Peace writes an exceptional book that identifies the component parts of normative conversion using Paul's encounter with the Risen Christ on the Damascus road as the paradigm. He steps outside the evangelical box by taking these component parts and identifying them in the pilgrimage of the disciples of Jesus in mark's gospel. By identifying a gradual conversion process he allows mainline christians to reclaim the language of evangelism from fundamentalists.

This reader found Peace's take on conversion to be innovative and helpful. We live in an "instant age" (coffee, pudding, credit approval, and even conversion), and Peace reminds us that conversion, like love, is something that is often gradual and needs to be slowly nurtured. The main text and argument are well documented and supported by scripture, and the final section on practical application was a joy to read. Peace gives us back another model of conversion - and one we should not take too lightly. It is after all, the model which brought the original 12 to Christ.

Richard Peace has already amply demonstrated he understands the application of theology in the real world. This book shows that he's a leader in understanding the dynamics at work in the bible and putting them in a context that makes sense in our time.

To my surprise this is not a popularisation but the editio princeps of the text, and a piece of sound textual scholarship. Speculation is kept to a minimum, Christian-baiting is omitted, and the emphasis is on providing the data to the scholarly community. The introduction, transcription and translation are by Prof. Hedrick; the commentary by Dr. Mirecki, but both take responsibility for each other's contribution, and the 'join' is not really visible. Full monochrome photographs are provided, and a critical apparatus. There is a distinct tendency to avoid making judgements on points of detail. The editors are clearly aware that any such discussion would render their book obsolete within a year or two as the issues are thrashed out. There is an excellent section on the codicology. It is difficult not to be impressed at the skill with which the jigsaw puzzle has been put together. Interestingly some of the fragments bear Coptic page numbers - 99, 100, etc - which indicates the text comes from a larger volume. The translation is literalist, which is very welcome, and the text and translation laid out opposite each other in the diplomatic manner. The commentary attempts to elucidate the meaning of the fragments, and likewise avoids large and loose conclusions.

Issues of dating are addressed very tentatively. The book is parchment, in quires, written in a polished Sahidic Coptic, and displays some skill in codex making. Analysis of letter forms suggests a date between the 4th-7th centuries - perhaps most likely somewhere in the middle. The book has suffered damage by fire, but no comment is made about this. The text seems to make use of both Matthew and John, with an occasional echo of Luke, and reflects the Coptic text of these works. There is a reference to 'Aeons', the 'Pleroma', and other general Gnostic indicators, e.g. 'Do not let matter rule over you' (p.98 line 44 of the codex/p.31). The editors feel that the 'latest date for its original composition is probably in the late second century' (p.2), although they fail to make quite clear why. However a second century date for the work seems quite reasonable, in view of the definite but unfocused nature of the Gnosticism in the surviving fragments, which I suspect is the basis for their statement. There is a general smattering of Greek words throughout the codex. A very careful paragraph (pp.12-13) discusses evidence for one Coptic word being a too literal mistranslation of a Greek idiom and so 'implies that the Gospel of the Savior is based on an earlier Greek original subsequently translated into Coptic'. The scholarly refusal here to say too more than the evidence demands, combined with the solid scholarship underlying it, makes very pleasant reading.

