Jesus in Context: Power, People, and Perfomance [Paperback]

Richard A. Horsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

What difference did empire make for Jesus and his disciples? What difference did empire make for the broader social currents of which he and they were a part? What social roles did Jesus perform, what "little tradition" did he embody against the "great tradition" of Roman culture? What difference does it make for our understanding of Jesus if we attend to new kinds of evidence regarding popular movements, the dynamics
of oral tradition, and reading history"from below"?
Richard A. Horsley addresses all these questions and sketches a dramatic new picture of Jesus in light of recent approaches.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard A. Horsley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder (2002, 978-0-8006-3490-2), Religion and Empire: People, Power, and the Life of the Spirit (2003, 978- 0-8006-3631-9), Jesus and the Spiral of Violence (1993, 978-0-8006-2710-2), and editor of Christian Origins: A People's History of Christianity, Volume 1 (2005, 978-0-8006-3411-7), and co-editor of Performing the Gospel: Orality, Memory, and Mark (2006, 978-0-8006-3828-3).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800663128
• ISBN-13: 978-0800663124
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Perspective, March 30, 2010

By 

Barbara L. Mason - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jesus in Context: Power, People, and Perfomance (Paperback)

Really thought-provoking! Shakes up much of what I've been taught about the Gospels. Outstanding synthesis of multi-disciplinary research to illuminate Jesus's world and theorize about his mission.

7 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars liberating information, May 19, 2009

By 

A. Janosova "seeker" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus in Context: Power, People, and Perfomance (Paperback)

I was indoctrinated as a child to believe a lot of superstitious lies. The truth is better, it's liberating. Understanding this will be the beginning of a deeper, more open spirituality. Don't be afraid of a scientific, multi-disciplinary analysis of the roots of Christianity. We all need to know the historical, cultural, linguistic, and literary context to the stories about Jesus. After all, so much of Western civilization and our culture is based on Christianity.