Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins
Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins
The Gospels record that Jesus purported to forgive sins. What significance would such a claim have had for his contemporaries and what would the implications have been for his identity as a first-century popular prophet? Tobias Hägerland answers these questions and more as he investigates the forgiveness of sins in the mission of the historical Jesus. The Gospels are interpreted within the context of first-century Judaism as part of a broader reconstruction of Jesus' career as a healer and prophet, and rhetorical criticism is introduced as a tool for explaining how the gospel tradition about Jesus and forgiveness developed. Hägerland combines detailed exegesis and rigorous methodology with a holistic view of the historical Jesus, evaluating recent scholarship about first-century Jewish prophets and utilizing previously neglected textual evidence to present a thorough investigation of the theology of forgiveness in early Judaism and primitive Christianity.
- Provides thorough investigations of the theology of forgiveness in early Judaism and primitive Christianity, appealing to students of biblical theology and of the historical Jesus
- Summarizes and evaluates recent scholarship about first-century Jewish prophets, offering a succinct and up-to-date treatment of early Jewish prophecy
- Discusses previously neglected textual evidence of decisive importance for the topic, which advances scholarly understanding of the historical context
Reviews & endorsements
'[Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins] is excellent at collecting data and interacting with past scholarship and has the potential to gain credence in historical Jesus scholarship in this regard.' Beniamin Pascut, Religious Studies Review
'… this is an interesting thesis, which present[s] a well structured cumulative argument.' The Expository Times
'This is an exemplary piece of work, a rich resource for discussion, and a well-argued thesis that deserves respect as a fine contribution to historical Jesus research.' William R. G. Loader, Review of Biblical Literature
'I believe that this book will be extremely valuable for both ardent biblical scholars and other enquiring theologians with an interest in Christology and soteriology. It is well written, superbly structured, and a valuable scholarly contribution to the field.' Dion Forster, Review of Biblical Literature
Product details
July 2014Paperback
9781107414815
324 pages
216 × 140 × 17 mm
0.38kg
4 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Forgiveness in the gospel tradition
- 3. Forgiveness and primitive Christian theology
- 4. Mediators of forgiveness in early Judaism
- 5. Forgiveness in the mission of the historical Jesus
- 6. Forgiveness from Jesus to the Gospels
- 7. Conclusion.
