Scholars Typically Have attempted to show how Greco-Roman culture impinged on the Jesus tradition and altered it. Graydon Synder, however, attempts to demonstrate the opposite, that is, how the Jesus tradition altered both Jewish and Roman cultures. The book begins with an in-depth analysis of major New Testament material. Synder explains how the Gospels used Jesus to undermine cultural values, how Paul used the same tradition to suspend cultural expressions, and how John universalized Jesus by deculturizing him.