According to IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS (ISBN 978-1-4262-0987-1; on sale Nov. 6, 2012; $40; hardcover), a new publication from National Geographic Books, Jesus and his father, Joseph, may have been skilled workers forced into labor on the rebuilding of Sepphoris, the Galilean capital. National Geographic Books Drawing from a variety of evidence, the book reports that many scholars have begun to explore this theory for several reasons: One relates to the various meanings of tekt?n, which though translated in the King James Bible as "carpenter," also can be defined as "skilled worker." Secondly, conscripting labor from surrounding villages was a familiar operating procedure in Roman vassal states. The book also suggests that many of the poor and hungry peasants who flocked to Jesus were, in fact, victims of Herod the Great's rapacious tax policies. Additionally, the book examines Jesus' treatment and acceptance of women. This issue was recently brought into the spotlight by the controversy over a Coptic papyrus fragment referring to Jesus' wife, so the discussion in the book is particularly well-timed. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS purports that Jesus even counted women among his Apostles. The Gospel of Philip, for example, states that "the companion of the [Savior is] Mary Magdalene." However, the book cautions that terms such as "companion" or "wife" were often used metaphorically in Jewish and Christian texts of the time. These are just some of the insights contained in this fresh portrait of the historical Jesus. "This is a Jesus for the 21st