There are full references to other ancient texts, probable or otherwise. Curiously there are two references in the fragments which could relate to the long ending of Mark, (e.g. 'sitting at the right hand of the father upon your (sg.) throne', 17H 4-6, p71 = Mark 14:6, Mark 16:19 and many other refs). One of the statements of the 'saviour' is also found in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas - 'he that is near me is near to the fire; he that is far from me is far from life' (107.43-48, CGoT 82). It is pleasing to see an awareness that some of the elements used may have no connection with any organised group but may simply be part of the general pagan religious climate of antiquity (p.24). The pseudo-Christian title given to this document by the editors is unfortunate, in that it acts as a barrier to understanding, as M.R.James long ago pointed out in the preface to his edition of the 'New Testament Apocrypha'. To call this work a gospel forces the editors to define a 'gospel' to mean nothing more specific than a work containing sayings or perhaps narrative about someone who may be called Jesus or is in some way based on the historical figure (p.1). This ties the work too closely to some sort of pseudo-Christian context. Few would doubt that in antiquity the extra-canonical works formed a broad spectrum, shading from orthodox works like the Acts of Paul right the way down to basically pagan texts which added some nominal 'Jesus' into the syncretist stew. It would seem that the word 'gospel' has really outlived its usefulness if it prevents us from recognising and working with this continuum. Doubtless the difficulty of finding another word has something to do with the continued popularity of the word 'gospel'. To call the codex the 'Gospel of the Savior' also seems unwise, in view of the inferences that those ignorant of the subject will infallibly draw from it. It would have been better to give it a neutral name like the Berlin Gospel.

The work consists of dialogue between a central figure and his hearers, and an ascension by them all in 'to the [fourth] heaven'(p.113 line 16 of the codex - p.45 in the edition), scattering the discomfited 'watchers' and cherubim. The central figure is referred to only as the 'saviour' and the words 'for us apostles' (113.3/p.45) and mention of Andrew and John suggest that the unknown 'author' is supposed to be an apostle, although I do not recall that this point is made anywhere. The manner in which the saviour does his saving is unclear, due to the fragmentary nature of the text. But he does do a lot of direct talking to the cross - 'A little longer, O Cross, and all the pleroma is perfected'(5F.30-32/p.55) etc, which may yet inspire some satire, perhaps about a previously unrecognised 'ecological Jesus', who talked a lot to trees!

The focus of the book is the data, rather than the ludicrous theories that appeared in some of the press releases, and for that we owe them a debt of gratitude. Recommended.

The collaboration of biblical scholars Charles W. Hedrick and Paul A. Mirecki, Gospel Of The Savior: A New Ancient Gospel is the first publication and translation of a long-lost Christian gospel written in the Coptic language of Christian Egypt. Carefully pieced together from parchment pieces found in the Berlin Egyptian Museum, this long-lost gospel presents dialogues and discourse of a figure called "the savior" by his apostles. Extensive commentary upon the text fragments rounds out this fascinating, meticulously researched, painstakingly translated, and superbly presented reference. Fascinating reading for Christian history, theology, and scholarship, this edition of the Gospel Of The Savior is an essential, core addition to any serious, comprehensive New Testament Studies academic reference collection.

Mirecki and Hedrick team up to present a coherent and comprehensive text on an ancient gospel rarely discussed in non-academic circles. The concise, unbiased presentation is a must for any library of early Christianity.

Boyer presents a comprehensive look at the development and continuing influence of end times prophecy, especially what has become dominant in American Christianity, premillenialism.

I think for premilleniaslism's attractiveness to American, it presents an over-arching scheme to world history, especially America's part in the great scheme of things.

With the downfall of utopian post-millenialism (see Tuveson's excellent work, "Redeemer Nation," Boyer shows historically how this system of Biblical interpretation has become increasingly popular among us.

He at points, e.g. pg. 310, suggests that premillenialism of our day is not intellectually valid, especially in its exegetical competence. I believe this unfair, given the caliber of individuals who study and believe in this eschatology, e.g. Ryrie, Chafer, etc. Although I personally do not buy into their eschatology nor hermeneutics, I cannot concur with Boyer by suggesting that only simple minded will buy into it.

Without this critique, this work would have been a five. It is a valuable, well-documented source for end times history and currents within popular American culture.

