Captivating yet imaginative!
This scholarly and imaginative work of John Dominic Crossan sums up his reconstruction of the historical Jesus derived from twenty-five years of research that is dependent upon three vectors namely: cross-cultural anthropology, Greco-Roman and Jewish history, and literary and textual evidence. Crossan moved away from the traditional presentations of Jesus written in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, claiming that this fourfold record constitutes the core problem in the historical quest.From the prologue to the epilogue, Crossan dramatically introduces the historical Jesus in headings and subtitles that are somewhat vague and startling. Crossan claims Jesus to advocate a radical egalitarianism which he calls ?open commensality? that challenges and denies the patron-broker-client relationships in a society where the honour-shame system permeates every fabric of existence in the first century Greco-Roman world. According to Crossan, Jesus was a Mediterrenean, Jewish, illiterate peasant with brilliant oral skills, an itinerant preacher who questions societal norms by eating with the marginalized, the nobodies, the poor and the destitute in the community. A great and fascinating book to read which challenges readers to more questions, perhaps affirmations and most likely skepticism regarding the traditional Jesus presented in the canonical Gospels.
