Who Should be King in Israel?: A Study on Roman Imperial Politics, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Fourth GospelWho Should Be King in Israel? attempts to link common messianic issues found in some Dead Sea Scrolls with the Gospel of John. These messianic issues are studied in relation to the political situation facing the Johannine community in dealing with the Roman empire. The readers/hearers of the Fourth Gospel had to deal with different challenges from the Roman government and the non-Christian Jewish community in the era between the Jewish Revolt and the Bar-Kochba Revolt. Jesus is presented as the new David, the Son of God, who is the solution to all of humanity's problems. The fall of the Temple in 70 CE had created a political and religious situation that meant early Christians of the post-70 CE socio-political environment had to deal with Roman suspicion and Jewish disappointment. The Fourth Gospel uses vocabulary and imagery designed to communicate the message that Jesus is the Christ without inflaming either Roman or Jewish sensibilities. This book is written in a manner designed to deal intelligently with that difficult era in Christian history. |
Contents
John Sources the Synoptics and Origins | 4 |
Postcolonial Perspectives and New Testament Studies | 10 |
The Need for Narrative Criticism | 17 |
The Burden of Libraries | 23 |
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hope for a Future King | 29 |
4QMMT and Hebrew Bible | 35 |
The Genesis Peshers and 4Q252 | 41 |
The Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document | 47 |
Fourth Gospel and Roman Politics | 129 |
The Samaritan Woman | 134 |
Josephus as a Man | 141 |
The Role of 1 Enoch and Shepherd Imagery | 147 |
The Good Shepherd and Barabbas | 155 |
Conclusion | 161 |
4Q252 and Eschatological Amalek | 167 |
Titus and Berenice | 173 |
Summary of the Temple Scroll | 53 |
Athronges the Shepherd Pretender | 59 |
Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice | 65 |
Summary to the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice | 71 |
The Complexity of Messianic | 77 |
One Man to Die for the Nation | 83 |
Literacy and Social Marginalization for the Fourth Gospel | 86 |
Machaerus | 92 |
John the Baptist and Revolution | 98 |
The Need for Carefulness in the Fourth Gospel | 104 |
Herod the Great and Legitimacy | 111 |
If the Rebels Had Won | 117 |
A King by Force or Not | 123 |
The Fourth Gospel and the Possibility of Imperial Informers | 179 |
Synagogue Persecution and the Eighteen Benedictions | 185 |
The Eighteen Benedictions Heretics and the Arrogant Kingdom | 186 |
The Third Temple | 192 |
Temple Desecration | 198 |
The Sibylline Oracles and the Man with the Sceptre | 205 |
New Jerusalem Texts | 212 |
Final Conclusion | 219 |
Final Summary | 225 |
| 235 | |
| 241 | |
Common terms and phrases
4QMMT ancient world authority Bar-Kochba Revolt Barabbas Baruch Bauckham century challenge chapter concerning context critical Davidic messiah Dead Sea Scrolls described destruction disciples Domitian dynasty early Christianity emperor eschatological evidence expected Ezek Ezekiel Ezra Flavians focus Fourth Gospel Gospel of John Hasmonean Herod Antipas identified impact implications important indicates influenced interest interpretation Israel issue Jerusalem Jewish Christians Jewish Palestine Jewish Revolt Jews Johannine community John the Baptist Josephus king kingdom kingship late Second Temple literary Masada Messiah Moses narrative Nero parable perspective Pilate Pliny political portrayal possible post-70 CE world prophet question Qumran community Qumran texts religious Revelation role Roman empire Roman rule Rome royal messiah Samaritan woman Second Temple Judaism sheep shepherd metaphor significant sources Suetonius suggests Synoptics Tacitus temple cult Temple Scroll Testament theme Third Temple Torah Trajan understanding Vespasian viewed War Scroll Yahweh