Anyone who reads this book would not be surprised at the runaway success of the "Left Behind" series, since it demonstrates that a preoccupation with Bible prophecy affects a much wider demographic than the fundamentalist subculture. Indeed, the impact of premillenial thought has extended all the way up to the Reagan White House. And, Christian or not, who hasn't heard of the term "Antichrist" or the significance of the number "666"? This book presents a fairly comprehensive survey of popular eschatology, including the role of Israel, Russia, the Arab countries, Europe, and the United States. It also shows how those beliefs have changed over the years (Turkey was considered Gog and Magog before Russia was, and the Pope was designated as the Antichrist for years before Hitler and Henry Kissinger came along). The final chapter, written at the brink of the collapse of the Soviet Union, demonstrates how, once again, premillenial thought adjusts itself (or sometimes not) depending upon world conditions. This is a fair, even-handed treatment of a religious and cultural phenomenon.

Boyer's treatment of dispensationalism in its modern American populist form is encyclopedic and exceptionally fair-minded. His summary includes discussions of the thought (?) of every major player in the end times publishing field. Lindsay, LaHaye, van Impe -- they are all here and all represented quite fairly.

Boyer is not merely encyclopedic and thorough, but is also quite attuned to the subtleties of American prophecy belief. He discusses at length, for instance, the irony of how modern end times beliefs and left wing politics have generated very similar critiques of globalization and economic corporate homogenization.

One thing I did find missing here was a thorough analysis of the arguments that the end times writers use to defend their positions. I had hoped for some discussion on how they argue their positions and how scholars from other Christian traditions have interacted with those arguments. But such discussion was not Boyer's intent. Instead, he has given us more of a "source book" of modern end times beliefs. But, since this is probably the first serious scholarly foray of considerable length in this field, I guess I can't fault Boyer for not writing everything possible on the subject.

A good chunk of the book is devoted to presenting a history of prophecy belief -- from the days of the early church up to the present. This part of the book was actually secondary from Boyer's point of view but, if you're already familiar with modern end times beliefs as I (admittedly) am, you will probably find this the most educational part of the book.

In short, this book is not the place to go for an analysis of the strengths of end times thought (such as it is). But if you want to know how modern end times beliefs developed historically, or if you want an explanation of what it is all about from someone familiar with the end times subculture (but not a part of it) this book is the place to start.

It might be said that in writing The Paul Quest, Dr. Witherington embarked upon a quest impossible to complete in a satisfactory fashion: to identify and characterize Saul of Tarsus in such a way as to make him accessible to the average person. This is a lofty aim, to say the least, but one that I think Dr. Witherington nearly arrives at. His aim is not solely to present a theology of Paul, but rather to introduce the reader to the person of Paul the apostle. He does so by analyzing various aspects of the man, from his identity as an apostle and theologian, to his training in rhetoric and his ability as a letter-writer. The end result is a balanced work that achieves Dr. Witherington's primary goal almost flawlessly.

If there is a weakness to Dr. Witherington's approach, it is simply that the book begins with some very poignant arguments regarding Paul's use of rhetoric in his speaking and writing, but seems to taper off toward the end when the discussion has turned to Paul's theology. Dr. Witherington also does not really include the Pastorals in his discussion of Paul's theology, due to the controversy surrounding the authorship of those letters. This is understandable; however, whether one subscribes to the Pauline authorship side of that debate or not, the Pastorals could provide another perspective on Pauline theology that should earn them a place in any discussion relating to that topic. Other than this, Dr. Witherington has crafted a very balanced treatise of Paul the man. It is a fine introduction and tribute to the second most influential person in Christian history.

Dr. Witherington has prepared a well crafted, engaging study on the complex qualities that comprise the New Testament figure Paul. He discusses Paul as prophet, as an apostle, as a Jewish man, and as an ethicist, but where Ben really succeeds is in showing just how profound an impact Paul's conversion experience on the Road to Damascus had on how he saw himself and his role in life. Dr. Witherington also demonstrates how Pauls' conversion affected his entire understanding of salvation and the Christian life.

This is a great read, and is recommended as a good place to start learning about the apostle Paul.

The Paul Quest. By Ben Witherington III. InterVarsity Press, 1998. 347 Pages..

