Overview

Studies of the historical Jesus typically reduce John the Baptist to a subordinate role in the story of Christian origins. This meticulous historical study focuses on John himself, revealing his extensive and enduring influence. In the popular imagination, John the Baptist plays the supporting role of Jesus's unkempt forerunner. But meticulous historical study reveals his wide-reaching and enduring influence on the history of religion. The first study of its kind, John of History, Baptist of Faith sheds light on the historical John the Baptist and his world. James F. McGrath applies historical-critical methodology not only to the New Testament but also to the Mandaean Book of John, a holy text of the last extant gnostic sect. McGrath uses the teachings of John's pupil, Jesus, as a window into his mentor's beliefs. Along the way, he brings new clarity to questions of contention among scholars, such as John's use of immersion as a substitute for temple sacrifice. Bold in its claims yet careful in its method, John of History, Baptist of Faith lends fresh insight into John, Jesus, and their world. McGrath's pioneering monograph will challenge and intrigue students and scholars of the New Testament and Second Temple Judaism. Choice Outstanding Academic Titles List (2025) Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) Publication Award Best Book on the New Testament (2025)

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Reviews

""A groundbreaking work that challenges readers to rethink John the Baptist and the methodological frameworks we use to study Late Antiquity. Even if not all of McGrath's proposals gain universal acceptance, his insights are thought-provoking and merit serious engagement. This book is essential for scholars interested in the intersections of history, religion, and text in the ancient world."" --Journal for Study of New Testament Booklist ""McGrath's genuinely ground-breaking study . . . is both balanced and responsible, and yet able to bring fresh insights through the scholarly analysis of frequently overlooked sources of information. . . . McGrath's volume is to be commended for offering various genuinely knew interpretations of the figure of John his origins, his religious self-understandings, his relationship to Jesus, and his deep personal piety. There is little doubt that this impressive work of scholarship will occasion much discussion, debate, and even dissension. However it is equally clear that all future studies focused on the figure of John the Baptist must engage McGrath's ideas and his analysis of key texts. This study will become one of the key reference points for all future work on the perennially fascinating figure of John the Baptist."" --The Expository Times Scottish Journal of Theology ""The overarching goal in McGrath's ambitious new book on John the Baptist is not merely to explore the diverse and complex receptions of John, but to reconstruct John the man himself. To that end, McGrath distinguishes his work from the mass of other literature on John on two grounds. . . . McGrath has given historians a chance to revisit very important questions about the historical figure of John and the origins of the Jesus movement. Future studies of John need to engage McGrath, even if they disagree with him."" Reviews in Religion & Theology ""John of History, Baptist of Faith is an excellent work of biblical studies that is best read by biblical scholars who have extensive education and training in the field of New Testament studies, the origins of Christianity and a minimum acquaintance with fringe quasi-Christian movements such as Gnosticism. CHOICE ""This is essential reading for students of first-century Christianity and Judaism in general but particularly for students of the historical Jesus."" ""Engaging an astonishingly rich and polyglot array of scholarly secondary sources, reading closely in ancient authors and traditions not often brought together--Q, Josephus, Mandaean texts, the Protoevangelium of James, Coptic and Syriac Christian materials--James McGrath offers an imaginative and original interpretation of the figure of John the Baptist, one whose work and life importantly informed and inspired both the mission and the message of Jesus. John of History, Baptist of Faith inaugurates a new phase in the quest for this elusive historical figure. It is a major scholarly achievement."" --Paula Fredriksen, Aurelio Professor of Scripture emerita, Boston University; Distinguished Visiting Professor, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ""Based on an impressive array of sources, including Mandaean texts, this fresh new volume quests for the historical Baptist, assiduously building on prior work in a readable volume of model scholarship."" --Clare K. Rothschild, professor of Scripture Studies, Lewis University ""In this erudite study, James McGrath has managed to advance our scholarly understanding of the continuity and relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth while simultaneously laying the foundations for future historical research. McGrath expertly navigates difficult questions and sources with historiographical sophistication and advances bold new hypotheses. This study expands the horizons of current scholarship and will likely be referenced for years to come."" --Jordan J. Ryan, associate professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

Author Information

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His blog, Religion Prof, can be found on the Patheos network. His books include The A to Z of the New Testament, Beyond Deconstruction: Building a More Expansive Faith, and Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist.

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