Professor Perkins compares Jesus with other types of teachers of his day: philosophers, interpreters of the law, prophets, and visionaries. Jesus is characterized as a charismatic teacher and prophet who addressed his message to all people, as opposed to the elite groups taught in formal schools in ancient times. Readers are shown how Jesus used parables, proverbs, legal and prophetic sayings to challenge the imagination and to allow his listeners to discover his message. The book contains detailed analyses of many gospel passages and covers themes of particular prominence in Jesus' teaching,...

This book analyzes the evidence about Jesus in a broad range of sources, from ancient pagan and Jewish texts to the earliest Christian sources, including the New Testament apart from the gospel, the canonical gospels, and later Christian texts not included in the Christian canon. Each source is examined in light of the social and cultural context in which it was written. Kee concludes that although the various portrayals of Jesus differ, there is indeed a convergence of evidence about his activities and his message.

Jesus' predictions about the future provoked conflict in his own time and continue to provoke controversy today. David Tiede argues that in order to understand Jesus' teaching about the future it is necessary to study the meaning of his affirmations to early Christians and how his message spoke to the religious traditions of Israel. Important passages concerning the future are examined closely, with special attention given to the book of Revelation.

This book examines the social, economic, political, and cultural context of first-century Judaism. During the first century AD Judaism experienced a crisis of cultural erosion due to foreign influences. Professor Riches describes the ways in which foreign domination threatened the Jewish community and discusses the ways in which various groups of Jews tried to preserve their cultural identity. Relating Jesus' teaching to that of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, the Essenes, and John the Baptist, Riches argues that Jesus was deeply committed to the values of the Jewish tradition,...

The latest book in the successful Understanding Jesus Today series deals with the role of discipleship in Christianity. James Dunn explores the original meaning of discipleship in the early Church and then discusses what discipleship should mean for Christians today. The evidence in the Gospels regarding the requirements of discipleship, including the beliefs and daily character of the life of a disciple, are explored and a firm basis upon which a tradition of discipleship can be defined is found. Important questions addressed are: To whom was Jesus's call to discipleship primarily directed?...

Paul's letters are the earliest surviving Christian writings and therefore the earliest documentary evidence for what Jesus' followers knew and said about him. The present volume deals with questions frequently asked about Paul, examines what can be known about Jesus from Paul's letters, and enquires how Paul himself interpreted Jesus' significance. A closing chapter considers how several writers in the Pauline tradition variously continued and altered the apostle's views about Jesus.

This book presents in readable, nontechnical language the findings of the latest biblical scholarship on one important aspect of "who Jesus was"--Jesus as healer. It guides readers through the New Testament's portraits of Jesus, setting the stage for these portraits by looking at sickness and its treatment in Jesus' day. The author concludes with a carefully weighed answer to the question "did Jesus really heal?," and offers topics for discussion and suggestions for further reading that allow the interested reader to explore the subject in more detail.