Jesus of Nazareth : What He Wanted, Who He Was

Who was Jesus? A prophet? There have been many of those. A miracle-worker? A radical revolutionary? A wise teacher? There have been many of these, too. In his latest book, renowned Scripture scholar Gerhard Lohfink asks, What is unique about Jesus of Nazareth, and what did he really want? Lohfink engages the perceptions of the first witnesses of his life and ministry and those who handed on their testimony. His approach is altogether historical and critical, but he agrees with Karl Barth s statement that historical criticism has to be more critical. Lohfink takes seriously the fact that Jesus was a Jew and lived entirely in and out of Israel s faith experiences but at the same time brought those experiences to their goal and fulfillment. The result is a convincing and profound picture of Jesus. Who was Jesus? A prophet? There have been many of those. A miracle–worker? A radical revolutionary? wise teacher? There have been many of these, too. In his latest book, renowned Scripture scholar erhard Lohfink asks, What is unique about Jesus of Nazareth, and what did he really want? Lohfink engages the perceptions of the first witnesses of his life and ministry and those who handed on their testimony. His approach is altogether historical and critical, but he agrees with Karl Barth’s statement that “historical criticism has to be more critical.” Lohfink takes seriously the fact that Jesus was a Jew and lived entirely in and out of Israel’s faith experiences but at the same time brought those experiences to their goal and fulfillment. The result is a convincing and profound picture of Jesus. So-called historical Jesus Proclamation of the reign of God Reign of God and the people of God Gathering of Israel Call to discipleship Many faces of being called Jesus' parables Jesus and the world of signs Jesus' miracles Warning about judgment Jesus and the Old Testament Jesus and the Torah Life of Jesus: living unconditionally Fascination of the reign of God Decision in Jerusalem Dying for Israel His last day Easter events Jesus' sovereign claim Church's response Reign of God: utopia. "A Michael Glazier book." Includes bibliographical references and index