Jesus, Revolutionary of Peace: A Nonviolent Christology in the Book of Revelation
Overview
This book aims to demonstrate that the figure of Jesus in the book of Revelation can be best understood as an active non-violent revolutionary. Jesus was a warrior of the non-violent tradition. He sought to conquer his enemies not through violence but through compassion. Seeking to present a comprehensive, balanced view of this non-violent Jesus, Mark Bredin engages with Mahatma Gandhi’s theory to explore the place of non-violence in the biblical tradition.
Top Highlights
“Gandhi’s nonviolence was active and pacifism was far from his mind. Nonviolence is the witness that an activist gives. It demands non-cooperation with a system that advocates violence. It means accepting suffering and death rather than using violence.” (Page 5)
“The purpose of this study is to contribute to the debate by assessing whether Jesus is a figure of vengeance or a figure of compassion in Revelation.” (Page 1)
“‘God does not take vengeance; he leaves evil to its own, limited logic!’23 Violence is the punishment” (Page 9)
“ahimsa and it expresses the idea of nonviolent suffering love.1” (Page 5)
“Another response emphasizes the slain Lamb in Revelation. The war metaphor is rebirthed in the light of suffering witness. Revelation offers another way of perceiving and resisting the world. It implores people to confront the dominant power, but in such a way that seeks their conversion rather than their destruction. Nonviolence is the essence of Revelation’s understanding of God and his creation. Nonviolence is not a strategy. It is a way of transformation to wisdom and life from ignorance and death. Revelation transforms scapegoat ideology of the righteous destroying the unrighteous into the conviction that all can be righteous.” (Page 34)
Product Details
- Title: Jesus, Revolutionary of Peace: A Nonviolent Christology in the Book of Revelation
- Author: Mark Bredin
- Publisher: Paternoster Press
- Publication Date: 2004
- Pages: 260
