Christmaker

“Essential reading for all interested in Jesus’s spiritual formation as well as the later ‘parting of the ways’ between John’s teachings and Jesus’s, this highly accessible work walks us through a little-known story of a relationship that no one previously has brought to light with such clarity and insight.” –Nicola Denzey Lewis, Claremont Graduate University

“Thanks to a fresh approach and many hypotheses for ancient questions, this book, which is readable like a novel, will create large–and lasting–ripples in scholarship as well as in the thinking and lives of its readers.” –Edmondo Lupieri, Loyola University

“This is a creative, wide-ranging exploration that weaves together the Gospels and later writings to present a fresh view of John the Baptist. McGrath takes the reader on a journey to re-imagine a man who was not only the ‘Christmaker’ but also an influential prophet in his own right.” –Joan Taylor, professor of Christian origins and Second Temple Judaism, King’s College, London

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair of New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University.