Who was Jesus, really? That question has been debated by academics for the last two centuries, and contributions to this important issue in the history of Christianity are still making an impact on public opinion. Jesus the Galilean takes soundings in the life of the historical Jesus based on four readings from the Gospel of Mark (6:1-4; 10:17-22; 7:1-23; and 11:15-17) which represent some of the most controversial issues in the current scholarly discussion about the historical Jesus. Using such categorizations as “Jesus and Culture” in uncovering the background of the New Testament, “Jesus in Galilee” based on archaeological studies, “Jesus and Community” – an exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls and their issues with wealth, “Jesus and Purity” from the Jewish oral torah in the Mishnah, and “Jesus and the Temple” considering the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, this book explores what can be known about the historical Jesus in the historic Galilee. This handy book may also usefully serve as an introduction for students on the many resources available to reconstruct the life of Christianity’s founder.

David A. Fiensy received a Ph.D. in New Testament and Second Temple Judaism from Duke University. He is professor of New Testament at Kentucky Christian University.