As the Roman-appointed high priest who had a hand in orchestrating Jesus's Crucifixion, Caiaphas secured his place in infamy alongside Pontius Pilate. Viewing Caiaphas as more than just a one-dimensional villain, Adele Reinhartz offers a thorough reconsideration of representations of Caiaphas in the Gospels and other ancient texts as well as in subsequent visual arts, literature, film, and drama. The portrait that emerges challenges long-held beliefs about this New Testament figure by examining the background of the high priesthood and exploring the relationships among the high priest, the Roman leadership, and the Jewish population. Reinhartz does not seek to exonerate Caiaphas from culpability in the Crucifixion, but she does expand our understanding of Caiaphas's complex religious and political roles in biblical literature and his culturally loaded depictions in ongoing Jewish-Christian dialogue.

This highly engaging and readable book is a study of Joseph Caiaphas, a Jewish high priest of the first century and one of the men who sent Jesus to his death.Caiaphasis a valuable resource for scholars of ancient history and students of the Gospel of Acts.

Readers of this last volume in the series will gain fresh insight into the lives of more than forty people from the New Testament, including well-known characters such as Mary, Peter, and John, and lesser-known characters such as Anna and Nathanael. Includes outlines and numerous illustrations and quotations.

Over 15 years in the making, an unprecedented one-volume reference work. Many of today's students and teachers of literature, lacking a familiarity with the Bible, are largely ignorant of how Biblical tradition has influenced and infused English literature through the centuries. An invaluable research tool. Contains nearly 800 encyclopedic articles written by a distinguished international roster of 190 contributors. Three detailed annotated bibliographies. Cross-references throughout.

Customers in North America who wish to purchase this publication, please contact Augsburg Fortress Press. From Joshua To Caiaphas: High Priests After The Exile by James C. VanderKam (John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, University of Notre Dame) is a comprehensive, 548-page history of the high priests who served in the Second Temple period of Israel and their influence and importance in understanding early Judaism. A masterpiece of scholarship and research, Professor VanderKam writes with a distinctive clarity that allows even the non-specialist general reader to come away with a comprehensive and coherent understanding of Temple Judaism as represented by the fifty-one men who served as high priest from about 515 BCE down to 70CE when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Romans. No Old Testament Studies, Israelite History, or Judaic Studies collection can be considered either comprehensive or complete without the inclusion of this impressive and seminal work. Also very highly recommended are Professor VanderKam's previous contributions: The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (1994); An Introduction To Early Judaism (2001); The Book Of Jubilees (2001); and The Meaning Of The Dead Sea Scrolls (which was co-authored with Peter Flint, 2002).

"More than any other book, the Bible offers an amazing collection of fascinating characters ranging from the holiest of the holy to some of the most depraved scoundrels imaginable. Many are mentioned only in passing, yet history and archaeology can often fill in the blanks and flesh them out as exciting human beings. For this reason we have in many cases been able to tell much more about them than the Bible alone reveals." -- Richard R. Losch (from the preface)A comprehensive gathering of persons found in the Bible, including the Apocrypha, All the People in the Bible really delivers on its title: literally all of the Bible's characters appear in this fascinating reference work. From the first article on Aaron to the final entry on Zophar, Richard Losch details each person in a lively narrative style.The bulk of the book consists of Losch's A-Z articles covering the familiar and the not-so-familiar figures in Scripture. Names of people who are found only in genealogies or who had no significant effect on history are included solely in the alphabetical listing starting on page 452. That listing, "All the People in the Bible and Apocrypha," includes pronunciations, brief identifications, and biblical references. Persons covered in greater detail in the main part of the book are identified in bold print.Losch's intriguing look at all the people in the Bible is anything but a dry reference work. This is a book to dip into and enjoy over and over.

Evans concludes his volume with a measured consideration of the historical value of the archaeological data afforded by the several inscriptions.