Abstract:
The article is a academic, reworked
version of a public speech in which the author explains his position expressed in his book
Fatherless in Galilee: Jesus as Child of God, published in 2001 and which has created ecclesiastical
dispute with regard to confessional affirmations about the virginal conception of Jesus, his
resurrection from the dead and his ascension to heaven. The article discusses the circumstances
which led to the writing of the book, the exegetical and theological insights which influenced
the author and the continuing relevance of historical Jesus research. The article is written in
the genre of autobiographical biblical criticism.