Whispers of Revolution
Jesus and the Coming of God as King
Whispers of Revolution
Jesus and the Coming of God as King
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Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
ISBN: 9781783599523
Number of Pages: 384
Published: 23/10/2025
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
In Whispers of Revolution, renowned biblical scholar Michael Bird forges a path through the tangle of conspiracy theories, older hypotheses, and scholarly debates to propose a compelling idea: The historical Jesus was driven by the conviction that through his words and work, his mission and message, God was unveiling his kingship in a way that would rescue Israel and eventually restore the whole world.
This careful and concise scholarly work covers a wide range of topics related to the historical Jesus and his context. Bird studies Jesus in light of archaeology, Judean history, and apocalypticism. He scrutinises sayings of Jesus and stories about Jesus, challenging many scholarly paradigms to offer a portrait of Jesus that avoids both sensationalism and pious simplification. The result is a story of Jesus that puts him firmly in the world of ancient Galilee and Judea and explains how this man, crucified by the Romans, becomes the catalyst for a movement that would defy and then consume the Roman empire.
This important contribution will appeal to scholars, students, and all readers looking for a fresh examination of the life of Jesus.
Introduction xxi
1 The problems of studying the historical Jesus 1
The possibility of the historical Jesus 1
The pay-off in studying the historical Jesus 11
2 Jesus of Nazareth and his early life 20
Jesus' birth and early years 20
Baptism by John 26
3 Jesus and the kingdom of God 30
Jesus as kingdom-proclaimer 30
The kingdom of God in the Old Testament and early Judaism 31
The kingdom of God in the message of Jesus 41
Subjects of the kingdom 50
Jesus and his kingdom 53
4 Jesus and the restoration of Israel 55
God's kingdom as a restored Israel 55
Israel's restoration: a neglected topic 56
Jewish hopes for restoration 59
Jesus, a Jewish prophet of Israel's restoration 61
Jesus, Israel and the kingdom 66
5 Who was Jesus? 68
Jesus according to Jesus 68
Jesus as prophet 69
Jesus as seer 71
Jesus as sage 74
Jesus as rabbi 78
Jesus as exorcist, healer and miracle-worker 78
Jesus as God's envoy and embodiment 82
An ancient holy man 104
6 The teaching of Jesus 106
A new teaching - with authority 106
Parables 107
Ethics 119
Piety 122
Wealth and riches 128
Torah 130
Prophetic warnings 144
Jesus as messianic teacher 153
7 Jesus and his contemporaries 155
Jesus as others saw him 155
Jesus among the people 157
Jesus among rivals 162
Jesus among family and disciples 200
Jesus and Gentiles 207
Jesus between anonymity and charisma 216
8 Jesus' last days in Jerusalem 217
'Surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem' 217
Triumphal entry 225
Jesus and the Jerusalem temple 228
Courting controversy with sayings and stories 251
Final (Passover) meal 263
A destiny in death 272
9 The death and resurrection of Jesus 274
The death of the Messiah 274
The resurrection of the Lord 294
Postscript 298
The indisputable historical facts about Jesus 298
'Who then is this?' 299
Where to next? 302
