Who was this Jesus, this Man who died on the cross?

That's the "supreme question of all time," says former Adventist Review editor William G. Johnsson in his newly released two-volume series titled Jesus of Nazareth.

The answer? A real "flesh and blood" Person who transcended accepted norms and crossed cultural boundaries, sometimes shocking even to His devoted followers. He mingled with "sinners," cared deeply for the marginalized, and shattered concepts regarding women. He changed the world for all time.

Setting conjecture aside, Johnsson leads readers into a deeper understanding of the "real" Jesus by taking them back to the time in which He lived—"a troubled time, with unrest, revolt, and assassination" and "people wracked by disease." A world in which "expectation of the coming of the deliverer, the Messiah, burned in the hearts of men and women."

Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, explores the land and culture where Jesus lived and ministered, and considers the men and women who followed Him, His amazing love for sinners, and His conflicts with religious leaders and the powers of darkness.

Jesus of Nazareth: His Message, His Passion, examines Jesus' teachings and parables and the final week of His life on earth with its intrigue, struggles, betrayal, and death.

The skillful penmanship of Bill Johnsson, former editor of the Adventist Review, presents a God who is not separated from us, but rather so close that we may consider Jesus our elder Brother, and His Father our heavenly Parent.

The final seven chapters poignantly portray a Savior who walked the road to Jerusalem "resolutely, jaw set firm, face straight," knowing that the agony of the cross was before Him and that He was sealing His doom.

These two volumes of about 200 pages each bring us face to face with Jesus the Man and the Son of God and draw readers in as part of the story. They make Him real.