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The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted

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Overview

From Elaine Pagels'sBeyond Beliefto Jim Wallis'sGod's Politics, investigations into the relationship between the historical foundations of Christianity and the role of religion in today's world have risen to the top of bestseller lists. Obery Hendricks, Jr., who was Pagels's first graduate student at Princeton University, adds an important new voice to the ongoing discussion in THE POLITICS OF JESUS. Filled with riveting, original insights, it confirms Cornel West's declaration that "Obery Hendricks is not just on the cutting edge, he's the knife." Focusing on a powerful but little-examined aspect of the Gospels, Hendricks portrays Jesus as a political revolutionary whose teachings are meant to lead the way to freedom from the tyranny of principalities and unjust rulers in high-and low-places. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus employs various tactics to address the social, economic, and political conditions of his day and exposes the terrible effects of oppression and poverty on the mind, body, and soul. In an in-depth examination of Christianity's history, from its foundation through the time of Paul to the reign of Constantine to the present day, Hendricks traces how the church became a hierarchical structure, protective of the powerful and intent on maintaining the status quo.

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Author Information

Bio of Obery Hendricks

A former Wall Street investment executive, professional musician, and competitive martial artist, Obery Hendricks is the immediate past president of Payne Theological Seminary, the oldest African American seminary in the United States. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Professor of Biblical Studies at New York Theological Seminary.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Spectra

Filesize

1.16 MB

Number of Pages

384

eBook ISBN

9780385519991

Excerpt from: The Politics of Jesus by Obery Hendricks

From the Red Sea to the Jordan River: The Roots of Jesus' Political Consciousness

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill."

MATTHEW 5:17

IF JESUS WAS a political revolutionary, what were the political issues and conditions of the world of his birth that he was responding to and that he sought so fervently to change To fully appreciate the politics of Jesus we must begin with the most basic factor in his worldview and social identity: his Jewishness. We will briefly survey the major historical moments in the development of the religion of Jesus and note how the influence of each is reflected in his message and ministry. In other words, we must begin with an understanding of the legacy of the Judaism into which Jesus was born and its influence on his life and his every pronouncement.

* * *

JESUS OF NAZARETH was a Jew. Not only was Jesus a Jew, but he was an observant Jew who never disavowed his Jewishness. We see this in his consistent observance of Jewish customs and holy days, in his frequent references to Moses, and in his acceptance of the Torah as holy writ. All of Jesus' major teachings either were consistent with the tenets of traditional Judaism or were expansions or elaborations of it, as in Matthew 5:17 ' 48, in which Jesus intensifies the moral ethics of Judaism with the refrain "you have heard it said ' but I say ' "

However, the major implication of Jesus' Jewishness for our understanding of the political setting of his life and ministry goes beyond the liturgical and doctrinal aspects of Judaism. Rather, it lies in one fact in particular: that the root event from which the foundational meaning of Judaism and the entire Judeo-Christian faith tradition flows is a political event ' the liberation event that was the Exodus.
THE EXODUS