The Search for a No-Frills Jesus A group of scholars looking for the "real" Jesus -- the human figure divested of theological raiment -- believe that they have found him in Q, a primitive text whose very existence, let alone content, remains a matter of speculation. Who is the Jesus they discover? And do their investigations represent a painstaking breakthrough or a case of ingenious folly? by Charlotte Allen

My Grandfather's Last Tale You may never have heard of the composer Ernst Toch, but you have doubtless heard his music in any of dozens of old movies. His grandson's solicitude for Toch's serious work -- in particular a never-performed opera -- sets in motion a sometimes picaresque pursuit of the composer through the broad avenues and dark alleys of twentieth-century musicology. by Lawrence Weschler Web-Only: Toch Unbound A multimedia sidebar offering the music and writings of Ernst Toch, along with links to archival resources.

Reports Notes & Comment: A Few Loose Ends Had enough of the universe's unfathomable complexities? by Cullen Murphy The Military: The Great Society in Camouflage Accountability, diversity, sobriety, hierarchy -- all this and a sturdy safety net, too, have put the U.S. Army on a different road from the rest of America. by Thomas E. Ricks Web-Only: Sex in Camouflage A conversation with Thomas E. Ricks about sexual harassment and discipline in the Army. Personal File: Magic Time A big part of the experience of dying of cancer, the author has learned, comes down to etiquette. by Michael Davitt Bell Fiction & Poetry The Shooting A poem by William Matthews The Greatest Show on Earth A short story by Sheila Gordon Safe A poem by Linda Bierds The Game A poem by Marie Howe Browse and search The Atlantic's online archive. The seahorse symbol indicates that an article is supplemented with additional Atlantic material, such as related articles, audio, or special online sidebars.		Arts & Leisure Travel: On France's Blessed South Coast For all the laments one hears that the Côte d'Azur has been "spoiled," it remains an immensely successful combination of nature and nurture. by Hans Koning Food: Currant Affairs The versatile black currant may do yeoman service in preserves and glazes, but it achieves true nobility in cassis, a liqueur that has won new attention from artisan producers. by Corby Kummer Books Elegant Variation and All That The New Fowler's Modern English Usage, edited by R. W. Burchfield by Jesse Sheidlower Lincoln Speaks Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln, compiled and edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher and Virginia Fehrenbacher by James M. McPherson Brief Reviews by Phoebe-Lou Adams Other Departments 77 North Washington Street Contributors Letters (Send a letter to the editor.) The December Almanac The Puzzler by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon Word Watch by Anne H. Soukhanov Note: some material from The Atlantic's print edition may not be available online, at the request of the authors or artists.
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