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Are You the One Who Is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question
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$ 25.44
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| Item Number |
598277 |
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Item Description...
Did Jesus claim to be the long-awaited "messiah"? Going against much contemporary scholarship, Australian scholar Michael Bird argues that he did. He begins by exploring the messianic expectations in the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature. Next, Bird points out weaknesses in current arguments that "Messiah," or "Christ," was a title given to Jesus by the early church but not used by Jesus himself. Bird then examines the Gospels and related literature, finding in Jesus's words and actions evidence that he saw himself as the messiah described in the Scriptures of Israel and believed that Israel's restoration hinged on the outcome of his ministry. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 207
Dimensions: Length: 9.02" Width: 6.3" Height: 0.56"
Weight: 0.64 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Aug 1, 2009
Publisher Baker Publishing Group
ISBN 0801036380
EAN 9780801036385
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Availability 1 units.
Availability accurate as of May 26, 2012 05:48.
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Product Categories | 1 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Bible > New Testament [2808 similar products] |
| 2 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Jesus > Historical Jesus [521 similar products] |
| 3 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > Commentaries > New Testament [2831 similar products] |
| 4 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > Criticism & Interpretation > General [1848 similar products] |
| 5 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > Criticism & Interpretation > New Testa [1782 similar products] |
| 6 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > General [10297 similar products] |
| 7 | Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Christology [2037 similar products] |
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Wonderful; brilliant scholarship and good writing! Aug 21, 2009 |
There aren't many biblical scholars who write well, so it can be tiresome to slog through the books. Well, Bird is different. Not only is his scholarship and logic wonderful, he actually writes well.
Bird tackles one of the thorniest problems in historical Jesus scholarship, "whether or not Jesus believed himself to be the Messiah. (It) is a recurring riddle of historical Jesus scholarship" (p 24). Many, if not most, scholars reject the idea that Jesus said he was the Messiah.
Bird argues that Jesus saw himself "in messianic categories...(and) that it is the messianic nature of Jesus's ministry that explains the reason for Jesus's death and accounts for the messianism of the early church, including its Christology" (p 29).
In the Old Testament, David was promised by God that his dynasty would continue "through a physical descendant...eternally, and that the king will have a unique filial relationship with Israel's God" (p 36). Given these promises, it is not surprising that, during the intertestamental period, messianism frequently centered on the Davidic line. Nor is it surprising to learn of "spasmodic revolts that seem to echo messianic ideas" (p 52).
The early church clearly proclaimed Jesus the Messiah. But why? Jesus could have been resurrected without being the Messiah. John the Baptist could have been proclaimed the Messiah; he was not. Why? For that matter, if Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah, then why didn't Jewish polemics state this, since it would be "their best opportunity to pose a counterassertion to early Christian proclamation" (p 71). In fact, why did the claim originate after Easter if Jesus never made a claim to being the Messiah?
Bird points out that many of Jesus's actions and sayings point to a messianic awareness. Among them, the "Son of Man' sayings seem steeped in messianic awareness, and, as Fitzmyer has argued, these sayings are closely tied to the coming Jewish king. Sanders has also asserted that the disciples of Jesus already thought of him as the Messiah even before the resurrection.
"While it is undoubtedly true that Jesus's Davidic heritage was part of the christological reflection of the early church, it seems too widespread and too early to attribute it entirely to post-Easter currents" (p 109), Bird concludes.
I would also strongly recommend Larry Hurtado and Martin Hengel for their books that investigate the earliest Christology. | | | Write your own review about Are You the One Who Is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question
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