Content Warning: This section includes discussion of antisemitism.

The Shadow of the Galilean demonstrates that Jesus, the historical figure, did not exist in a vacuum. Regardless of one’s perspective on Christianity, historical sources indicate that Jesus was a real man who was born in Roman-controlled Palestine around 4 BCE. He was Jewish, and he grew up in the political and religious landscape of first-century Palestine. He accumulated followers with a message of radical nonviolent resistance to oppression, and he was later crucified after causing a disruption in the temple in Jerusalem. Gerd Theissen’s text explores the discussions that were happening in various Jewish sects around this time. Many Jewish people believed that Judaism was in need of some reform, and some sects believed that the Messiah would be arriving imminently to usher in a new era of prosperity. Jesus was not the only person hailed as the Messiah at this time, but he was the one whose message had the greatest lasting impact.

Roman control of Palestine was quite repressive at this time, partly because Pontius Pilate did not understand Jewish law and philosophy, and he frequently made decisions that angered his subjects. The Romans, Theissen argues, wanted Judaism to be more like their own religion and the religions of other subject peoples.