Following his critically acclaimed book Jesus the Temple, Nicholas Perrin offers a fresh paradigm for understanding the historical Jesus. Perrin challenges the "standard reading" of classic texts (including the parable of the sower, the Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer) to argue that the historical Jesus primarily identified himself not as sage or prophet but as Israel's eschatological high priest. Perrin's insightful theological contribution synthesizes the best in traditional/conservative and liberal reconstructions of Jesus's life and teaching. He identifies Jesus's priesthood as a mediating understanding that sheds crucial light on the kingdom of God.