How did Gospel authors Matthew and Luke shape the story of John the Baptist around the story of Jesus? Why was the historical Baptist so popular? In  John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age,  Catherine Murphy explores the character of John the Baptist and compares what the foundational Gospels yield: not only the perspectives of the synoptic authors, but also a sketch of the historical figure of John the Baptist, which is then placed within the religious, political and economic context of first-century C.E. Judea. Special attention is given to the interface between John and the Qumran community, which scholars have proposed ever since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Chapters are "Will the Real Baptist Please Stand Up?" "Redaction Criticism: How and Why Authors Shape Their Stories," "Baptist Vignettes in the Gospels: A Redaction-Critical Approach," "Another Angle on the Baptist Movement: Social-Scientific Criticism," "Purification Movements in the First-Century C.E. Judea," and "Conclusion." Catherine M. Murphy, PhD, is assistant professor in the department of religious studies at Santa Clara University. She has co-published three editions of Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, and has written journal articles on the Scrolls and the New Testament. The treatise should furnish the intended audience with an understanding not only of an important personage from the biblical world but also with a first-hand experience of the manner in which various academic disciplines operate to bring the past to life in the present-not from mere curiosity but from a desire for vital religious and rational integrity. Religious Studies Review How did the Gospel authors Matthew and Luke shape the story of John the Baptist around the story of Jesus? Why was the historical Baptist so popular? In John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age, Catherine Murphy explores the character of John the Baptist and compares what the Gospels yield, namely, not only the perspectives of the synoptic authors but also a sketch of the historical figure of John the Baptist, which is then placed within the religious, political, and economic context of first-century C.E. Judea. Attention is given to the interface between John and the Qumran community, which scholars have proposed ever since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Chapters are ?Will the Real Baptist Please Stand Up?? ?Redaction Criticism: How and Why Authors Shape Their Stories,? ?Baptist Vignettes in the Gospels: A Redaction-Critical Approach,? ?Another Angle on the Baptist Movement: Social-Scientific Criticism,? ?Purification Movements in the First-Century C.E. Judea,? and ?Conclusion.??The treatise should furnish the intended audience with an understanding not only of an important personage from the biblical world but also with a first-hand experience of the manner in which various academic disciplines operate to bring the past to life in the present?not from mere curiosity but from a desire for vital religious and rational integrity.? Religious Studies Review?Professor Murphy has produced a wonderful tool for introducing students to the methods of contemporary historical-critical investigation of the New Testament. She guides students through the process of analyzing the Biblical accounts of John the Baptist, teaching them in the process to attend to the complex ways in which the ancient texts drew from and altered pre-existing sources. She then introduces students to the imaginative enterprise of reconstructing the social and cultural worlds behind the texts, relying in the process on current ?social scientific? analysis of the world of the New Testament. Throughout she demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of the array of tools now available to students of Scripture who want to explore the historical world on which the texts report.? Harold Attridge Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament Yale Divinity School?Standard textbooks on the New Testament introduce students to the conclusions of New Testament scholarship. This book is for those inquiring minds that want to know more, namely, how these conclusions were and can be reached. And so, it is about much more than John the Baptist; it is about Gospel study. . . . This clear and carefully crafted presentation will be a welcome addition to classes which have as their goal to teach not just the content but the ?how to? of biblical interpretation.? Susan A. Calef Creighton University? . . . an excellent introduction to the critical reading of the Gospels. . . . Those who follow Murphy?s presentation will surely make progress in reading the Gospels with critical care and spiritual profit.? America? . . . describes John the Baptist as a window for us onto 1st-century Judea, a mirror that reflects our interests, and a way from Israel?s tradition to Jesus of Nazareth . . . methods and texts allow us to visit another world and, in the process, to meet characters like John the Baptist again for the fist time.? New Testamen