John the Baptist: Prophet and Disciple. This item is unavailable.John the Baptist: Prophet and Disciple

For the first time in nearly 50 years, a casual yet informative method to learn about John the Baptist…

"Why did each of the four evangelists make John the gateway to the Gospel, the first preacher of Good News? What were the reasons for the early Church's intense interest in a desert hermit whose public ministry lasted two years or less? Why in early Christian tradition was John the Baptist accorded an exalted religious stature, almost equal to that of Mary? The irony is that most modern scholarship on John has missed the true sources of his religious significance…in his links to Christ and to the very earliest beginnings of the Christian religion."—from the Introduction

Alexander Burke pieces together the mystery of this well-known disciple of Jesus one chapter at a time, covering John's preaching, arrest and execution, his role in Eastern and Western Christian Tradition, and the many paradoxes surrounding him.

An excellent resource for group or individual study, John the Baptist offers questions for reflection at the end of each chapter.

Discover a fresh perspective of John the Baptist. Let him rise to the top of the beadroll of Christian heroes where Jesus believed he belonged. Step back and see the beautiful mosaic of mysteries that made up this fascinating saint's life.

ALEXANDER J. BURKE, JR., is professor of English and freshmen composition at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He has a Ph.D. in theology from Fordham University. He also wrote Raising Lazarus and the Passion of Jesus in John 11 and 12: A Study of John&;s Literary Structure and His Narrative Theology (Edwin Mellen Press). He lives in Manhasset, New York.