Introduction -- The 'Bultmannian' epoch in German theology -- The 'post-Bultmannian' quest of the historical Jesus -- Bultmann's shift in approach -- The Barthian rapprochement -- The impossibility and illegitimacy of the original question -- The ambiguous term 'historical Jesus' -- The end of the original quest -- The sources and the 'impossibility' of the original quest -- The kerygma and the 'illegitimacy' of the original quest -- The possibility of a new quest -- The 'historical section' of the kerygma? -- 'New sources'? -- A new view of the gospels? -- A new concept of history and the self -- The legitimacy of a new quest -- The relevance of the theological question -- The permissiveness of a new quest -- The impetus provided by demythologizing -- The necessity of a new quest -- The procedure of a new quest -- The purpose and problem of a new quest -- The continuation of the historical-critical method -- The methodological impasse -- Basic problems of a new quest -- Towards the solution of typical problems.