John the Baptist: Prophet and Evangelist (1996 Kazmierski), book

Carl R. Kazmierski, John the Baptist: Prophet and Evangelist (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1996) <English>

Abstract

"John the Baptist is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood people of the Bible. A prophet of two worlds, he calls out to the Israel of his own generation and to Christian believers of today to heed the most radical demands of conversion and newness of life. What do we know of this popular and effective man who appeared so mysteriously on the fringes of society? Why did his vision for Israel become such a challenge to Jesus and to the early Christian Church? How do the New Testament traditions about the Baptist call out for recognition and response in our own time? There questions can be answered only if contemporary readers approach the text with respect for the traditions that give us the rich and colorful portrait of John that we have in the New Testament. Uncovering the dynamics which underlay those traditions is a challenge to historians and believers alike. But it will allow those who pursue it to respond to his person and message with the same vigor as those generations of first believers."--Publisher description.