Jesus in Context
Making Sense of the Historical Figure

This accessible and comprehensive introduction examines the evidence and offers a coherent picture of Jesus of Nazareth in his context.

David Wenham (Author)

9781108476263, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 November 2021

200 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.54 kg

Jesus changed our world forever. But who was he and what do we know about him? David Wenham's accessible volume is a concise and wide-ranging engagement with that enduring and elusive subject. Exploring the sources for Jesus and his scholarly reception, he surveys information from Roman, Jewish, and Christian texts, and also examines the origins of the gospels, as well as the evidence of Paul, who had access to the earliest oral traditions about Jesus. Wenham demonstrates that the Jesus of the New Testament makes sense within the first century CE context in which he lived and preached. He offers a contextualized portrait of Jesus and his teaching; his relationship with John the Baptist and the Qumran community (and the Dead Sea Scrolls); his ethics and the Sermon on the Mount, his successes and disappointments. Wenham also brings insights into Jesus' vision of the future and his understanding of his own death and calling.

Part I. SETTING THE SCENE: 1. Sources for our knowledge of Jesus' context
2. The historical and social contexts
3. The religious context
4. Our sources of information about Jesus
5. The writing of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
6. Finding the historical Jesus
PART II. JESUS' LIFE. MINISTRY AND TEACHING: CONTEXT AND HISTORY: 7. Beginnings
8. Baptism and John the Baptist
9. Amazing teacher in Galilee: parables
10. The kingdom of God
11. Healings, miracles and the Son of man
12. Friend of the 'poor'
13. Followers and supporters
14. Following Jesus in practice: way of life
15. Opposition, new directions, Jesus as Messiah
16. So to Jerusalem: journey, arrival, confrontation
17. Jesus' vision of the future and of his own divine authority
18. On the way to crucifixion: why did Jesus have to die?
19. Finale in Jerusalem
20. After the death of Jesus: victory
21. Final conclusions, and postscript.

Subject Areas: Spirituality & religious experience [HRLK], Theology [HRLB], Bibles [HRCF], Church history [HRCC2], The historical Jesus [HRCA], History of religion [HRAX], Religious issues & debates [HRAM], Philosophy of religion [HRAB]