Indeed, the almost unanimous opinion regarding Jesus of Nazareth is that he was a person of extraordinary character. His appeal has reached across every social class and culture. And His is a character that has lifted up countless followers to a new plane of life. Rather, he exemplified strength and virtue. Nor is this portrait merely the product of imaginative fervor run wild.
Real holiness is impossible for either individuals or for communities to invent.
Genuine holiness is finally recognizable only after an encounter with the surprising person of Jesus of Nazareth. His life actually demolished all stereotypes of that term. I invite you to do your own reading of the Gospels just in case you have been relying on faulty and second-hand information about Jesus. He was emphatically not a dull man in His human life-time. H.G. Wells, Outline of History , Vol.