Joan E. Taylor is Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London, UK.

Features a contribution from Terry Jones

List of Authors
List of Abbreviations
List of Illustrations

Preface: Terry Jones
Foreword: Paul Joyce

Introduction: Jesus and Brian: the Conference and the Book
Joan E. Taylor, King's College London, UK

Part One: The Film in its Cinematic Context, its Reception and its Challenges

1. Monty Python's Life of Brian and the Jesus Film
William Telford, University of Durham, UK

2. The Church of England's Life of Python - or what the Bishop saw
Richard Burridge, King's College London, UK

3. When Brian met Moses: Life of Brian (1979), Wholly Moses (1980) and the 'Failure' of Biblical Parody
David Shepherd, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

4.'Blasphemy!' On Free Speech Then and Now
David Tollerton, University of Exeter, UK

[...] Meaning of Monty Python's Jesus
James Crossley, University of Sheffield, UK

6. The Gospel of Brian
Philip R. Davies, University of Sheffield, UK

Part Two: History and Interpretation via Monty Python's Life of Brian

[...] Historical Brian: Reception Exegesis in Practice
Joan E. Taylor, Kings College London, UK

8. Romani Ite Domum - Expressions of Identity and Resistance in Judaea
Guy D. Stiebel, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

9. 'You'll probably get away with Crucifixion': Laughing at the Cross in Brian and the Ancient World
Helen Bond, University of Edinburgh, UK

10. Brian as a Teacher of Righteousness
George Brooke, University of Manchester, UK

11. Brian and the Apocalyptic Jesus: Parody as a Historical Method
Bart Ehrman, University of North Carolina, USA

12. 'Are You a Virgin?': Biblical Exegesis and the Invention of Tradition
Paula Fredriksen, Boston University, USA

13. Beards for Sale: The Uncut Version of Brian, Gender and Sexuality
Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt University, USA

14. 'What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?' Brian and Josephus on Anti-Roman Sentiment
Steve Mason, University of Aberdeen, UK

15. Hook-Nosed Heebies: Brian, Jesus and Jewish Identity
Adele Reinhartz, University of Ottawa, Canada

16. 'The Shoe is the Sign!' Costuming 'Brian' and Dressing the 1st Century
Katie Turner, King's College London, UK

Abstracts of Chapters

Bibliography

Index