These studies develop further the investigation carried out in Dr Vermes" books Jesus the Jew and The Dead Sea Scrolls and shed light on many important and controversial issues from that period. Subjects include the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Jewish studies and New Testament studies; the relationship of Jewish studies to the interpretation of the New Testament; and Jesus" understanding of himself. In particular, this volume contains the Riddell Memorial Lectures, "The Gospel of Jesus the Jew", which represent a continuation of Jesus the Jew. `New Testament scholarship owes an increasing debt to Geza Vermes for opening up perspectives on the understanding of the New Testament in its Jewish context. In this collection of lectures and articles dated between 1974 and 1981 we have a useful student"s guide to essential Vermes. The material is mostly intended for a non-specialist audience, and so while it is sometimes inevitably oversimplified, it is more accessible to those who...