies (the academic study of religion), focusing on modern Biblical Studies and including four years’ study of koine Greek, the language the canonical Christian scriptures were written in. I came to believe the pursuit of social justice was a central part of the Christian message and went on to finish a doctorate in political science with a minor in history (1994) and eventually became a tenured Associate Professor in the field. Later I obtained a master’s degree in professional counseling (2010) and worked as a mental health counselor until I retired several years ago. My interest in the historical Jesus continued throughout those years as I sporadically read books and articles and, more recently, listened to podcasts, watched videos and online lectures, and discussed the subject with other people. So I would describe myself as an amateur, motivated by love of the subject rather than a professional interest.
As any assessment of the evidence about Jesus could be colored by the religious views of the assessor, I want to be transparent about mine. I regard myself as a follower of Jesus but I do not subscribe to any Christian creed. I believe in God as the moving force of the universe, a God who draws us toward human flourishing and provides inner guidance to those who sincerely look for it. As I have also found truth and value in Buddhist teachings, I have regarded myself as a “Buddhist Christian” for many years now. I see the two traditions as complementary rather than contradictory, at least as I interpret them.
I started this site on July 11 2025, and will add to it and revise it over time as I learn more and come across better arguments regarding the subjects at hand. Each page on the site will cover a different topic and each blog post will announce new findings and/or explain changes to the pages as they are made. Take each page as a work in progress; I invite you to comment on the blog posts if you have something you think I should know about or consider.
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Thanks for visiting the website.
–Alan Zundel
Jesus Reconstructed 