Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ

333 Pages·5.243 MB·English

by  Alvar Ellegård

Jesu-sO neH undreYde arBse fore Christ
A StudIynC reatMiyvteh ology
ProfesAslovraE rl legard
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Century London
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Acknowledgements
On thec ompletoifot nh ibso okw,h ichha st akemne fairn ttoe rritiory
previoursaltyh uenrf amiltioma er, I w isht oe xpremsys g ratittuod e
altlh osweh oh aveh elpemde finmdy wayi ni t.
Firsotfa llt,h eologaincdah li storical wshcohh oalvaepr rso,v ided
materi-aeld itioofnt se xttsr,a nslatainodcn osm,m ent-sw hichha s
furnishmeed w itahs tartpionign hta,sa llowmeed t op usfhu rthaenrd,
helpemde sharpmeyn argumenMto.s to ft hespee oplaer en amedi n
my bibliography.
SecondIlt yh,a nakl tlh em anys cholafrrso,md ifferdeinstc iplines,
withw homI haveb eena blteo t alakb outth ei deapsr esenhteerde .
Theyf ormt wog roupOsn.e i si nt heU niversoifGt oyt ebomryg ,h ome
baseA.n otheirs i nt heR oyalA cademyo fL etterHsi,s toaryn d
Antiquitwiheoss,em onthly meeitniS ntgosc khohlamv eo ffered
excelloepnpto rtunfiotbrir eosa chiidnega isna c onvivaanldc ongenial
atmosphere.
Specitahla nkgso toP rofessBoerr tAillb rektsUopnp,s alfao,r
answerimnagn yq uestiaobnosu tth eO ldT estameanntd,f orj oining
me ind iscussiaobnosu wti dears pecotfst heologrye,l igiaonnd,
histoorfyi deas.
ProfesGseozraV ermesO,x forgde,n erouaslllyo wmeed t ou sep arts
ofh ist ranslaotfit ohneQ umranS crolilnsm y book.
Ia lstoh anmky editMoarr,k B oothL,o ndonf,o ard vicneo to nloyn
matteorfss tylaen dp resentabtuitoa nl,so on m atteorfss ubstance.
PenguiBno oksg rantmeed p ermisstiooi nn cluqdueo tatifornosm
The DeSaedaS crotlrlanss labtyGe edz aV ermes.
AlvaErl legard
UniversoiftG yo teborSgw,e den
Octo�r1 998

Contents
Introduction 1
Par1t: R ecoverFiinrtgs- CentCuhrryi stianity
1 Pault,h e ApoosfJt elseuC sh rist 13
Paul'lsi faen dh isr evelations 13
Paul'cso mmunities 20
Paula ndt heG nostics 27
2 TheC hurcohfG odi nt he JeDwiiasshp ora 31
Thee arliCehsrti stioafRn osm e:1 Clement 36
TheP astoofH re nnasa:n a llegoorfty h eC hurcohf G od 45
Instructfioortn hseG entilDeisa:dc he 50
Barnabas:a Hellenistic-tJheewoilsohgt irceaalt ise 54
TheL ettteort heH ebrewas :s ermoonn P salm1 10 59
TheR evelatioofJn o hnM:e ssianhiocp es 63
OvervieCwe:n triadle aisn t hes ixd ocuments 66
Jesudse'a t6h6 - Redempti6o9n- Jesussa'y inagnsd
doing7s2 Jesupsr'e -exis7te5-n Rcees urrect7i6o n
-
3 EgypPth,i laon dt heG nostics 79
Philo 79
TheG nostmiocv ement 86
GnostiacnsdC hristians 91
4 TheE sseCnheu rchG oodf 96
End-tiamned M essianism 100
Determinainsdmt hec alendar 102
InternatiEosnsaeln ism 105
Biblien terpretation 106
TheT eacheorfR ighteousness 108
TheT eachearn dJ esus 121
5 More EssWerniet ings 125
Enocha ndJ ubilees 125
Testameonftt sh eXl l Patriarchs 128
Messiacho ncepts 130
Qumran1 30 Enoche,x cluditnhgeP arable1s31 -
-
EnochP arabl1e3s-2 Testameonftt sh eX IIP atriar1c3h-4s
2 Baruc1h3 -6 4 Ezra1 37
6 The LetotfJe armse Pse,t earn dJ ude 139
James 143
Peter 144
Jude 145
Concludirnegm arks 146
7 ColossainadnE sp hesians 148
Colossians 149
Ephesians 153
ParIIt: Deconstirnugtc hteG ospealnsdA cts
8 TheH eavenalnydt heE arthJlesyu s 163
TheJ ewsi nt hReo man Empire 164
Messianism 165
Thep ositiooftn h eE ssenes 167
From inspired tTode iavcihnMeeer s siah 171
FromS pirtiotB ody 177
9 Beginninogfs tGhoes pleilt erature 180
Questioonfds a ting 180
CreatitnhgeG ospelJse:w sC,h ristiEasnsse,n eGsn,o stic1s8 6
10 Ignati-uHsa lfwBaeyt wePeanu aln dt he Gospe2l0s2
11 TheJ esuSst orTya keSsh ape 215
Apostlaensd c ompanions 215
TheT welve 222
Thomas 225
JudaIss cariot 226
Peteanrd Cephas 227
Jamesth, eb rotheorfth e Lord 229
Marya ndJ oseph 233
Jesubsr'e thren 235
Nazareth 238
12 JohnP,a ualn dG nosticism 242
Thep ositioofJn o hn'Gso spel 242
Visioannsd r evelatiinoe nasr lCyh ristian texts 245
Thep hysicaanldt hes piritual 252
13 Overview 257
Epilogue 267
Bibliography 270
Notes 291
Index 315

