Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence by Craig A. Evans
The purpose of this book is to examine some of the archaeological evidence pertaining to Jesus Christ. The author takes very complex and scholarly material and makes it easy to read and understand by the average person.
There are five main sections the author focuses on:
1. What was Nazareth (Jesus's hometown) like?
2. Were synagogues around when Jesus was growing up? If so, what were they like?
3. Would Jesus have been able to read or write based on societal standards?
4. What were the priests and the temple like?
5. What were Jewish burial traditions and how does the account of Jesus's death compare?
Two other minor questions were answered in the appendixes:
1. Have we found the family tomb of Jesus?
2. What did Jesus look like?
The author does a good job at answering these questions based on archaeological findings. The author also provides information about other resources for further reading.
Overall, this book is an interesting read and certainly worth your time if you are interested in the historical world of Jesus's day.
