Jesus People: The Historical Jesus and the Beginnings of Community. This item is unavailable.Jesus People: The Historical Jesus and the Beginnings of Community

David Catchpole, a respected veteran scholar specializing in Jesus and the Gospels, believes lay people as well as scholars can profit from critical discussion presented in a clear and lively style. That is what he sets out to do in this challenging but engaging book. Drawing on recent scholarship but focusing on the Gospel texts themselves, Catchpole explores the origins of the Jesus movement in the community of Israel. Beginning with the mission of John the Baptist, he moves on to consider the costs and implications of discipleship, the centrality of prayer, attitudes toward Israel's way of holiness, the significance of the temple, and Jesus' understanding of his own death. Scholars, students, pastors, ministry workers, and those interested in the origins of Christianity will appreciate this work.

David Catchpole (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is scholar in residence at Sarum College in Salisbury, England, and emeritus professor of theological studies at the University of Exeter. He is a well-established figure in New Testament studies in both the UK and the US and author of The Trial of Jesus, The Quest for Q, and Resurrection People.