Jesus and the Judaism of His Time - Hardcover

Zeitlin, Irving M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 074560448X ISBN 13: 9780745604480

Publisher: Polity Press, 1988

Synopsis

The main aim of this work is to understand Jesus as he saw himself, and to compare that self–understanding with the ways in which others have grasped the nature of his mission.

About this title

Review

′A tour de force, an intellectual feat of great distinction.′ Arnold Age s, University of Waterloo

′An important addition to the scholarship of the most critical period in the formation of what has come to be called the ′Judeo–Christian heritage′. It will be of great interest to general readers.′ St Louis Jewish Light

′Zeitlin has digested a great deal of scholarly material and imparts it with brevity and clarity.′ Canadian Jewish News

′A well–written project with many other admirable features′ Toronto Journal of Theology

′Admirable in its clarity, its clean, direct, unpretentious style, and its careful arrangement.′ Contemporary Sociology

′Zeitlin offers Christians the opportunity to rise to the challenge of understanding the gospels from a Jewish perspective, historically based, while returning to the basics of the faith of the church in their simplest expressions, i.e., the expressions of the gospel accounts themselves. ′Didaskalia

How Jewish was Jesus? Did he consider himself the Messiah? Why was he executed by the Romans as a political rebel? What did Jesus really think about the Sabbath, dietary laws, and the idea of divorce? How did Paul misinterpret Jesus major concepts? How did the early church separate form Judaism? These are some of the contentious and complex questions that Irving M. Zeitlin, professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, examines in this concise and scholarly study. The author reviews Jesus life and teaching in relation to his social milieu and historical period. His method is sociological and proves to be a fruitful approach to problems, questions and issues that have been discussed by scholars over the centuries. Canadian Jewish News

a tour de force, an intellectual feat of great distinction. Arnold Ages, University of Waterloo

an important addition to the scholarship of the most critical period in the formation of what has come to be called the Judeo–Christian heritage . It will be a great value to serious scholars and a great interest to general readers. St. Louis Jewish Light

Synopsis

Following his study of "Ancient Judaism", the author turns his attention to the emergence of Christianity. The main aim of this work is to understand Jesus as he saw himself, and to compare that self-understanding with the ways in which others have grasped the nature of his mission. To achieve this aim, the key problems, questions and issues in dispute among scholars are re-examined, and resolved by means of a sociological method - that is, by carefully situating Jesus' biography in its social and historical context. The book includes a full analysis of the social structure of Palestine under Roman occupation, discussing the variety of sects and movements prevalent at that time, and the relation between the ruling Jewish circles and the Roman authorities. Materials relevant to our understanding of Jesus' life are analysed, portraying his development from youth to his conflict with the Roman authorities. This work should interest students of comparative religion, sociology, archaeology and ancient history, as well as the general reader interested in the social and historical context of early Christianity.

Edition details

• Publisher: Polity Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 074560448X
• ISBN 13: 9780745604480
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240