Please note that this edition has been republished as "The Blood Kin of Jesus" ---- Bringing together recent archeological discoveries and the best contemporary scholarship, Kenneth Hanson, Ph.D. tells a fascinating story that goes mostly untold in the New Testament about the ultimate fate of Jesus mother, brothers, sisters, and closest followers. The story of the Jerusalem Church led by Jesus brother James is dropped as the scriptural spotlight follows the ministry of Paul. Now, using the latest discoveries, including some of his own original research, Professor Hanson picks up the story where the Bible leaves off, answering a question that many Christians have long asked: Whatever happened to Jesus family and this original Christian movement based in Jerusalem? Hanson"s startling conclusion: It appears the followers of the Way of Jesus spearheaded a powerful revival of devotion within Judaism. Far from disappearing, this movement profoundly influenced the subsequent development of the Jewish faith, and, as Hanson shows, its legacy continues within Judaism, thriving into the twenty-first century.