The Historical Jesus in Context is a landmark collection that places
the gospel narratives in their full literary, social, and archaeological
context. More than twenty-five internationally recognized experts offer
new translations and descriptions of a broad range of texts that shed
new light on the Jesus of history, including pagan prayers and private
inscriptions, miracle tales and martyrdoms, parables and fables, divorce
decrees and imperial propaganda.
The translated materials--from Christian, Coptic, and Jewish as well as
Greek, Roman, and Egyptian texts--extend beyond single phrases to
encompass the full context, thus allowing readers to locate Jesus in a
broader cultural setting than is usually made available. This book
demonstrates that only by knowing the world in which Jesus lived and
taught can we fully understand him, his message, and the spread of the
Gospel.
Gathering in one place material that was previously available only in
disparate sources, this formidable book provides innovative insight into
matters no less grand than first-century Jewish and Gentile life, the
composition of the Gospels, and Jesus himself.