A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume V

"John Meier's refusal to belong to a particular 'school' of Gospels research is clearly evident in this latest volume in the Marginal Jew series. His remarkable erudition both in the primary sources and in the extensive secondary literature is palpable throughout. He is the very model of a sober and learned contrarian!"—Simon Gathercole, University of Cambridge

"The subject of the parables is one of the more daunting areas of historical Jesus research. Yet, with his characteristic wisdom and wit, John Meier guides us through the many parables that are attached to Jesus' name. Freely conceding that in many cases utter certainty will escape us, Meier shows us which parables are most likely from the lips of Jesus and why."—Gary A. Anderson, University of Notre Dame

"This book is a breath of fresh air—refreshingly forthright about what can and cannot be said about the parables attributed to Jesus. Meier shows that the parables can no longer be seen as the bedrock for reconstructing the historical Jesus. Yet four parables have a demonstrable origin in his teaching."—Adela Yarbro Collins, Yale University

"Seldom in the history of scholarship has one scholar so attractively combined both scientific and theological sophistication as does John Meier, one of our leading experts on the Historical Jesus. In this fifth volume of his definitive Marginal Jew series, Meier explores the authenticity of Jesus’ parables."—James H. Charlesworth, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Father Meier's amazingly disinterested accounts of the career of Jesus will now include this subtle and astute exegesis of the parables."—Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University