▁view ▁drove ▁a ▁w edge ▁between ▁script ure ▁and ▁the ▁Church ' s ▁claims ▁of ▁religious ▁truth . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁scholar ▁to ▁separate ▁the ▁historical ▁Jesus ▁from ▁the ▁the ological ▁Jesus ▁was ▁the ▁phil os opher , ▁writer , ▁classic ist , ▁Heb ra ist ▁and ▁En light en ment ▁free - th ink er ▁Hermann ▁Samuel ▁Re imar us ▁( 1 6 9 4 – 1 7 6 8 ). ▁G . ▁E . ▁Less ing ▁( 1 7 2 9 – 1 7 8 1 ) ▁discovered ▁copies ▁of ▁Re imar us ' ▁writ ings ▁in ▁ ▁Wolf en b ütt el ▁when ▁he ▁worked ▁there ▁as ▁li br arian . ▁Re imar us ▁had ▁left ▁permission ▁for ▁his ▁work ▁to ▁be ▁published ▁after ▁his ▁death , ▁and ▁Less ing ▁did ▁so ▁between ▁ 1 7 7 4 ▁and ▁ 1 7 7 8 , ▁publishing ▁them ▁as ▁Die ▁F rag mente ▁eines ▁un bek annten ▁Aut ors ▁( The ▁F rag ments ▁of ▁an ▁Un known ▁Author ). ▁Over ▁time , ▁they ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁Wolf en b ütt el ▁F rag ments ▁after ▁the ▁ ▁library ▁where ▁Less ing ▁worked . ▁Re imar us ▁distinguished ▁between ▁what ▁Jesus ▁taught ▁and ▁how ▁he ▁is ▁port rayed ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁Testament . ▁According ▁to ▁Re imar us , ▁Jesus ▁was ▁a ▁political ▁Mess iah ▁who ▁failed ▁at ▁creating ▁political ▁change ▁and ▁was ▁executed . ▁His ▁dis ci ples ▁then ▁st ole ▁the ▁body ▁and ▁invent ed ▁the