Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet

Description

This book is a reconstruction of the life of Jesus from his birth to his death, with a focus on understanding him in the context of his own time and place. Wassen and Hägerland consider Jesus as an apocalyptic prophetic figure within the context of first-century Judaism. They take a narrative approach, examining Jesus’ life in order and draw together the threads of scholarly discussion on the history, archaeology and geography of first-century Galilee into a complete picture of Jesus’ world suitable for a non-specialist audience. Together the chapters provide a deeply informed introduction to Jesus in his first-century context. The authors follow a scientific worldview for historical reconstruction, drawing readers’ attention to the rhetorical aspects of the texts of the New Testament and problematising these elements. They embed the texts surrounding Jesus in the context of first-century Galilee with historical and archaeological reflections and discussion and, in particular, with penetrating insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Illustrated throughout with photographs taken by the authors specifically to offer insights into the world of Jesus and the New Testament writings. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS PREFACE LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHRONOLOGY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MAP Introduction The Jesus of faith and the historical Jesus 1 Jesus’ birth and life in Galilee Jesus’ birth Jesus’ family Jesus’ life before he met John the Baptist Palestine during Jesus’ time: Geography, politics and living conditions Daily life and holidays Disease and life expectancy The centre at Capernaum Summary Bibliography 2 Judaism in the time of Jesus Religion – A way of life Jesus the Jew The sanctuary The sacrificial cult Priests and parties Angels and demons Salvation figures Summary Bibliography 3 The Jesus of the Gospels and the Jesus of history The stories about Jesus Why so little about Jesus? Paul and oral tradition The Gospels – Similar and different Myth and history Portrait of a hero – with beauty spots Summary Bibliography 4 John the Baptist Who was John the Baptist? The baptism of John Proclaiming judgement Jesus and John Summary Bibliography 5 The prophet leader Professional and popular prophets The Jesus movement The disciples of the prophet The Twelve Judges and the restoration of Israel Summary Bibliography 6 The kingdom The coming of the kingdom God – king of Israel, king of the world A budding shoot Living in the kingdom of God Summary Bibliography 7 In conflict with Satan Sickness and healing then and now The healer Liberation from the demons The coming of the kingdom of God The book of Isaiah and the miracles of Jesus Summary Bibliography 8 Jesus and the laws The laws of Moses The sabbath Divorce and sexuality Purity laws Summary Bibliography 9 The anointed one Who do people say that I am? The messianic Son of Man The Anointed One of the Spirit The Son of David Summary Bibliography 10 The final week Passover The entry into Jerusalem The attack in the sanctuary The last supper and the arrest in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus’ arrest and the role of Judas The interrogations Suffering and death Summary Bibliography 11 From a Jewish group to a multi-ethnic movement in the Roman Empire The first Christ-believers The mission beyond Palestine Moving towards Christianity Summary Bibliography GLOSSARY OF NAMES AND TERMS INDEX