Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Reading Early Christian Literature in Context
- Part 1 The Graeco-Roaaan World: Context For Early Christianity
- Part Two The Teaching of the Historcial Jesus (27-30 Ce)
- Part Three The Earliest Christian Literature (30-70 Ce)
- Part Four The Christian Literature of the Late First Century (70-100 Ce)
- Part Five Beyond the New Testament: The Making of Christianity and Its Emergence Into the World
- Index
8 - The Teachings of Jesus
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2020
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Reading Early Christian Literature in Context
- Part 1 The Graeco-Roaaan World: Context For Early Christianity
- Part Two The Teaching of the Historcial Jesus (27-30 Ce)
- Part Three The Earliest Christian Literature (30-70 Ce)
- Part Four The Christian Literature of the Late First Century (70-100 Ce)
- Part Five Beyond the New Testament: The Making of Christianity and Its Emergence Into the World
- Index
Summary
Jesus's teaching about the kingdom of God
Prior to Jesus, the phrase kingdom of God was relatively rare. The precise term that was translated as basileia theou in Greek does not occur in the books of the Hebrew canon and only once in the Old Testament Apocrypha (Wisdom of Solomon 10:10). The notion of God ruling as king in the present and in future is, however, prominent in some parts of the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms and the book of Isaiah (cf e g Ps 103:19; 145:13; Isa 52:7). During the Second Temple period, the idea of God's kingship was used particularly in eschatological and apocalyptic contexts, referring to Israel's salvation in the future. When Jesus uses the term kingdom of God and makes it central to his vision and action, he would be aware of the references to God's kingly rule.
THE CONTENTS OF JESUS's TEACHING
Scholars differ considerably on which sayings of Jesus are genuine (cf par 8.4). References to the 93 sayings distinguished by Crossan (1989) are listed here. The texts do not necessarily reflect the sayings in the exact original form. Checking these sayings against their parallels in other Gospels and reflecting on them, promise to be a rewarding experience.
Into the desert (Matt 11:7-10); Greater than John (Matt 11:11); Kingdom and violence (Matt 11:12-13); Who has ears (Matt 11:15); The sower (Mattl3:3b-8); Ask, seek, knock (Matt 7:7-8//Thom 2; 21,22, 37); Mission and message (Matt 10:7-10); Prophet's own country (Matt 13:53-58); The world's light (Matt 5:14a); Receiving the sender (Matt 10:40); The tenants (Matt 21:33-41); When and where (Matt 24:23-26); Blessed the womb (Luke 11:27-28); Against divorce (Luke 16:18); What goes in (Matt 15:10-11); Kingdom and children (Matt 18:3//Thom 22); Mission and message (Matt 10:11-14); Forgiveness for forgiveness (Matt 6:12); First and last (Matt 19:30); Hidden made manifest (Matt 10:26); The mustard seed (Matt 13:31-32); Lamp and bushel (Matt 5:15); Serpents and doves (Matt 10:16b); The planted weeds (Matt 13:24-30); Have and receive (Matt 13:12); Blessed are the poor (Luke 6:20b); Knowing the times (Matt 16:2-3); The feast (Matt 22:1-13); Caesar and God (Matt 22:15-22); Blessed are the hungry (Luke 6:21); Saving one's life (Matt 10:39);
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- Information
- From Jesus Christ To ChristianityEarly Christian Literature in Context, pp. 107 - 116Publisher: University of South AfricaPrint publication year: 2001