Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New MillenniumIn this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings. Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet--a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within the lifetime of his apostles and that a new kingdom would be created on earth. According to Ehrman, Jesus' belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the world's social organization not only underscores the radicalism of his teachings but also sheds light on both the appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to Jerusalem's established leadership. |
Contents
the end of history as we know it | 3 |
who was jesus? why its so hard to know | 21 |
how did the gospels get to be this way? | 41 |
looking about a bit nonchristian sources for the historical jesus | 55 |
looking about a bit more other Christian sources for the historical jesus | 65 |
moving on to the past how can we reconstruct the life of jesus? | 85 |
finding a fit jesus in context | 103 |
jesus the apocalyptic prophet | 125 |
not in word only the associates deeds and controversies of jesus in apocalyptic context | 183 |
the last days of jesus | 207 |
from apocalyptic prophet to lord of all the afterlife of jesus | 227 |
jesus as the prophet of the new millennium then and now | 239 |
notes | 247 |
bibliography | 255 |
| 259 | |
| 265 | |
the apocalyptic teachings of jesus | 141 |
a place for everything jesus other teachings in their apocalyptic context | 163 |