Who Do My Opponents Say That I Am? An Investigation of the Accusations against the Historical Jesus (Library of New Testament Studies | LNTS)
Overview
This volume will unpack the seven allegations proposed by Scot McKnight in his article ‘Calling Jesus Mamzer’ in the inaugural volume of The Journal for the Historical Jesus (Volume 1.1 2003: 73-103). Each essay will explore the historicity of each accusation and what they tell us about Jesus. McKnight and Modica propose that by examining these specific allegations, one can begin to comprehend a neglected dimension of historical Jesus studies, namely, that Jesus can be understood by what his opponents (critics) say of him. They contend that such an approach offers, as Malina and Neyrey have previously examined in Calling Jesus Names, a ‘Christology from the side’.
- Addresses the various accusations against Jesus in the Gospels
- Explores the value of social labels placed on Jesus
- Focuses on the backdrop of the ancient Mediterranean culture
- Jesus as Lawbreaker - Michael F. Bird
- Jesus as Demon Possessed - Dwight D. Sheets
- Jesus as Glutton and Drunkard - Joseph B. Modica
- Jesus as Blasphemer - Darrell L. Bock
- Jesus as False Prophet - James F. McGrath
- Jesus as King of the Jews - Lynn H. Cohick
- Jesus as Mamzer (“Illegitimate Son”) - Scot McKnight
- Scot McKnight
- Lynn H. Cohick
- James F. McGrath
- Darrell L. Bock
- Joseph B. Modica
- Dwight D. Sheets
- Michael F. Bird
[T]his collection of essays serves well to advance the pursuit of what can reliably be known about the historical Jesus. Anyone engaged in the quest should certainly read this book. For those who claim very little can be known about the historical Jesus, the presentations here must be acknowledged and engaged.
—M. Robert Mulholland, Review of Biblical Literature
For those who interact with the wide array of Christologies from the top and bottom, these Christological essays “from the side” (i.e. what insults Jesus’ contemporaries voiced about him) will engage the discipline in a new direction. The collection reminds readers that even hostile witnesses do reflect within their slanderous labels reliable details about the historical Jesus.
—John Harrison, Graduate School of Theology, Oklahoma Christian University, Journal of Evangelical Theological Society
- Title: Who Do My Opponents Say That I Am? An Investigation of the Accusations against the Historical Jesus (Library of New Testament Studies)
- Editor: Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica
- Series: Library of New Testament Studies (LNTS)
- Publisher: T&T Clark
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 188
- Resource Type: Collected Essays
- Topic: Jesus Studies
Scot McKnight (Ph.D. University of Nottingham) is Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University, Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of numerous books on the New Testament, including the bestselling The Jesus Creed.
Joseph B. Modica (Ph.D. Drew University) is University Chaplain & Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Eastern University, St. Davids, PA