Expertly crafted text describes what is known and speculated about Jesus's youth, life and work, while showing the larger events that combined to shape the world in which He lived. Both the text and sidebars describe the places in Jesus' world that can still be experienced by visitors, as well as key sites that have since disappeared but can be reconstructed by forensic means; what life was like in an agricultural society in 1st century Lower Galilee before the Jewish War; the omnipresent tension between Greco-Roman urban lifestyles and observant Jewish communities, which because of its geographic location was particularly acute in Lower Galilee; the devastating impact of Herodian tax regimes and subsequent Roman census-based taxation in Lower Galilee, and the wholesale displacement of the Jewish peasantry; modern religious practices that can be traced to Jesus' teaching and experiences, and other compelling historical figures of the era. Captivating elements include quotes attributed to Jesus; historical data derived from Jewish sources such as the Mishnah, and Roman sources such as Josephus; census data and other documents; key facts, and insightful main text. Newcomers to biblical history as well as the devoted will find this an invaluable reference and a gorgeous book for the home library.