God and Empire
Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling author and prominent New Testament scholar draws parallels between 1st–century Roman Empire and 21st–century United States, showing how the radical messages of Jesus and Paul can lead us to peace today
Using the tools of expert biblical scholarship and a keen eye for current events, bestselling author John Dominic Crossan deftly presents the tensions exhibited in the Bible between political power and God’s justice. Through the revolutionary messages of Jesus and Paul, Crossan reveals what the Bible has to say about land and economy, violence and retribution, justice and peace, and ultimately, redemption. He examines the meaning of “kingdom of God” prophesized by Jesus, and the equality recommended to Paul by his churches, contrasting these messages of peace against the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the book of Revelations, that has been co-opted by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify the United State’s military actions in the Middle East.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this fine study of civilization, culture and transformation, Father\t\t Crossan asks important questions: have those who resort to violence as a means\t\t of change succeeded in their quest for empire? Or has nonviolence been more\t\t effective in bringing about lasting change? Crossan, professor emeritus at De\t\t Paul University and author of several well-received works including\t\t The Historical Jesus, believes that the\t\t solution is not in violent intervention but in the coming of the Kingdom of God\t\t on earth. But how, and when, will this Kingdom come? In comparing the missions\t\t of Jesus and John the Baptist, Crossan states his idea clearly: "Jesus differed\t\t precisely from John in emphasizing not the future-presence but the\t\t already-presence of God's Kingdom as the Great Divine Cleanup of the world." In\t\t other words, Christ saw the Kingdom as a present and active reality. Crossan\t\t uses the teachings of Jesus to promote his thesis, and then turns to an\t\t unlikely ally "the Apostle Paul "by suggesting that Paul's emphasis on\t\t equality and freedom helped carry forward Jesus' program of nonviolent change.\t\t Crossan's latest work presents a complex subject in a clear and powerful way,\t\t and it merits a wide readership.
