John of History, Baptist of Faith

“Engaging an astonishingly rich and polyglot array of scholarly secondary sources, reading closely in ancient authors and traditions not often brought together—Q, Josephus, Mandaean texts, the Protoevangelium of James, Coptic and Syriac Christian materials—James McGrath offers an imaginative and original interpretation of the figure of John the Baptist, one whose work and life importantly informed and inspired both the mission and the message of Jesus. John of History, Baptist of Faith inaugurates a new phase in the quest for this elusive historical figure. It is a major scholarly achievement.”
—Paula Fredriksen, Aurelio Professor of Scripture emerita, Boston University; Distinguished Visiting Professor, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 
“Based on an impressive array of sources, including Mandaean texts, this fresh new volume quests for the historical Baptist, assiduously building on prior work in a readable volume of model scholarship.”
—Clare K. Rothschild, professor of Scripture Studies, Lewis University
 
“In this erudite study, James McGrath has managed to advance our scholarly understanding of the continuity and relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth while simultaneously laying the foundations for future historical research. McGrath expertly navigates difficult questions and sources with historiographical sophistication and advances bold new hypotheses. This study expands the horizons of current scholarship and will likely be referenced for years to come.”
—Jordan J. Ryan, associate professor of New Testament, Wheaton College