Witherington structured this book into 8 nearly equal chapters dealing with what he sees as the essential elements of a quest for the historical Paul. Along with a very brief introduction and conclusion, he includes a very informative appendix, "Timely remarks on the life of Paul," which attempts to devise with a timeline for Paul's life. The eight areas that Witherington considers foundational are as follows: 1) On Constructing an Ancient Personality, 2) The Trinity of Paul's Identity, 3) Paul the Writer and Rhetor, 4) Paul the Prophet and Apostle, 5) Paul the Realist and Radical, 6) Paul the Anthropologist and Advocate, 7) Paul the Story teller and Exegete, 8) Paul the Ethicist and Theologian. This book is second in sequence to The Jesus Quest and, in some ways, is also a continuation of Paul's Narrative thought World. (Steve, I'm assuming that these are books and therefore should either be in all italics or underlined, not in quotation marks. Quotation marks are only used for article titles.) As Witherington states the quest for this historical Jesus, leads us to Paul since he is one of our greatest sources about Jesus. It is, therefore, logical to leave The Jesus Quest and embark on a new search that leads to The Paul Quest. As a result, it has many aims and goals. Those goals are best summed up as follows: a short study on the four sources for Paul, exposing readers to new developments in the quest for the historical Paul, and an examination of Paul's different roles and how those would have shaped him. Witherington also proposes to sample relevant Pauline literature in each of his eight foundational areas. I have often heard it asked, "Why another book on Paul?" With the quantity of books published yearly, it appears that no one in the publishing industry is asking the same question. However, I would say this is a book of great value to the large canon of Pauline literature. It is a very good book written in a fun and engaging style. Witherington tends to present a few of the different opinions on each topic and then states his personal view. He uses the Scriptures as his primary starting point, but then supports his views and premises from a historical perspective. I found it invaluable to have Witherington begin with his study of the ancient personality, specifically in regards to the three aspects of Paul: Paul as Jew, Paul as Christian, and finally, though of lesser import, Paul as Roman citizen. This sets all readers on a level playing field for the rest of the work. Each reader has a very clear view of how Witherington is approaching Paul, why, and where he intends to lead us as we search for the historical Paul. In presenting his different topics, Witherington draws upon numerous sources that include both modern and ancient. When criticizing an outside source, he does so in a fair way, evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of a particular book or theory. He then goes on to support his opinions with Pauline sources or other contemporaries. I believe this would be an ideal book for a new student to Pauline studies. It has a strong historical approach. It includes a valid use themes and archetypes; not those of modern psychology, but instead those of the ancient world, Prophet, Storyteller, Jew, Greek, etc. It raises many of the contemporary issues in Pauline theology, as well as those necessary for an understanding of the man himself. It deals with the opposing views in a balanced way, presenting both sides of an argument fairly. For example on women, it presents both views of Paul as liberator and feminist, and Paul as the patriarchal repressor of women. In Paul's Narrative Though World (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994), Witherington was hard to read and even harder to understand. However, in this effort he is a masterful wordsmith who leaves you hungering for more. It was hard to put the book down; it is such a compelling read. Through its many referenced sources, it also allows you to continue further into any area that piques your interest in an easily accessible way. The greatest strength of the book is its balanced approach and equal treatment of the different topics and views. I was very impressed that he did not over-focus on the storyteller or "narrative thought world" given his previous writing in this area. The greatest weakness is the last chapter. In my opinion, Witherington does not do a good job of presenting Paul the theologian, or of presenting a clear view of Paul's theology. (Steve, you may want to include an example here that illustrates your point or at least some further explanation as to why he is unclear. It would make a stronger statement then simply stating your opinion without any obvious backup.) Since he has made an strong presentation in every other section, I would still say that this is an excellent book which is a good read, and well worth anyone's time and money to pursue it. I believe this book achieved its stated aims. Much like a gemologist working with a raw diamond cuts and shapes the stone into a beautiful thing that radiates and reflects light from its many facets, so too has Witherington shown each of the differing views of the separate facets of Paul, and through them brings clarity, light and vision to the reader.