Introduction
I shalalr guien t hibso okf or an entirneelwy p erspectoinv teh e
earliheisstt oorfCy h ristiaInnPi atryIt.,w herIed eawli tthe xdtast ing
tot hefi rscte ntuADr,y I a rguteh atth ee arliCehsrti stiaamnosn,gt hem
Paulr,e gardJeeds uass a greaJte wisphr ophaentd t eachoefrt heir
movemen-tb uto new ho hadl iveidn t hed istapnats tT.o them,
accordinhgelw ya,s n ota contemporcarruyc,i fibeedf ore teyheesi,r
buta historfiigcuarle o,n a parw ithO ldT estamepnrto pheHtiss.
teachihnogw,e veorr,r athwehra tt hebye lievteobd e h itse achiwnags,
verym uch in theitrh oughtWsh.e n Paula ndh isc ompanions
experieneccesdt atviics ioonfsJ esuass a heavenfilgyu ret,h ey
inferrtehda Jte suhsa db een' raisfreodl!l thed eadb'y G od.T heya lso
thougthhta Jte suasp'p earatnoct eh ema tt hipsa rtictuilmaeri, nt he
thirtoifet sh efi rscte ntuArDy, w asa sigfnro m heavetnh atth eL ast
Day,G od'Fsi naJlu dgmenwta,sn owa tl onlga satp proachFirnogm.
nowo n,t hesyt artteord e garJdes unso to nlays t hef oundeorf t heir
movementt,h eiprr opheatn dt eachebru,t a s theiSra vioutrh,e
Messiah.
Int heG ospelhso,w evewrr,i ttientn h es econcde ntuArDy ( aIss hall
arguienP arItI )a,n dt hulso nagf tPera ulv'iss ionsairgyh tthseG, o spel
writetroso tkh osvei siotnohs a veb eeenx perieonfcr eesae lv entTsh.e
Gospel writers located evtehnetissneP aplreesstuaimnnededd ,a ted
themt ot het imoef t hen otoriRooumsa np refeocfPt a lestPionnet,i us
PilaIteno. t hewro rdst,h epyl acetdh eJiesru asb ouats f arb ackfro m
theoiwrn t imaes P auhla dp lacehdi Jse sufrso m hist imeI.tw asn ow
thaJte suwsa sp resenatsea dn i tinerparneta chaenrdw onder,.worker
in PalestiTnhea.ta lmoswth ollfiyc tionsatlo rwya s gradually
elaboraatneded x tendiendv ariowuasy sb,y m eanso fl egendaanrdy
doctrinmaalt erifraolm manyd ifferesnotu rceasn,d t hec reative
imaginatoiftho en gospewlr iters.
Previoussc hol-arassw elals i nnumeralbalyem eann da mateu-rs
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