Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

The Pharisees : power and purity -- The Sadducees : priesthood and aristocracy -- The scribes : political sages -- The Zealots : religious militancy and the sole rule of God -- The tax collectors : pragmatic opportunists -- The sinners : marginalized and profligate -- The "people of the land" : poverty and piety -- The Samaritans : religion and ethnicity -- John the Baptist and his disciples : community and transition -- The Hebrews : faith and dissonance -- The Hellenists : cultures in transition -- Charlatans, exorcists, and magicians : the challenge of syncretism -- The Herodians : politics and compromise -- The Roman imperial rulers : hierarchy and empire -- The centurions : the presence of Roman military might -- Patrons, clients, and trade guilds : the nexus of politics, society, and economics -- The Greek philosophers : faith and intellect in dialogue -- Slaves and freed persons : church and culture in tension.