Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-211) and index.

On 24 December 1994 The Times of London reported the claim by the German scholar Carsten Thiede that the three papyrus fragments of Matthew's Gospel held in Oxford since 1901 date from the first century, a hundred years earlier than previously thought. Graham Stanton, one of Britain's most eminent New Testament scholars and a leading specialist on Matthew's Gospel, was among the first to call the new findings into question. Now his fascinating new book offers a readable.

And objective account of the arguments, and also the claim that a fragment of Mark's Gospel has been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Furthermore, it gives a comprehensive survey of all the evidence - literary and archaeological - for the life and teaching of Jesus and the origin and purpose of the gospels. There are many fresh new insights.

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