Communication in Jesus' world involved the use of word pictures, dramatic actions, metaphors, and stories. Rather than lecture about religious corruption, Jesus refers to the Pharisees as "whitewashed tombs." Rather than outline the failings of the Temple, he curses a fig tree. Without a perceptive and careful use of the culture of the ancient world, we read the stories of Jesus as foreigners.

In this second volume in the Ancient Context, Ancient Faith series, Gary Burge applies the insights of biblical scholarship, cultural anthropology, and the traditions of the Middle East to reveal glimpses of Jesus' original meaning now lost to us. Featuring beautiful color pictures, maps, and artwork, Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller is written for the reader that loves the Bible and its history and yet wonders if more discoveries still lie ahead. They do.