And I still want to know the truth about this luminous figure, Jesus of Nazareth.

CNN: Seeking the truth about Jesus

She insists that Jesus of Nazareth made no claim to be divine: a famous New Testament passage that expounds both his self-abasement and divine glory does not mean what Christians think it means, she adds.

ECONOMIST: A history of Christianity

In his 2011 book, "Jesus of Nazareth, " he made a sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Christ, explaining biblically and theologically why there was no basis in Scripture for the argument that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus' death.

NPR: Benedict Stumbled Trying To Right Troubled Church

By looking at many different forms of theocracy and Caesaropapism, she hopes to create a context that renders comprehensible the emergence of Jesus of Nazareth as a preacher in villages in Galilee, the wildfire spread of Christianity, and its adoption as the official religion by the Roman empire.

ECONOMIST: The origins of Christianity