To the scholarly secular enquirer, certainty about the historical Jesus is elusive.

ECONOMIST: The origins of Christianity

On the first evening of the Alpha course at Holy Trinity Brompton in September, 600 people came to hear him defend the historical accuracy of the Bible and the existence of Jesus.

ECONOMIST: The Church of England

Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service, told CNN the pope was not so much aiming to debunk myths as trying to show that the Jesus depicted in the Gospels is a real historical figure, who walked on earth and talked to people like anyone else.

CNN: Pope's book on Jesus challenges Christmas traditions