The Religion of Jesus the Jew

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 244 pages
• Published by: Augsburg Fortress Publishers; 1st Fortress Press Ed edition November 1993
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0800627970
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0800627973
• Book Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 8 ounces

Reader Reviews
Albert Schweitzer did not initiate the academic quest for the historical Jesus, nor did he end it. Schweitzer was, however, its most famous proponent. Second only to Schweitzer, Geza Vermes has, justifiably, become the penultimate voice of scholarship in this endeavor. Schweitzer demonstrated the importance of the apocalyptic to the historical Jesus. In his 1973 tour de force, "Jesus The Jew," Vermes emphasized Jesus' existence as a Galilean, Hasidic Jew. In this work, he firmly places Jesus within first century, Palestinian Jewish religious tradition. The result of Schweitzer's and Vermes' combined works is a less romanticized, less theologized, and more believable earthly Jesus. Although this book will disturb those who are comfortable with unquestioned piety, it is an invaluable tool for serious Bible students. It digs below the theology of the early Church to get a better view of the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Vermes describes Jesus as an observant, first century Jew, whose behavior was very much like that of other observant, first century Jews. He shows us how Jesus' teachings relied upon bibical and charismatic authority. He shows how speaking in proverbs and parables was not a way for Jesus to obscure his message from all but the elect, but was rather a way to illustrate his teachings. He describes Jesus' preaching as closely related to the work of his rabbinical contemporaries. Perhaps most striking of all, he proves that Jesus' address of God as "Abba" was not unique. Vermes shows that the religion of Jesus, the exorcist, the preacher, and the friend of pariahs was authentically Jewish. It was the early (largely gentile) Church, as it theologically reflected upon his life and death, which transformed that faith from Judaism to Christianity. In the end, the reader is left indebted to Vermes for his scholarship, yet still responsible to make one's own decision regarding the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ.