The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form

First published in 1987 by Fortress Press, this 20th anniversary edition of this classic bestseller includes a new Afterword from the author. Here, in narrative form, is an account of the activity of Jesus of Nazareth, scrupulously constructed so that it does not undercut the insights of New Testament scholarship. What makes it different from other such attempts is that Jesus never actually appears. What we find everywhere is his shadow, his effect.

Such an approach avoids the usual pitfalls of the genre and lends this story – attributed to a fictitious narrator – an attraction, freshness, and power all its own. Tension and interest are maintained to the end, even for those sated with books about Jesus. Careful documentation in the footnotes shows how much of the narrative is based on ancient sources.

About the Author

Gerd Theissen is Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and the author of The Religion of the Earliest Churches (Fortress Press, 1999) and The Shadow of the Galilean (Fortress Press, 1987). He is co-author of The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide (Fortress Press, 1988) and a co-editor of The Social Setting of Jesus and the Gospels (Fortress Press, 2001).