John crossan jesus a revolutionary biography summary
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It must be noted that this review attempts to digest and comment upon this particular work from an academic and literary perspective. His contention is that Jesus was a radical activist, a liberal determined to break down society's traditional, constructive ways of functioning. First, one most note that much of Crossan’s evidence appears to be assumed rather than argued, though a certain amount of this results simply from the form and purpose of the book.
He goes into detailed explanations of just what those ways were and how Jesus' attitudes and actions confronted the dehumanizing qualities of those ways, all with an eye to opening both faith and day to day prosperity to a broader and deeper range of people.
Throughout the book, the author demonstrates how the writings in the Bible should not be taken as literal accounts of actual events but as metaphorical, symbolic manifestations of Jesus' spiritual intent ...
Harper Collins: San Francisco, 1994. Front Cover.
[2] Biographical Summary: John Dominic Crossan.
Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography
The Fortress Introduction to the Gospels. [4] Upon reading this book, the reader will see that Crossan has assembled a variety of interpretations that, when combined with his theological and philosophical presuppositions and understanding of the canonical Gospel narratives, makes for a potentially persuasive and fairly historical narrative of the life of the historical Jesus.
As a part of the Jesus Seminar, Crossan’s name understandably carries with it a certain stigma in certain circles of theology and education.
http://www.johndominiccrossan.com
[3] Crossan, IX.
[4] Ibid., XIV
[5] Granting full disclosure, it should be noted that this writer does not subscribe to many of the methods, assumptions, or findings of the Jesus Seminar in any meaningful context
[6] Mark Allan Powell. However, there are several concerns within his writing worthy of critique.
What emerges from this stunning biography is a vision of Jesus as a Jewish Socratic philosopher and political agitator who gave voice to those who had never been heard and love to the most cast-out members of society. He examines Jesus, the claimed Son of God, in light of another son of god, Caesar Augustus of Rome, in comparison to John the Baptist in the Gospel of Luke, and in light of Moses in the infancy stories of Matthew, before touching on the historical context of Jesus as a carpenter’s son (and therefore peasant) from Nazareth.[10] For Crossan’s reconstruction, the accounts of Jesus’ virgin birth in Bethlehem before shepherds and wise men before a flight to Egypt are pure fiction, which distract from an all-important question in the search for the real Jesus: What did this man do that caused his followers to make such claims?
This reconstruction of the historical Jesus uses non-canonical sources in manner that does not fit the criterion used to judge and disseminate accurate information from the canonical accounts. The Jesus portrayed by Crossan is a savvy and courageous Jewish Mediterranean peasant who challenged the sacrosanct social rules regarding class, gender, and status.
It does not seem that Crossan’s error of sources prevents his view of the historical Jesus from being held by those who have similar theological and philosophical presuppositions; however, his treatment of sources seems to provide an easy critique for those who already disagree with his foundational positions. In elegant prose marked by startling revelations, Crossan presents Jesus as a social revolutionary who preached and practiced a message of radical egalitarianism.
His disciple’s intensity and spreading of Jesus’ message all follow from their commitment to Jesus’ radical ideas of open commensality and a radical form of egalitarianism that sprang from the ancient peasant ideal of justice that Jesus would have been raised under.[12] In his chapter on the body, Crossan fortifies his view of Jesus’ radical view of people and society by examining Jesus’ healing activity and miracle material.[13] Later, Crossan examines early Jesus movement mission movements in light of his interpretation of Jesus’ egalitarianism and use of magic in healing activities, concluding that perhaps Jesus was the personification of a Jewish form of philosophical Cynicism.[14] Concerning Jesus’ death, Crossan concludes that his radical message upset the social order of the Jewish people enough to ask the Romans to have him killed, leading to a public death from which there was likely no private burial, let alone a resurrection.[15] Crossan concludes Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography was commentary on the spread of the Jesus movement following his death and the subsequent modifications, both in content and legendary narrative, that gave rise to the New Testament writings and the form of Christian faith and belief that began to spread throughout the Roman Empire, modifications that changed the historical man Jesus into the deified Christ.[16]
Overall, Crossan presents a narrative of the historical Jesus as egalitarian revolutionary that could be plausible given his presuppositions.
Second, concerning his portrayal of peasant ideology, what information Crossan does use appears to not apply to first century Palestine, as he quotes material from an 1893 peasant uprising,[17] and may have made a stronger argument by citing a cause such as feelings of Jewish resentment of Rome.
A substantial portion of the book is taken up with the author's consideration and analysis of Jesus' teachings as a manifestation of his quest for social justice.