Jesus, the Gospels, and the Galilean Crisis

Description

Tucker S. Ferda examines the theory of the Galilean crisis: the notion that the historical Jesus himself had grappled with the failure of his mission to Israel. While this theory has been neglected since the 19th century, due to research moving to consider the response of the early church to the rejection of the gospel, Ferda now provides fresh insight on Jesus’ own potential crisis of faith. Ferda begins by reconstructing the origin of the crisis theory, expanding upon histories of New Testament research and considering the contributions made before Hermann Samuel Reimarus. He shows how the crisis theory was shaped by earlier and so-called “pre-critical” gospel interpretation and examines how, despite the claims of modern scholarship, the logic of the crisis theory is still a part of current debate. Finally, Ferda argues that while the crisis theory is a failed hypothesis, its suggestions on early success and growing opposition in the ministry, as well as its claim that Jesus met and responded to disappointing cases of rejection, should be revisited. This book resurrects key historical aspects of the crisis theory for contemporary scholarship. Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Figures Preface Chapter 1. Introducing the Galilean Crisis 1. Aims 2. Problems Stated 3. Approach 4. Th e Historical Jesus and Method Chapter 2. Interpretive Precursors and Habits of Reading 1. Th eological Starting Points and Developments 2. Harmonies, Paraphrases, and Gospel Interpretation 3. Freethinkers and Deists 4. Periodization and Book Culture 5. Conclusions Chapter 3. The Galilean Crisis in the Nineteenth-Century Quest 1. Reimarus and Stratifi cation 2. Hase in Proper Historical Context 3. Th e Crisis Th eory in Later Lives of Jesus 4. Assessing the Nineteenth-century Crisis Th eory 5. Conclusions Chapter 4. The Afterlife of the Crisis Theory 1. Th e Impact of Wrede and Form Criticism 2. A Galilean Crisis Aft er Form Criticism 3. Th e Crisis Th eory and the “Q People 4. Assessing the Twentieth- to Twenty-fi rst-century Crisis Th eory 5. Conclusions Chapter 5. Consistency and Change 1. Possibilities 2. Early Perceptions of Jesus 3. Jesus and John the Baptist 4. Jesus and the Scriptures 5. Conclusions Chapter 6. Development: Early Success and Growing Opposition 1. A “Galilean Spring 2. Jesus and the Law: Initial Suggestions 3. Identifying “Development” in Retrospect 4. Conclusions Chapter 7. The Rejection of Jesus 1. Th e Galilean Woes 2. Th eologizing Rejection 3. Conclusions Chapter 8. Final Thoughts Bibliography Index of Biblical Writings Author Index Subject Index