These chapters began life as a series of four public lectures delivered in November 1987 on the theme of “Jesus and Discipleship” for the Durham Council of Churches. By that time I was already committed to contributing on the same theme to the Understanding Jesus Today series, and it seemed wisest to use the lectures as a first draft (as it were) for the book. The constraints of the lecture format were thus a major factor in determining the content and order of the material.

When it came to writing up the lectures (delivered from notes), the temptation to break out of the four-lecture/chapter format was considerable, but the lectures had been well received and proved pleasingly coherent, and I had promised that they would be published. I therefore stayed with the four-chapter format (with the addition of an introduction and conclusion), since any ordering of such material is bound to be artificial in one degree or another.

In view of the nature of the subject I have not hesitated to pose questions for discussion that go beyond issues of merely historical interest.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Durham Council for the invitation to give the lectures and to the original audiences for the feedback and stimulus which the open discussion period following each lecture contributed to the subsequent write-up.