How would ancients, particularly Jesus' enemies, have understood what he was doing in his exorcisms--the mechanisms, the techniques, and the outcomes? And why would anyone have risked associating with a man thought possessed by Beelzebul and engaged in illegal, shadowy, even disreputable activity? The result is an engaging and enlightening read of the Jesus tradition in its contemporary setting that is sure to surprise, and perhaps even delight the reader whose mind is open to new ideas and able to handle the subtleties of cross cultural exploration. Why was Jesus labeled a dark magician, an "evildoer?" Why did he use illegal practices to expel demons? Why was he crucified and not stoned, stabbed, or beheaded like other Roman antagonists, such as John the Baptist? Why was his body entombed in stone and not thrown into the city dump? Most important, why would anyone accept the perilous risk of admitting to have seen this condemned dark magician after crucifixion, and then proclaim him "master?" Roger Busse, a forty-year veteran of risk analysis and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, carefully analyzes these questions and the post-crucifixion encounters with Jesus in their contemporary setting, recovering nine highly reliable encounters.
