Overview

What led a thirty-year-old carpenter/builder from an obscure village in Galilee to abandon his trade and become the itinerant preacher, teacher, and healer described in the Gospels? Many Christians--including even some ministers--if asked precisely what outcome Jesus was hoping to achieve from his earthly ministry, are more likely to utter gasps of astonishment or admissions of ignorance (""I've never thought about it"") than to give a considered opinion, even though the matter could hardly be more central to the Christian faith. In the past, scholars have attempted to discover Jesus' agenda by analyzing his teaching and actions as recorded in the Gospels. Their efforts, however, identified a diversity of conflicting aims. Roger Amos, in contrast, explores the factors impacting Jesus that led him to undertake his ministry. He uncovers a Galilee racked by deprivation--unemployment, debt, hunger, and crime--and a Jesus determined to confront the establishment and improve conditions for ordinary Jews. But how could a village carpenter backed by a band of fishermen accomplish that? Following clues in the Gospels that other expositors have overlooked, the author reveals the intriguing story underlying the familiar gospel narrative.

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9781666790153

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Roger Amos engages with the question that has perhaps shaped modern New Testament research more than any other: What did the historical Jesus actually hope to achieve? He finds clues in the reign of Herod Antipas and the influence of John the Baptist on Jesus. The first provoked Jesus to organize a protest march to Jerusalem; the latter broadened his mind to set up a community for the sinners and outcasts. Amos interacts competently with recent research throughout. --Morten Horning Jensen, Lutheran School of Theology, Aarhus, Denmark Historical-Jesus scholars have long suspected that there were at least two discrete stages to Jesus' ministry, though they have not agreed on what they were. Roger Amos suspects Jesus began hoping to reform institutional Judaism but ended by establishing a countercultural community that welcomed the most outcast of repentant sinners. Many details remain speculative, but the connections Amos draws between John the Baptist and Jesus prove largely persuasive. Succinct and very readable. --Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary

Roger Amos engages with the question that has perhaps shaped modern New Testament research more than any other: What did the historical Jesus actually hope to achieve? He finds clues in the reign of Herod Antipas and the influence of John the Baptist on Jesus. The first provoked Jesus to organize a protest march to Jerusalem; the latter broadened his mind to set up a community for the sinners and outcasts. Amos interacts competently with recent research throughout. --Morten Horning Jensen, Lutheran School of Theology, Aarhus, Denmark Historical-Jesus scholars have long suspected that there were at least two discrete stages to Jesus' ministry, though they have not agreed on what they were. Roger Amos suspects Jesus began hoping to reform institutional Judaism but ended by establishing a countercultural community that welcomed the most outcast of repentant sinners. Many details remain speculative, but the connections Amos draws between John the Baptist and Jesus prove largely persuasive. Succinct and very readable. --Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary

Author Information

Former journalist Roger Amos trained for the Baptist ministry at Spurgeon's College, London, gaining a BD from the University of London, and in retirement added an MA (by distance learning) in Aspects of Biblical Interpretation from the London School of Theology. He is an Associate Research Fellow at Spurgeon's College and the author of Hypocrites or Heroes? The Paradoxical Portrayal of the Pharisees in the New Testament (2015).

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