Temple Judea Research Articles

Jesus, Socialism, and “Judeo-topia”

This article addresses the contention commonly expressed among liberal theologians and commentators that the Jesus of history, to the extent that he may be identified, was essentially a social revolutionary, broadly sympathetic to what might be identified in contemporary terms as ideological “socialism.” It is often conceived that Jesus’ concern for the poor, the disenfranchised, and the underclass of Second Temple Judea endows him with a broad egalitarian ethic, making him akin to an ancient “redistributionist.” I will argue, however, that “socialism” did indeed exist in those days, in the form of the Dead Sea sect, and that the historical Jesus was profoundly opposed to the community of property it represented. For him, “social justice” was part of the embedded ethics of Judaism itself, divorced from the “redistributionist” theories of Marxist and neo-Marxist adherents. Whereas the Essene sectarians withdrew from what they called “the material wealth of wickedness,” Jesus admonished his disciples to pursue dealings out of economic contact with the world at large.

Jassen, Alex P. Scripture and Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. xxii+298 pp. $99.99 (cloth).

Jassen, Alex P. <i>Scripture and Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls</i>. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. xxii+298 pp. $99.99 (cloth).

Book Review: Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea

Book Review: Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea

Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea, written by Samuel L. Adams, 2014

Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea, written by Samuel L. Adams, 2014

Book Review: Samuel L. Adams. Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea

Book Review: Samuel L. Adams. <i>Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea</i>

Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea by Samuel L. Adams

<i>Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea</i> by Samuel L. Adams

Review of Adams, Samuel L., Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014).

Review of Adams, Samuel L., Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014).

Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea

Social and Economic Life in Second Temple Judea

Review of Book: The Templeless Age, Scribes, Visionaries and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Review of Book: The Templeless Age, Scribes, Visionaries and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. By Richard A. Horsley

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. By Richard A. Horsley

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Book Review: Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Book Review: Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea – By Richard A. Horsley

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea – By Richard A. Horsley

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. By Richard A. Horsley

Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. By Richard A. Horsley

RICHARD A. HORSLEY, Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea.

RICHARD A. HORSLEY, Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea.

Scribes, visionaries, and the politics of Second Temple Judea

Judaism and Christianity both arose in times of empire, with roots in Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. In order to understand these religious movements, we must first understand the history and society of these imperial cultures. In these formative years, wisdom and apocalyptic traditions flourished as two significant religious forms. In Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea, distinguished New Testament scholar Richard A. Horsley analyzes the function and meaning of these religious movements within their social context, providing essential background for the development of early Judaism and early Christianity. It is an ideal textbook for classes on the rise of Judaism or the Second Temple period, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Apocrypha.