Religion: This Is Where Jesus Walked

PHOTOGRAPHER Erich Lessing calls himself an atheist—"or at best, an agnostic"—but that description would hardly seem credible to those who buy his books. Last Christmas, Lessing's The Bible: History and Culture of a People, told the story of the Old Testament in a lavish pictorial presentation of historical sites, art and artifacts. This year comes the sequel: Jesus: History and Culture of the New Testament (Herder & Herder; $33). As with the previous volume, the narrative is limited to appropriate texts from Scripture and a handful of background essays by biblical scholars—notably a...