Milton T. Walsh holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. For many years, he taught theology at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He is the author of several books, including Second Friends: C. S. Lewis and Ronald Knox in Conversation, In Memory of Me: A Meditation on the Roman Canon, and Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours.

"Walsh has done pioneering work. [This book] will prove an invaluable tool for scholars researching the late medieval engagement with the humanity of Christ, while simultaneously catering for general readers and religious practitioners interested in learning more about a traditional and influential imaginative meditational practice."Christiania Whitehead, Professor of Middle English Literature, University of Warwick

• ContentsList of Abbreviations for Works Cited   xiiiIntroduction   xxiii The Life of ChristPart OnePrologue   3CHAPTER 1The Eternal, Divine Generation of Christ (John 1:1-5)   26CHAPTER 2The Remedy of Human Salvation; the Birth of Mary   39CHAPTER 3The Blessed Virgin’s Marriage   55CHAPTER 4The Conception of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25)   66CHAPTER 5The Savior’s Conception (Luke 1:26-38)   77CHAPTER 6The Birth and Circumcision of the Lord’s Forerunner (Luke 1:39-80)   116CHAPTER 7The Savior’s Genealogy (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38)   134CHAPTER 8Joseph’s Wish to Send Mary Away (Matt 1:18-25)   145CHAPTER 9The Birth of the Savior (Luke 2:1-20)   158CHAPTER 10The Lord’s Circumcision (Luke 2:21)   191CHAPTER 11The Epiphany of the Lord to the Three Magi (Matt 2:1-12)   203CHAPTER 12The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple (Luke 2:22-39)   229CHAPTER 13The Flight into Egypt and the Slaughter of the Innocents (Matt 2:13-18)   264CHAPTER 14The Lord’s Return from Egypt and the Beginning of John the Baptist’s Penance (Matt 2:19-23)   283CHAPTER 15The Boy Jesus Remains Behind in Jerusalem and Is Found in the Temple (Luke 2:40-52)   295CHAPTER 16What the Lord Jesus Did between the Years of Twelve and Thirty (Luke 2:51-52)   314CHAPTER 17The Mission and Life of John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-10; Luke 3:1-4)   330CHAPTER 18John’s Mission Is from God, Not Himself (John 1:6-18)   356CHAPTER 19John States That He Is Not the Messiah but His Forerunner (Matt 3:11-12; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:15-17; John 1:19-28)   373CHAPTER 20The Need to Do Penance   392CHAPTER 21The Lord’s Baptism (Matt 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22)   418CHAPTER 22The Lord’s Fast and Temptation (Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-14; Luke 4:1-13)   444CHAPTER 23John Announces That Christ Is the Lamb of God (John 1:29-34)   481CHAPTER 24John’s Further Testimony and the Calling of the First Disciples (John 1:35-51)   490CHAPTER 25Water Changed into Wine (John 2:1-11)   505CHAPTER 26The First Cleansing of the Temple and the Visit of Nicodemus (John 2:12–3:21)   524CHAPTER 27John Is Imprisoned (Matt 14:1-9; Mark 6:24-29; Luke 3:19-20; John 3:22-30)   538CHAPTER 28The Lord Jesus Begins His Public Ministry (Matt 4:12-17)   547CHAPTER 29The Second and Third Calls of the Disciples (Luke 5:1-11; Mark 1:16-20)   555CHAPTER 30Conclusion of the Call of the Disciples; Christ’s Zeal to Preach   568CHAPTER 31The Call of Matthew and His Feast (Matt 9:9-17; Mark 2:14-22; Luke 5:27-39)   579CHAPTER 32The Choosing of the Twelve Apostles (Matt 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16)   594CHAPTER 33The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12; Luke 6:17-26)   604CHAPTER 34The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Pastors Should Enlighten by Preaching and Works; Christ Has Come to Fulfill the Law (Matt 5:13-37)   630CHAPTER 35The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Love of Enemies (Matt 5:39-48; Luke 6:27-36)   654CHAPTER 36The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Do Not Seek Human Praise for Good Works (Matt 6:1-8, 16-18)   675CHAPTER 37The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-15; Luke 11:2-4)   688CHAPTER 38The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Treasure in Heaven (Matt 6:19-34; Luke 12:22-34)   711CHAPTER 39The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: The Need to Be Merciful; the Importance of Prayer (Matt 7:1-12; Luke 6:36-49; 11:5-13)   734CHAPTER 40The Sermon on the Mount: Conclusion (Matt 7:13-29; Luke 6:46-49; 13:24)   757 A cumulative index to the four volumes of Ludolph of Saxony’s The Life of Jesus Christ will appear in the fourth volume,The Life of Jesus Christ: Part Two; Volume 4, Chapters 58–59, Cistercian Studies Series 284.