THE GOSPEL OF JOHN HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF SCRUTINY. THE PREVAILING VIEW HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT JESUS' LEGAL FATHER JOSEPH WAS DEAD. IN HIS EXTRAORDINARY NEW BOOK, DR BRADFORD BRINGS OUT CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT JOSEPH WAS ALIVE AND PRESENT IN THE BACKGROUND OF JESUS' MINISTRY. THIS IS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE IN UNDERSTANDING JESUS' TEMPLE INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHARISEES, THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS LAWYERS. DR BRADFORD'S BOOK ALSO REVEALS EXACTLY WHO JUDAS ISCARIOT WAS AND WHY JESUS CHOSE HIM TO BE AN APOSTLE. AS A JEWISH-CHRISTIAN SCHOLAR, DR BRADFORD ALSO DEMONSTRATES JESUS AND JOHN'S ABUNDANT USE OF JEWISH HUMOUR FOUND (BUT OFTEN MISSED BY NON-JEWS) IN THIS GOSPEL. THE BOOK HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS 'BRILLIANT' BY A PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY.