The Trinity Press edition of this popular book includes a new preface by the author, responding to reviews of earlier editions. Horsley also sets forth the continuing value of Bandits, Prophets, and Messiahs for reconstructing the social history background of the New Testament. This book represents a brilliant portrait of Jewish culture in the first century and contains a fresh evaluation of Jesus' relation to this complex society. Horsley rediscovers the "common people" (Jewish peasantry) in the time of Jesus the masses led by bandit forces, apocalyptic prophets, and messianic leaders and provides new insights into their significance. "Important and ground-breaking . . . . A major contribution to our understanding of the first-century Jewish social world." Journal of Biblical Literature "Social history at its best . . . . Important material for understanding the Gospels' confession of Jesus as the Messiah." America Richard A. Horlsey is Professor of Classics and Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is author of Galilee: History, Politics, People; Archaeology, History, and Society in Galilee: The Social Context of Jesus and the Rabbis; and editor of Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society, all published by Trinity Press.