Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews

The author of this book focuses on two indisputable facts: Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by Rome, killed as a political insurrectionist, but none of his immediate followers were harmed or even arrested. The public execution, he argues, implies that Pilate saw Jesus as spearheading some type of dangerous political movement. The public execution may have been to discourage whatever political hopes Jesus may have inspired. Yet the fact that Pilate rounded up and executed none of Jesus' followers suggests that he knew perfectly well that Jesus posed no such threat. So why the crucificixion? Focusing on these facts, the author re-evaluates the historical worth of traditions in John's Gospel that may have been discounted or overlooked.