Publisher's Synopsis
This is a fascinating account of the teachings of Jesus on forty topics which range from what he taught on marriage to life after death, from the importance of covenant to Christian love, and from baptism to taxation. The book provides an insight into the historical setting of first century Palestine under Roman occupation and it describes the politicians of the day such as King Herod, Pontius Pilate and the high priest, Caiaphas. When Jesus began his public ministry, it quickly became clear that he was advocating a radically different way of pleasing God to the 613 mitzvot (commandments) of Mosaic Law, and this was seen as a direct challenge to the religious elite such as the Pharisees, the chief priests and teachers of the law.
The unprecedented miracles which Jesus worked are also covered in the book such as the raising of Lazarus after he had been dead for four days, a spectacular event which prompted Caiaphas to convene the Sanhedrin in order to have Jesus killed. They said, "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place (the temple) and our nation."
Although Jesus was crucified and despite there being 129 years of Roman persecution until the Edict of Milan finally gave Christianity 'Religio licita' status in 313 AD, the Christian fellowship survived and today it is the largest religion in the world.
