Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies (review)

Book Reviews 149 and stimulate ongoing discussion-and that is cenainly appropriate for the purposes of this volume. One might, for example, question the· value of bringing in modern sociological concepts of sectarianism and deviance for interpreting the social makeup of the Judaism ofJesus' day. Again, the attempt to show that everythingJesus said had rabbinic echoes seems a bit forced-especially given the fact that the rabbinic collections stem from considerably later. It requires a rather imaginative reinterpretation of New Testament texts to propose that Jesus had no intention of questioning the traditional laws about the sabbath and about unclean food. And were there really that many Gentiles who customarily went to Jewish synagogues, so that Paul could devote his whole ministry to that group? Overall the volume is well edited by Anhur E. Zannoni, but one might note the considerable diversity in style in the essays-several are quite popular and even folksy, while others are deeply scholarly in character with many footnotes. And the discussion questions placed at the conclusion of each essay proved to be a bit distractive-'-such discussion questions might better have been placed at the end of the volume. These are minor qualifications, however. This volume is a model of how Jews and Christians can talk and study together, even on topics of deep mutual concern. The book is to be highly recommended for use individually, in classes, in study groups, in dialogue groups. The moreJews and Christians get in on these discussions, the more the promise of dialogue will bear fruit. Theodore M. ludwig Department of Theology Valparaiso University Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies, by CraigA. Evans. Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums XXV. leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995. 534 pp. $143.00. This large and beautifully printed collection of essays is an excellent . resource for the current discussion of the historical Jesus, and itself a substantial contribution to the discussion. Most of the essays have previously been published elsewhere, sometimes in a preliminary version, appearing here in their final form. The volume is not, however, a miscellaneous collection, but has its own coherence. After an introductory essay, "Recent Developments in Jesus Research: Presuppositions, Criteria, and Sources," five essays form Pan One: "Jesus and His Rivals"; "Messianic 150 SHOFAR Fall 1996 Vol. 15, No. 1 Claimants in the First and Second Centuries"; "Jesus and the Messianic Texts from Qumran: A Preliminary Assessment of the Recently Published Materials" (including an excursus, "Early Messianic Traditions in the Targums"); "Was Simon ben Kosiba Recognized as Messiah?"; "Jesus and Jewish Miracle Stories" (including an excursus, "Jesus and Apollonius of Tyana"); and "Jesus and Rabbinic Parables, Proverbs, and Prayers." Part Two, "Jesus and His Opponents," also comprises five essays: "From Public Ministry to the Passion: Can a link Be Found Between the (Galilean) Ufe and the Oudean) Death of Jesus?"; "Jesus' Action in the Temple and Evidence of Corruption in the First-Century Temple"; "Jesus and the 'Cave of Robbers': Towards a Jewish Context for the Temple Action" (includes an excursus "Jesus and Prediction of the Destruction of the Herodian Temple"); "God's Vineyard and Its Caretakers"; and "In What Sense 'Blasphemy'? Jesus Before Caiaphas in Mark 14:61-64." A concluding article, "From Anointed Prophet to Anointed King: Probing Aspects of Jesus' Self-Understanding," essays a synthesis of the preceding discussion,'concluded by "Epilogue: Jesus and His Contemporaries ." As the titles indicate, the first group ofessays sets Jesus and the claims made by and about him in the context of first-century Jewish messianism. The second set attempts to throw historical light on the connection between Jesus' manner of life and his death. Both sets, and the book as a whole, understand themselves to project a distinct voice into the discussion of the "Third Quest" of the historical Jesus. While the book has its own agenda, it is also a conscious contrast to the pattern of North American Jesus research represented by the "Jesus Seminar" (which lacks expertise in first-century Judaism, rabbinic literature and theology, Qumran, Hebrew, and Aramaic). Also in contrast to the Jesus Seminar, the present volume helps put the discussion in an international context, where the "Third Quest" is...