Encounters with Jesus: The Man in His Place and Time

by Adriana Destro, Mauro Pesce

Overview

What was there in Jesus' person, behavior, and words that prompted not only much enthusiasm but also much hostility? This compelling portrait of the man Jesus of Nazareth by two pioneers of the anthropological study of early Christianity answers this vital question. They bring the fruit of years of scholarship to bear on a radical figure in Roman Galilee and on his encounters with others and the movement those encounters inspired. They give close attention to the everyday realities that shaped those encounters: the facts of travel, common meals, domestic space, and the interactions of bodies. The result is a refreshing new look at the man who proved so significant-and so controversial-in Western culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800698454
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: On Jesus' Lifestyle ix

Lifestyle as the First Message x

The Historical Reliability of the Gospels xii

The Necessity of Research into the Historical Jesus xiv

1 Jesus on His Landscape: Mental Maps and Real Territories 3

Jesus and His Land 3

Far from the Cities 5

Jesus in Galilee, in Judaea, and outside the Borders 11

Jesus' Attitude toward Jerusalem 16

2 Jesus on Foot: A Life in Continuous Movement 25

An Identity without Networks 26

Not a Nomad, Not a Traveler, nor Yet a Pilgrim 29

The Code of the Itinerant: Do Not Sow or Reap, Do Not Toil or Spin 33

Walking and the Time of the Itinerant 35

Solitude and Flight 37

3 Jesus Face to Face: Encounters 41

On an Equal Footing 41

The Encounter with the Baptizer 42

The Followers 48

The Twelve 53

Meetings with Relatives: Closeness and Conflict 57

Friends and Supporters 62

The Women 65

Sinners, Those Possessed by Demons, and the Sick 69

An Array of Adversaries 69

"Rich" and "Poor" among the Addressees of Jesus 71

The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel 72

Jesus' Preference for Direct Encounters 74

4 Jesus at Table: Eating Together 78

Coming Together to Eat: Building Up Society 78

In the Houses of the Rich 84

Eating along the Way 85

At Table with His Followers 87

At Table with Friends 89

Miracles to Feed the Hungry: The Sign of Abundance 90

Eating Together in the Parables 91

The Symbolic Complexity of Conviviality 94

The Future Banquet 99

5 Jesus Leaves Home and Is Made at Home with Others 102

Without a House of His Own in the Houses of Others 102

The Variety of Houses: Styles and Relationships 104

A Group without a Place of Its Own 107

The Individual Call 109

The Adult Generation Abandons Home 110

Conflicts among the Members of a Household 116

An Interstitial Strategy 125

6 Jesus and His Body 128

The Place of Corporality 128

Bodies Procreate: Jesus' Genealogical Position 130

When His Contemporaries Looked at Jesus, What Did They See? 134

Other Looks, Other Appearances 139

The Body Is Taken Prisoner 141

An Inclusive Subject: The Crowd 143

The Body in Danger 148

The Body of Jesus and the Healings 150

7 Jesus and Emotion: Feelings and Desires 155

How Do We Get to Know the Inner Life of Jesus? 155

The Cultural Meanings of Emotions 155

Jesus' Compassion 157

Anxiety and Sadness 159

Indignation and Anger 161

The Power of Silence 162

The Problems Involved in Leave Taking 163

Will, Desire, Decision 166

"I have come in order to...": Jesus Expresses His Desire and His Interior Passion 168

Conclusion: The Concrete Reality of a Radical Life 170

Notes 177

Bibliography 221

Index of Authors and Names 237

Index of Ancient Texts 242

Index of Subjects 249