The Minyan

About the Book

THE MINYAN by Dr. C. David Jones is an account of the lives, ministry and legends of each of the thirteen Apostles who were members of the Minyan of Jesus Christ. The book provides new materials based upon historical research, the principles of biblical redaction criticism/analysis and an examination of the sociological, inter-personal and group dynamics of this amazing group of Jesus' Apostles. The Appendices include a unique Minyan sociogram and maps that offer additional resources to the reader. Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam, President of Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY is author of the "Introduction."

CONTENTS:

CAN YOU name the Thirteen Apostles of Jesus Christ?

When asked that question one fellow said, “Sure!” Then he confidently began to rattle off their names:

“Matthew, Mark, Luke, John . . .”

He paused for a moment, puzzled and bewildered, and then continued:

“Happy, Dopey, Grumpy, Doc . . .
Donder, Vixen, Blitzen . . . and Rudolph!”

He really didn’t know who the Apostles were but, undaunted, he rattled off the first names that came to his mind. There were, however, actually thirteen men who made up the “Minyan.”

A MINYAN is the number of adult Jews required to form a synagogue or a Hebrew congregation. The necessary quorum that must be present for the daily prayers or for any special prayers or services of Hebrew worship is ten. Originally the number was twelve -– the same number of the original twelve tribes of Israel.

The Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, chose twelve men to form his own itinerant “Minyan” to travel with him wherever he went throughout his earthly ministry.

THE HISTORIC ACCOUNT of the Apostolic Minyan begins with the enigmatic figure of St. John the Baptist. His story is the Prologue to the chapters that follow in The MINYAN.

THE CENTRAL FIGURE around whom all else revolves is the dynamic and mystical person of JESUS CHRIST. What made him choose these particular twelve men for his Minyan? Explore with the author the powerful sociological dynamics and religious ferment that impacted the lives of these men.

DISCOVER the identity of the “first” apostle; learn the secret of the fisherman who walked on water; then meet the first apostolic martyr, the Greek nobleman and the noble Egyptian rabbi, the boy with loaves and fishes who became the teen-age apostle, the skeptical shipwright, the revenuer, the guerrilla revolutionaries and terrorists among the Minyan, the embezzling treasurer, and the man who came out on “the short end of the stick!”

EXAMINE the Sociogram which charts the inter-relationships within the Minyan and shows how many of the men were relatives of the Rabbi Jesus. See the interlocking forces that knit business partners and tradesmen together. Trace the travels of the Minyan on the maps and follow them as they spread the Good News of God’s love to the far corners of the Roman Empire and beyond.

FOLLOW in the EPILOGUE the influence of the Minyan and the development of Christianity through the centuries to modern times. You will be amazed and astounded at the lives and ministries of these thirteen men who had such a profound impact in turning our world “Upside-down” or, more exactly, in helping to turn it “Right-side UP!”

“Dr. C. David Jones has given us a marvelous and expansive piece of research work and writing in this book in which he tells the fascinating story of the original twelve men and then the thirteenth man who joined them to form a very special Minyan: their lives changed the world!”

--from the “Introduction” by Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam, President of Asbury Theological Seminary

About the Author

Dr. C. DAVID JONES, has been an adjunct professor at Essex College, Baltimore, Maryland, The Theological School of Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, and Loyola College, Columbia, Maryland. He has pastored churches in Kansas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Georgia. He served as Dean of the College of Fellows of the Academy of Parish Clergy and is a charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. In this book, which is the culmination of over a quarter-century of research, Dr. Jones combines the insights of both Biblical research scholar and pastor to tell the fascinating story of thirteen men who became part of a very special Minyan . . . their lives changed the world.