“People Who Knew Jesus is both an important achievement and delightful read. The book crackles with sudden insights, is deeply scholarly yet plainly written. It exhibits the author's gentle humor, compassion, and faith. By simply telling the stories of dozens of biblical characters who interacted with Jesus, Somerville distills for the educated reader a hundred years of biblical scholarship to provide a deep appreciation of Jesus as a plausible human being. .." -- Jim Marion, author of Putting on the Mind of Christ

"Using the unique approach of exploring biblical characters in their relationship to Jesus, James M. Somerville sleuths below the literary meaning of the text to mine the puzzles and silences encountered there. A scholarly yet accessible book that offers a provocative view of Jesus, understood through the prism of friends and foes alike." -- Dana Greene, author of Evelyn Underhill: Artist of the Infinite Life and The Living of Maisie Ward