  The masses of octet baryons are calculated by the method of QCD sum rules.
Using generalized interpolating fields, three independent sets of QCD sum rules
are derived which allow the extraction of low-lying N* states with spin-parity
1/2+, 1/2- and 3/2- in both the non-strange and strange channels. The
predictive ability of the sum rules is examined by a Monte-Carlo based analysis
procedure in which the three phenomenological parameters (mass, coupling,
threshold) are treated as free parameters simultaneously. Realistic
uncertainties in these parameters are obtained by simultaneously exploring all
uncertainties in the QCD input parameters. Those sum rules with good predictive
power are identified and their predictions are compared with experiment where
available.
