Have you ever wondered why Jesus picked Judas Iscariot to be one of his inner circle of twelve disciples? Or why the first generation Christians picked Jesus' step-brother James to be the first head of the Jerusalem church-a man the gospel writers said was a non-believer until after the Resurrection? Or what was the real relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene? You will find the answers to these questions and many more in this book. Jesus interacted with some thirty men and women during his earthly ministry who became the core of the first generation church. The bible story is all about Jesus so other individuals are secondary and scant attention is given them. Here you will find the back stories about each of these individuals as gleaned from both biblical and non-biblical sources. The book is set up for both an individual read about the cast of characters and as an in depth study for church or home discussion groups. A separate section of background material includes an overview of the land and culture during the time of Jesus, helps for interpreting the often diametrically opposed conclusions arrived at by well-respected bible scholars looking at the same material, and an extensive glossary of both ecclesiastical and Hebraic terminology. The total content makes this book a "must have" reference for the serious bible student.