Most people know only a few stories written about the life of Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified in AD 30–seven told by Apostle Paul between AD 50 and 59, and those written by Mark, Matthew, Luke and John between AD 74 and 110. As has become widely known, even outside the world of biblical scholarship, as many as thirty other inspired stories about Jesus were written during the same period by James, Peter, Thomas, Philip and Mary Magdalene. This book tells the story of Jesus as seen through the eyes of his family, friends, associates, and first century followers. This book is an ‘earthly’ view of Jesus. Included are observations made by temple high-priest Joseph Caiaphas, Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate and others who knew Jesus personally.

In 2003, while on a business trip to the Orient and Europe, I read Dan Brown’s book titled The Da Vince Code. As a Christian and weekly church attendee, I thought the book extremely interesting with a plot that was quite plausible - namely, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had a child together. Because I am also a student of history, Brown’s book caused me to wonder - Who was Jesus of Nazareth really? Who was Mary, mother of Jesus really? Who was Joseph, father of Jesus really? Mary Magdalene, and Joseph of Arimathea? Who were the Disciples? Who were Jesus’ brothers and sisters? What were the politics of the day? At the same point in time, I felt compelled to find the answers to these questions and more. I began to study the latest research on the subject done by Christian scholars recognizing the fact that each scholar has their own intellectual specialty and that as each day goes by, more and more ‘historical’ information about Jesus, his family, and his associates is being unearthed by archaeologists and researchers around the world.

This book, like my other three (Between Heaven and Hell: 2009; The Face of Jesus: 2012, and A Man of His Time: 2018), is about ancient history and not church dogma or spiritual belief. This book, like the other three, combines historical research in chronological order done by each scholar. It is about a ‘pre-resurrection’ Jesus who walked the earth with a powerful message to give. This book is about a ‘flesh and blood’ man who had trials and tribulation as does every human being. This book is about The Authentic Jesus - a man you most likely have never met!