Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman

Author:Bart D. Ehrman [Ehrman, Bart D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9780195124743
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 2001-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

Considering the Specific Criteria

Does this judgment hold up when we scrutinize the surviving sources in view of the various criteria we’ve discussed for establishing historically reliable material? Given some of the things I’ve already said, I can keep this part of the discussion reasonably short. Probably the easiest way to proceed is by taking our criteria in reverse sequence.

Contextual Credibility

There is absolutely no trouble seeing Jesus as an apocalypticist in terms of contextual credibility. We know that there were apocalyptic Jews—in fact lots and lots of apocalyptic Jews—in first-century Palestine, that is, in precisely his time and place. A number of these Jews have left us writings. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, are chock-full of apocalyptic materials. Writings of this kind date from the latest book of the Hebrew Bible—Daniel, composed probably during the Maccabean revolt in the second century BCE—up until at least the second century CE (e.g., 2 Baruch). Others of these apocalyptic Jews were written about—for example, John the Baptist (in the New Testament accounts) and various other prophets at the time who were mentioned by Josephus (see my brief references to Theudas and the Egyptian in chapter 7; we’ll be meeting these fellows again later). If Jesus was an apocalypticist expecting the imminent end of his age, he didn’t stand out as a sore thumb at all during his own time. Scores of other people—teachers, prophets, and just regular ole folk—thought something similar.

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