This is not a book for light Saturday-night reading, nor is it a book that most Christians would appreciate. But. . . for the pastor or preacher that is wanting to discover a method for communicating God's timeless truths and making them relevant and applicable in today's society - this book is worth the effort. I found that I had to re-read some sections and work at it so as not to fall back into old habits. I would suggest trying to read it while on a vacation, holiday or sabbatical and then taking some time to try and implement the methods described. The author shows how to tie togther the people, problems and God's actions in the Bible to the people, problems and our expected actions and God's continuing actions today.

The author has uncovered the most profound method of preparing sermons. This is not so much a how to manual, as a "tool" which immediately changes your approach to sermon preparation. Sunday School Teachers, too, can utilize this "tool". I've shared this with several other pastors. They concur with my opinions.

I have found Dr. Wilson's method compelling, his arguments and theology of preaching sound. I have committed myself to try his plan for awhile and check the results. However, I would recommend this book to any preacher, even if you are perfectly satisfied with your own preaching and don't see a need to change. For how often do you get to hear great sermons? More than anything, I found The Four Pages of the Sermon an extended sermon written just for me, inspiring me with a solid message of Gospel truth. Both in the instructive sections and the sermon excerpts, I felt myself bathed in the Light of God's Grace and often moved to tears. So, yes, it's a great preaching text, but I'd recommend it as well as a meditation for preachers who need reminding of what they are to be about.

A terrific resource that addresses the really thorny issues of Christianity and how it "works" in the lives of beleivers. Our adult study group spent nearly 12 weeks engrossed in this work. It is special.

This book is extraordinary in its ability to inductively deal with some of the toughest questions we have.

We thoroughly recommend it.

I have read many books on the subject of proving the reasonableness of the Christian faith. This book surpasses all of them because it is simple yet powerful. This book is good for Christians because it enables them to be ready for an answer like instructed in the Bible. It is good for unbelievers because it discusses in an unbiased way of thinking why there is a good reason to believe. The main focus is on answering in a logical and a reasonable way that is both convincing and solid. Paul E. Little is talented in zeroing in on the essentials and dispelling the non-essentials. It is profound, comforting and fills the gaps that many are unable to fill satisfactorily. It has strengthened my faith and has made me bold in sharing my faith. God has used this book in my life to take all doubt out and put stillness and peace in.

Paul Smith lovingly and accurately shows that yes we can call God "Mother". This is not instead of Father, or the Good Shepherd, or the Rock, or any of the many words we use to describe God. Smith shows how the words used in the Bible are male based because of the culture of the times. Allowing ourselves to call God Mother opens up a whole new view and image of God, without destroying the Male image. If we here on earth believe that a child grows up best with a father and a mother - doesn't it also make sense that as a child of God we have a heavenly Father AND a heavenly Mother? Smith doesn't destroy the image of God he adds to it, and challenges us to use inclusive language in church messages and music. With single parent families ever increasing and mothers mostly doing the raising of the children, it is getting increasingly harder for people to conjur up the image of a loving heavenly Father. This book will help you see a bigger, clearer, and beautiful image of God. A strong recommend.

This book helped me to see the value of women in the eyes of God. Not just as a delicate flower but as a strong spiritual force in the body of Christ. This book is theologically sound and easy to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in expaning their perception of God!

Its a good book to who wants to study the pelagian heresy, is the first tentative to translate to english the pelagian writings. With this commentary you will have a idea of the pelagian controversy and thinking

This book is very helpful for students of theology (amateurs or those pursuing a theological degree) in understanding what Pelagianism is all about. It is quite popular for some Western Christians to attack any form of synergism as "Pelagian". Reading this book opened my own eyes to Pelagius's teaching and what was wrong with it. With careful reading, Pelagius's subtle error -- that man is a completely neutral being, independent of the Triune God, looking out over a range of equally possible moral options -- becomes apparent. After reading this, I decided that no one should call anything "Pelagian" without reading any Pelagius.

