Prof. David Flusser's biography of the life of Jesus is the
fruit of more than fifty years of persona1 research concerning what may be
considered the most well-known figure of the Second Temple Period. His
philological-historical approach calls for a reconsideration of how we read the
literary sources. He brings to bear the wealth of new information regarding the
first century setting in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, historical inquiry, and
recent archaeological discoveries. What results is a compelling portrait of
Jesus which gains additional depth because it is viewed wit& the context of
Jewish though and Life in the first century.
Both Jewish and Christian readers
will be challenged by the results of Flusser's study. The present work is based
upon author's 1968 edition of Jesus. Yet, with the passage of 30 years, the new
volume has been essentially rewritten to incorporate the wealth of new data.
Whereas the previous book, now out of print, represented the beginnings of
Flusser's investigation into the historical Jesus, the present volume is its
culmination.
