Includes bibliographical references (pages 326-371) and index.

1. Faith and history -- Jesus of Nazareth -- Jesus Christ -- The gospel -- The "gospel in four forms" -- 2. Mark -- I. The description of Jesus' activity -- The proclamation of Jesus -- The teachings of Jesus -- Healing the sick and driving out demons -- Miracles and epiphanies -- Confrontations and conflicts -- Jesus' road to suffering and death -- II. Jesus' titles and designations of status -- The Son of God -- The Son of Man -- Jesus' other designations of status -- The so-called Messianic secret -- 3. Matthew -- I. The story of Jesus as told by Matthew -- The larger context of the story of Jesus in Matthew as compared with Mark -- The Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian dimension of the story of Jesus -- The church as the locus of Jesus' ongoing activity -- II. The picture of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew -- Christological predicates for Jesus -- The fulfiller of Old Testament prophecies and promises -- The one sent by God who demands a new and greater righteousness.

4. Luke -- I. The basic view -- The one sent by GOd in the power of the Holy Spirit -- The proclaimer of the gospel of grace -- The Savior, Messiah, and Lord presented to the Jews and Greeks -- The exalted Lord who went to God through death and resurrection -- The guide to salvation -- The Lord who is coming again -- II. Individual features -- Jesus' humanity -- Jesus' efforts for the poor and suffering -- Jesus' devotion to women -- Jesus at prayer -- 5. John -- I. Approaching the Gospel of John and its Christology -- The historical dimension -- The Gospel of John as a gospel writing -- The structure of the Gospel of John -- The Johannine picture of Christ in comparison with the Synoptic Gospels -- A hermeneutical approach to the Johannine picture of Christ -- II. Individual assertions of Johannine Christology -- The one who is sent -- The Son who is close to His Father -- The Son of Man who came down from heaven and ascends there again -- The eschatological prophet -- The Lamb of God -- The preexistent and incarnate Logos -- 6. The gospel in four forms as manifold and yet unified testimony to Christ -- I.A varied picture of Jesus Christ -- The picture in the gospels -- Matthew's modification of the Markan picture of Jesus -- The Lukan picture of Jesus in comparison with Mark and Matthew -- The transition to Johannine Christology -- II. The unified faith-picture of Jesus Christ that underlies the various sketches -- The conviction that Jesus is the Messiah -- Faith in Jesus, the Son of God -- Jesus the bringer of salvation -- The wholly other, who witnesses among human beings to God and His majesty -- III. The evangelists' faith-picture of Jesus Christ in relation to the historical Jesus of Nazareth -- IV. Outlook.

"According to Rudolf Schnackenburg, a truly historical portrait of Jesus is unattainable because the primary sources written about Jesus were not historical records as such. What is attainable, however, is a faith interpretation of Jesus' life and works, gleaned from the writings of those closest to the life of Christ : the four Gospels. Schnackenburg here provides a full faith interpretation of Jesus as each Gospel community portrayed him. Numerous commonalities about Jesus among these Gospels are revealed, and a fully recognizable portrait of Jesus emerges."--Page 4 of cover.

Translation of: Person Jesu Christi im Spiegel der vier Evangelien.