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3 von 3 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
5.0 von 5 Sternen
CLASSIC ARGUMENT FOR JEWISH ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY, 13. Dezember 1999
Any attempt to characterize this book is like trying to bottle a whirlwind--it is a massive, heavily documented, and well argued case for a historical understanding of the origin of Christianity. Basically, Wright argues for: 1) a proper historical methodology, 2) a 2nd-temple Jewish background for Jesus & the N.T., and 3) a Jewish Messianic understanding of earliest Christian community. According to Wright, there is no such thing as a totally "objective" neutral view of reality; and while the N.T. offers an "interpretation" of Jesus, it is precisely the historical Jesus who is presented to us--rather than distorting Jesus, or creating a figure, to express their own private perspective, their witness brings out the "real" significance of the historical Jesus. Thus Wright argues for a "critical realism" methodology. Next Wright argues for a common worldview of 2nd temple Judaism, via an examination of its typical praxis, symbols, and beliefs. Then he argues that we can best understand Jesus, the N.T., and the earliest Christian community against this background. In all of these arguments, Wright draws upon numerous extant Jewish sources and references to other scholarly works. Wright's treatment is comprehensive, massive, detailed, compelling, and original. His treatment of Jesus, the N.T., and the early Christian community against the Jewish background brings them to life, is believable and convincing; and throughout his book he critiques other scholarly positions and demonstrates how his offers a more probable accurate historical point of view. In the process, he destroys numerous traditional critical theories and sets the direction for all future discussion.
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2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
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First-rate study of the New Testament, 12. Januar 2000
This book is Vol I in a projected 5-volume series called "Christian Origins and the Question of God", and so far it's the best. Wright believes that the way to find the historical Jesus is, so to speak, by a pincer movement: forward from the picture of first-century Judaism, and backward from the gospels. This book outlines the world-views of 2nd Temple Judaism and primitive Christianity with exhaustive detail. While it has become the force of fashion in academia to shun even speaking of a monolithic "first-century Judaism" -- for, indeed, there were many "Judaisms" in the first century -- Wright nonetheless teases out common denominators in the religion. Ditto with Christianity. Though there were various different Christian groups in the first century, they shared in common basic and fundamental beliefs about the messiah Jesus (anti-Judaic "Christianities", such as Gnosticism, were exceptional abberations). Wright demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt that eschatology -- the hope for Yahweh's Kingdom to come, "on earth as it is in heaven" -- was the bedrock of both Judaism and early Christianity.This book also deals with crucial issues of epistemology. Wright heavily criticizes the pretentious methodology of doing "pure history" divorced from theology; this is just as wrong as attempting the Bultmannian stunt of doing theology without solid controls from history. As difficult as it makes the great religious task, history and theology must complement and check each other. He is as critical of the modernist's claim to pure objectivity as he is of the postmodernist's dominating self-indulgent subjectivity. The result is a methodology which uses the best, and discards the worst, from all three domains: orthodox dogma, objective criticism, and subjective interpretation. Read this excellent tome, and then read the sequel, Vol II, "Jesus and the Victory of God".
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2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
5.0 von 5 Sternen
An important new approach, 12. Januar 1999
Von Ein Kunde
An excellent summary of second century Judaism and where Jesus and early Christianity might fit in. The centerpiece of his reinterpretation esp after reading vol. 2 appears to be Dr. Wrights' re reading of the purpose and meaning of apocalyptic literature.. Since he is convinced it is more "this worldly" in intent as a sort of political-religious resistance literature, I would like to see how other scholars respond.. This seems to be the basis from which he asserts that Jesus and Christianity are more geared to the here and now (rather than the traditional Christian question "how do I get to heaven?") than normally conceived.
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