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Jesus the Jew (1973) is a book by Géza Vermès

Abstract

"This now classic book is a significant corrective to several recent developments in the study of the historical Jesus. In contrast to depictions of Jesus as a wandering Cynic teacher, Geza Vermes offers a portrait based on evidence of charismatic activity in first-century Galilee. Vermes shows how the major New Testament titles of Jesus-prophet, Lord, Messiah, son of man, Son of God-can be understood in this historical context. The result is a description of Jesus that retains its power and its credibility."--Publisher description.

"Vermes places Jesus squarely in his first-century Palestinian Jewish environment, reclaiming the Jewishness of Jesus from scholars who prefer to ignore it. The resulting picture of Jesus is thoroughly Jewish; he turns out to be a Galilean hasid, a Jewish holy man similar to Honi the Circle Drawer and Hanina ben Dosa, a figure that Vermes believes is vastly underused as a Jewish model for Jesus. In the first half of the text (“The Setting”) Vermes addresses Jesus’ Galilean context; the second half (“The Titles of Jesus”) interprets Jesus from the context of five well-known Jewish titles that have been applied to Jesus – prophet, Lord, Messiah, son of man, and Son of God. This work is the predecessor of many important Jewish studies of Jesus, and contrasts with the work of Jesus scholars, following the lead of the Jesus Seminar, who marginalize the Jewishness of Jesus. The book is the first of a trilogy on Jesus by Vermes. He published Jesus and the World of Judaism in 1983, and then The Religion of Jesus the Jew in 1993." - Ronald Ruark, University of Michigan.

Editions

Published in London [England]: Collins, 1973; and New York, Ny: Macmillan 1974.

Translations

• Gesù l'ebreo = Jesus the Jew (1983 Vermès / Grossi, Peretto), book (Hungarian ed.)

• A zsidó Jézus = Jesus the Jew (1995 Vermès), book (Hungarian ed.)

Contents

• Introduction
• Part I: The Setting
  • 1. Jesus the Jew
  • 2. Jesus and Galilee
  • 3. Jesus and charismatic Judaism
• Part II: The Titles of Jesus
  • 4. Jesus the Prophet
  • 5. Jesus the Lord
  • 6. Jesus the Messiah
  • 7. Jesus the Son of Man
  • Jesus the Son of God
• Postscript

External links

• Google Books (partial text)