The historical Jesus : a guide for the perplexed

217 Pages·2012·1.64 MB·English

by  Jesus Christ

The Historical
Jesus

99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd ii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3355 PPMM
T&T CLARK GUIDES FOR THE PERPLEXED
T&T Clark’s Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and
accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that
students and readers can fi nd especially challenging. Concentrating
specifi cally on what it is that makes the subject diffi cult to grasp,
these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the
reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material.
Guides for the Perplexed available from T&T Clark:
New Testament and Jewish Law: A Guide for the Perplexed ,
James G. Crossley
The Origin of the Bible: A Guide for the Perplexed ,
Lee Martin McDonald
Paul: A Guide for the Perplexed , Timothy G. Gombis
99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd iiii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3355 PPMM
A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
The Historical
Jesus
HELEN K. BOND

99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd iiiiii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3355 PPMM
Published by T&T Clark International
A Continuum Imprint
The Tower Building, 80 Maiden Lane
11 York Road Suite 704
London SE1 7NX New York, NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
© Helen K. Bond, 2012
Helen K. Bond has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as the Author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
EISBN: 978-0-567-45648-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in India

99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd iivv 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM
To Keith
And our angels, Katriona Sophia and Scott Alexander

99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd vv 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM
99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd vvii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM
CONTENTS
Preface i x
Introduction 1
PART ONE Background
1 In quest of the historical Jesus 7
2 Sources for the historical Jesus 3 7
PART TWO Snapshots of Jesus
3 The historical context 5 7
4 The birth of Jesus 6 7
5 Galilean origins 7 3
6 John the Baptist 82
7 Jesus’ message 8 9
8 Healer and exorcist 1 02
9 Family and supporters 112
10 Opposition in Galilee? 1 23
11 Jerusalem 1 34
99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd vviiii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM
viii Contents
12 Trial and execution 1 52
13 Resurrection 166
Notes 1 75
Bibliography 1 92
Index 1 95

99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd vviiiiii 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM
PREFACE
I have a long-standing interest in the Jewish world of Jesus and
the social and political realities of fi rst-century Palestine. In the
course of several publications, I have looked at Roman governors,
the Jewish priesthood, Herodian rulers and the Gospel passion
narratives. The historical Jesus always featured in these to some
extent – he is, after all, the main focus of most New Testament schol-
arship – but often in a rather shadowy way and with little attempt
on my part to form any kind of coherent portrait of the course of
his life. I would like to thank Harris Naaqvi at Continuum for
allowing me the chance to rectify that omission by approaching me
to write this volume in the G uides for the Perplexed series. I have
enjoyed the challenge of transforming the historical Jesus from a
more distant scholarly acquaintance to an abiding preoccupation,
though sometimes I have to admit that the task was truly daunt-
ing. I’d also like to thank Harris’s successor, Dominic Mattos, who
had the unenviable task of rearranging deadlines when the manu-
script failed – yet again – to materialize. Many thanks, too, go to
Dr Paul Middleton: our competition not to be the slowest writer
in the series spurred me on (even if, in the end, his fi ne volume on
martyrdom preceded my own).
Books are seldom the work of only one person. I would like to
thank all those who have stimulated my interest in the historical
Jesus over the years, both as teachers and students. As always, the
New Testament team at Edinburgh have given me strong support,
especially Prof. Larry Hurtado and Dr Paul Foster. Special men-
tion has to go to my Historical Jesus honours class of 2009–10,
who read through some often rather scanty versions of the follow-
ing chapters and always responded with intelligent and challeng-
ing questions (the ‘apocalyptic continuum’ always reminds me of
you). The Edinburgh New Testament postgraduate reading group
read through the penultimate draft of the book and always made
99778800556677003333116611__PPrreelliimmss__FFiinnaall__ttxxtt__pprriinntt..iinndddd iixx 33//3300//22001122 33::0088::3366 PPMM