The author is Jean-Pierre Isbouts and the book is Young Jesus: Restoring the “Lost Years” of a Social Activist and Religious Dissident. Right from the title Isabouts situates his book in the territory carved out by the luminaries I’ve mentioned above. What is refreshing about his approach is that he pretty much limits himself to history, leaving questions of theology aside. Here are a couple of salient features:
Whether or not you believe in the Virgin Birth, Jesus was probably designated a mamzer among his extended family and neighbors. According to the Bible and the Mishnah, those of uncertain paternity, or mamzers, were to be ostracized from the community. From this, Isabouts postulates that Jesus’ feeling of intimacy with the divine may well have been “nurtured by [his] deep sense of estrangement from his family and village.”
In the Sunday reading lectionary of the mainline churches, the lion’s share of Old Testament readings are drawn from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah and the Psalms. Among the prophets, Isaiah is given pride of place because of its beautiful passages which seemingly predict a suffering Messiah. According to Isabouts, however, the writings of the prophet Jeremiah had a much greater impact on the development of Jesus’ theology and teachings. He writes, “Jesus’ embrace of Jeremiah’s teaching marked the beginning of his awakening as a hasid (or ‘righteous one’) in his own right.” This is neatly developed by Isabouts and it alone is worth the cover price of this highly recommended book.
To complete this picture I would recommend two other books, "Born Divine:The Births of Jesus and other Sons of God" by Robert Miller and "The New Testament Code" by Robert Eisenmann.
Posted by: nomad 12/23/2008 1:18:05 PM
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