This book does a good job of supplying basic background for a better understanding of the New Testament. NT history,social and cultural, is clearly set out. The genres (gospel,epistle etc.)are discussed and correctives are provided to balance the baleful influence of the 'Jesus Seminar' yahoos. Good, modern, conservative evaluations, not fundamentalist knee-jerk reactions.

A valuable and comprehensive discussion of who Jesus Christ is -- from both historical and biblical points of view -- by a well-qualified author.

The author's insights will help me again and again as I seek to read and understand the New Testament.

Paul Barnett has written a timely book. There has been much written in recent times about how Jesus and history cannot be ever matched. Barnett who is faithful to the Bible and to history has brought the two together. It is a refreshing approach after the various ultra liberal writers publishings, which seem to just rubbish every aspect of faithful Biblical belief.

this book is a must for every Biblical and theological scholar, and for the faithful Christian who feels that the ultra liberal writers are under-mining their faith.

The book "James, the Brother of Jesus," is one of the most poorly-written I have ever read, but the central idea is so compelling that I finished all one thousand pages. The text is extremely repetitive and could easily have been edited down to five or six hundred pages. Sentences often run over one hundred words, and multiple conventions for italics and capitalization emphasize every other word and make it impossible to understand many sentences on the first read-through. The author also assumes the reader has a knowledge of not just the bible, but the works of the Roman historian Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls as well. The author's premise relies heavily on early church writings and recently-discovered Gnostic gospels, but the lack of quotations make it hard to evaluate many of the author's linguistic arguments in context, and it would have been much easier to trust him if he hadn't made so many sloppy errors. For instance, he suggests that Alphaeus and Clopas could be the same person because scribes could have confused the greek alpha for a kappa, and backs up his assertion with a reference to a scholarly article on the observed confusion of alphas with lambdas (a capital lambda looks like an A without the central bar, a far more likely mistake). Sometimes this linguistic analysis is revelatory, as when the author suggests that "Nazorean" or "Nazirite," a member of a sect devoted to spiritual cleansing through ritual bathing in the wilderness, may have been corrupted to "Nazarean," one from the town of Nazareth. Other times, as when he suggests that Simeon and Simon and Peter and Cephas (the equivalent of the Greek "Peter" in Aramaic) and maybe even Clopas are all the same person, this analysis is more of a stretch. The author finds ways to negate any contrary evidence, saying that the New Testament was written by pro-Roman followers of James' bitter adversary Paul, and the histories of Josephus, similarly pro-Roman, likewise should not be trusted on any subject that might have offended Rome. As the author suggests that James (and by association, Jesus) would have been a member of a sect zealously opposing Roman influence, much of what we know about Christianity is thus set aside. This leaves the author to rely heavily on apocryphal gospels, some of which are quoted second- or third-hand, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which he himself has translated and has a book to sell you. He also uses the well-known inconsistencies in the bible to throw the whole canon into doubt. The result is that the author can pick and choose the facts he needs to support his argument and rationalize away those that don't fit. This puts him more in the mold of an Erik von Daniken, author of the "Chariots of the Gods" books (although without the breezy readibility), or of director Oliver Stone's movie "JFK." In other words, this book works well as entertainment, and undoubtedly contains some previously unacknowledged elements of truth, but can only be considered as one interpretation of a hoplessly contradictory set of writings. Even if the reader is not convinced of the truthfulness of every part of the argument, there are plenty of insights into politics and religion at the time of Jesus. As this is the first book on the subject that I have read, I can not say if other books exist which could be recommended more highly. However, for anyone capable of critical analysis and wanting to know more about the Jewish origins of Christianity, looking for a more objective description of the Jerusalem Church, or seeking a connection between Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls, this book can be recommended.

