Jacob & the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story

Israel, the community to which Jesus belonged, took its name from the patriarch Jacob. His story of exile and return was Israel's story as well. This book examines the well-known parable of the prodigal son and shows how, in telling it, Jesus took the story of Jacob and reshaped it in his own way and for his own purposes. The author darws on a lifetime study in Middle Eastern culture, the gospels and, in particular, the parable of the prodigal son. In the process, he offers a fresh view of how Jesus interpreted Israel's past, his present and their future.