Ep 134: John the Baptist with James McGrath

July 2, 2024
Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I welcome back Dr. James McGrath to discuss his brand-new book “Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist”, out now on Eerdmans press. In this book Dr. McGrath crafts a biography of John in which he offers a fresh look at the historical sources in an attempt to understand who John was and why he was so influential. McGrath explores John’s early life, including the tension between being the son of a priest and a Nazerite, they symbolic significance of his wilderness location and his baptisms, his critique of the Jewish temple, his understanding of messianic hope, his conflict with the Jewish authority, and how his legacy impacted the ministry of Jesus. McGrath correctly claims that you can’t understand Jesus without understanding John, and he explains why we need to take a fresh look John the Baptist.