THIS BOOK provides an introduction to the New Testament documents, and especially the gospels, within their historical and human contexts. The eight chapters focus on eight specific questions which emerge from a careful and comparative study of key texts in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The specific inquiries include such fascinating questions as the following: Was John the Baptist Elijah? Where did Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount? Was Jesus an exorcist? How bad was Good Friday? How did Jesus arise?

The questions, provocative in their own right, also sug-gest broader issues in the study of Jesus of Nazareth and the gospels that proclaim him. In this way the book exposes a rich variety and human vitality in these early Christian in-terpretations of the elusive, compelling presence of Jesus.

Bibliographical notes are included, with suggestions for additional reading.

MARVIN W. MEYER is Assistant Director of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity and Professor of Religion, Claremont Graduate School.