Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies (Arbeiten Zur Geschichte Des Antiken Judentums Und Des Urchristentums, 25)

The first part of this book attempts to situate Jesus in his historical and cultural context through comparisons with the prayers, parables, prophecies, and miracles attributed to various Jewish figures of Palestine who are Jesus' near contemporaries. It is concluded that Jesus' teachings and activities do not represent a radical break with the piety and restorative hopes of many of his contemporaries. This conclusion stands in tension with some of the recent Jesus research, especially emanating from the Jesus Seminar, which tends to view Jesus as a Stoic or Cynic philosopher with little interest in the restoration of Israel and the fulfilment of prophecy. The second part of the book explores the aims of Jesus and the factors that led to Jesus' death. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Preface 8 Abbreviations 10 I. Recent Developments in Jesus Research: Presuppositions, Criteria, and Sources 16 PART ONE JESUS AND HIS RIVALS 66 II. Messianic Claimants of the First and Second Centuries 68 III. Jesus and the Messianic Texts from Qumran: A Preliminary Assessment of the Recently Published Materials 98 Excursus One: Early Messianic Traditions in the Targums 170 IV. Was Simon ben Kosiba Recognized as Messiah? 198 V. Jesus and Jewish Miracle Stories 228 Excursus Two: Jesus and Apollonius of Tyana 260 VI. Jesus and Rabbinic Parables, Proverbs, and Prayers 266 PART TWO JESUS AND HIS OPPONENTS 314 VII. From Public Ministry to the Passion: Can a Link Be Found between the (Galilean) Life and the (Judean) Death of Jesus? 316 VIII. Jesus' Action in the Temple and Evidence of Corruption in the First-Century Temple 334 IX. Jesus and the "Cave of Robbers": Towards a Jewish Context for the Temple Action 360 Excursus Three: Jesus and Predictions of the Destruction of the Herodian Temple 382 X. God's Vineyard and Its Caretakers 396 XI. In What Sense "Blasphemy"? Jesus before Caiaphas in Mark 14:61-64 422 SYNTHESIS 450 XII. From Anointed Prophet to Anointed King: Probing Aspects of Jesus' Self-Understanding 452 Epilogue: Jesus and His Contemporaries 472 Bibliography 476 Index of Ancient Writings 508 Index of Modern Authors 540 ARBEITEN ZUR GESCHICHTE DES ANTIKEN JUDENTUMS UND DES URCHRISTENTUMS 548 I. Recent Developments In Jesus Research Presuppositions, Criteria, And Sources -- Part One: Jesus And His Rivals -- Ii. Messianic Claimants Of The First And Second Centuries -- Iii. Jesus And The Messianic Texts From Qumran: A Preliminary Assessment Of The Recently Published Materials -- Excursus One: Early Messianic Traditions In The Targums -- Iv. Was Simon Ben Kosiba Recognized As Messiah? -- V. Jesus And Jewish Miracle Stories -- Excursus Two: Jesus And Apollonius Of Tyana -- Vi. Jesus And Rabbinic Parables, Proverbs, And Prayers Part Two: 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? -- Viii. Jesus' Action In The Temple And Evidence Of Corruption In The First-century Temple -- Ix. Jesus And The Cave Of Robbers: Towards A Jewish Context For The Temple Action -- Excursus Three: Jesus And Predictions Of The Destruction Of The Herodian Temple -- X. God's Vineyard And Its Caretakers -- Xi. In What Sense Blasphemy? Jesus Before Caiaphas In Mark 14:61-64 -- Xii. From Anointed Prophet To Anointed King: Probing Aspects Of Jesus' Self-understanding -- Epilogue: Jesus And His Contemporaries. By Craig A. Evans. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book offers several points of comparison between Jesus and his approximate contemporaries. It concludes that Jesus is not a Cynic of Stoic philosopher but a charismatic prophet who was recognized as Messiah through whom the Kingdom of God would appear.