Jesus and his contemporaries : comparative studies / by Craig A. Evans.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Evans, Craig A. (Craig Alan), 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jesus Christ--Biography--Public life.

Jesus Christ.

Biography.

Jesus Christ--Friends and associates.

Friends and associates.

Messiah.

Jesus Christ--Historicity.

Historicity of Jesus Christ.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 532 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Brill, 2001.

Summary:

Jesus was a man from Nazareth who died in Jerusalem. But he was no ordinary man, or was he? That Jesus existed we are all quite sure, but what were the real, historical facts of his life and death? What, about all that has been said of him, is truly authentic? Who is the real Jesus? With Evans' research, a more accurate portrait of Jesus begins to emerge. Ironically, the most important and obvious fact to bear in mind when trying to understand Jesus is that he was, in fact, a Jew. Embracing the historical and cultural context in which Jesus lived goes against the tide of Jesus research, specifically, Evans takes on the research from the Jesus Seminar. In the first part of his book, Evans shows us through comparative studies, the diversity of beliefs and actions that existed in the Jewish culture of which Jesus was indeed a part. Evans' goal is to understand better the Sitz im Leben Jeau. In the second part of the book, Evans pits Jesus against his opponents, seeking to identify Jesus' teachings and actions that led to his death. Not only does Evans paint a realistic portrait of Jesus, but he helps lay a firmer foundation upon which one can begin to understand the emergence of Christian theology.

Contents:

I. Recent Developments in Jesus Research: Presuppositions, Criteria, and Sources 1

Part 1 Jesus and His Rivals

II. Messianic Claimants of the First and Second Centuries 53

III. Jesus and the Messianic Texts from Qumran: A Preliminary Assessment of the Recently Published Materials 83

Excursus 1 Early Messianic Traditions in the Targums 155

IV. Was Simon ben Kosiba Recognized as Messiah? 183

V. Jesus and Jewish Miracle Stories 213

Excursus 2 Jesus and Apollonius of Tyana 245

VI. Jesus and Rabbinic Parables, Proverbs, and Prayers 251

Part 2 Jesus and His Opponents

VII. From Public Ministry to the Passion: Can a Link Be Found between the (Galilean) Life and the (Judean) Death of Jesus? 301

VIII. Jesus' Action in the Temple and Evidence of Corruption in the First-Century Temple 319

IX. Jesus and the "Cave of Robbers": Towards a Jewish Context for the Temple Action 345

Excursus 3 Jesus and Predictions of the Destruction of the Herodian Temple 367

X. God's Vineyard and Its Caretakers 381

XI. In What Sense "Blasphemy"? Jesus before Caiaphas in Mark 14:61-64 407

Synthesis

XII. From Anointed Prophet to Anointed King: Probing Aspects of Jesus' Self-Understanding 437

Epilogue: Jesus and His Contemporaries 457.

Notes:

Originally published: 1995.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [461]-491) and indexes.

ISBN:

0391041185

OCLC:

46951642