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Richard Bauckham, Jude and the Relatives of Jesus in the Early Church (T&T Clark, 2000). I love the careful scholarship of Richard Bauckham and highly recommend this incredibly valuable volume. Too often mainstream New Testament scholarship has neglected not only so-called “Jewish Christianity,” but even more so, the “family of Jesus.” We have two N.T. letters attributed to James and Jude and our rather abundant sources on the so-called Desposynoi–as the relatives of Jesus are called in our early sources. Few have taken note of their history beyond the death of James in 62 CE, and the 70 CE destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, but our sources indicate that the emperor Vespasian was acutely interested in this royal family and its potential threat to a revival of Messianic ideas, and Hadrian even arrested two grandsons of Judas, the brother of Jesus and had them questioned. The dogmas of the “virgin birth” and “perpetual virginity” of Jesus’ mother Mary, have contributed to this dearth of familiarity. Bauckham has provided the most solid academic study of which aware. His careful analytical methods, clear writing, and solidly detailed documentation make this volume a must have for anyone interested in Christian Origins. I have read and re-read this volume over the years and continue to learn from it. Don’t let the price put you off–it is well worth that and more, running 459 pages of invaluable resource materials.
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