The study of religion has been an major part of my life, and I feel that Eisenman's book is an important part of this continuing interest. I have a BA in Comparative Religion from Earlham College, and I remember my classes in the New Testament and early Christianity as being informative, but always lacking in clarity and historical accuracy. Just who were the Pharisees, Saduccees, Essenes, Sicarii, and Nazirites? What was Paul's relationship to the development of the early Church and its shift in focus from Palestine to Rome? And what is the significance of the family of Jesus, mentioned many times in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, but obviously in conflict with the dogma of the Catholic Church? After graduating I read The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, which although more condensed and accessible to the non-acedemic, did not do the subject justice (no pun intended) like James the Brother of Jesus. This book provides exhaustive detail and literaly invites one to enter into Eisenman's reconstruction of what the first century AD was truly like and the many religious and political figures that lived at that time. It pointed out things that were simply not metioned during my time studying religion in college. The conflict between Paul and the Jerusalem Assembly led by James is of crucial importance. And most importantly in light of Eisenman's work, this was not a struggle over the Judiazation of the Church as some might contend, for the simple truth of the matter is that the Church was already Judiazed, most liikely by Jesus himself! As Eisenman points out, Paul attacks Peter in Galatians for siding with some men sent from James on the subject of circumcision and table fellowship with Gentiles, and according to the Acts of the Apostles, Peter had never eaten anything non-kosher until he has his Pauline revelation on a rooftop in Jaffa. One must face the possibility that if both Peter and James adhered to Jewish law until well after Jesus' crucifixtion, that maybe this was truly the teaching of Jesus, and not the Pauline rejection of "the curse" of the Mosaic Law. But there really is no coincidence as to why these things were never pointed out, for they upset the traditional picture of what was occuring during the time of Jesus and the formation of Christianity. Instead of having peaceful Christians beset by law-obsessed Pharisees and violent revolutionaries, (and the Dead Sea Scrolls written by monk-like peaceful Essenes separate from the revolt against Rome) we see the development of Christianity and Judiaism as we know them tied directly to the popular Messianic and apocalyptic revolt against Rome that was supported by the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Palestine. The main survivors of this struggle were either the Pauline Christian converts or Pharisaic proto-Rabbinical Jews, boths groups having renounced political and apocalyptic messianic devotion. Yet for those who did not, like James and others following his movement, their legacy wound its way through various "heretical" groups (Ebonites, Nestorians, Mandeans, etc) and even into Islam. Yes, the book is long, at times redundant, and even for someone with a strong background in the study of religion it can be a bit confusing. But I have always loved books that I can sink into, read for days on end and become thoroughly involved in their subject matter. James the Brother of Jesus is one of those books, and it's subject is so fascinating and of such incredible importance that I will be rereading it for years to come.

To anyone raised on ideas of swearing on the Bible, gospel truth, and sermons taking biblical narratives as factual events, this book will be very disturbing. It literally sets traditional notions about Jesus and the early church on their heads, but to those who already find the biblical record unbelievable, the New Testament will become clear for the first time. First, the history of the first century of the common era as presented in the gospels and Acts is shown to be fatally flawed. Josephus is relied on for the larger framework, Paul's letters, rather than Acts, are relied on for the period 40-60CE, and all extant references to James fill in the details of the views of the first Christians. Extensive use is made of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Eisenman advances a controversial, but compelling case, at least to me, that the earliest, Jewish followers of Jesus were Essenes, who held the same hyper-observant, anti-establishment, eschatological views that prevailed at Qumran, and that the Teacher of Righteousness was, in fact, James, and that Paul was the Man of the Lie. To make his case, Eisenman analyses biblical materials minutely, on a year by year, name by name, sometimes word by word basis. This can be both exhausting and repetitious, but for me it worked. I spent a very long time reading this book, because I looked up every reference the author made to the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls or Josephus (which he recommends the reader do), to be sure he wasn't misrepresenting the materials. It was worth it. This year, as I heard the Passion according to Luke read on Palm Sunday, for the first time in my life, I understood what I was hearing.