In Miracles and Wonder – the Historical Mystery of Jesus, Princeton historian and professor of religion, Elaine Pagels explains how and why Christianity appealed to so many people. After 2,000 years, it still captivates some 28 percent of the world population–more than any other faith or declared secularists. Unlike religious leaders before him, Jesus’s message brought hope to the masses, hope that, through love and mercy, they too could find happiness, if not in this world, then certainly in an afterlife.