Render Unto Caesar: The Struggle Over Christ and Culture in the New Testament

by John Dominic Crossan

Overview

The revered Bible scholar and author of The Historical Jesus explores the Christian culture wars—the debates over church and state—from a biblical perspective, exploring the earliest tensions evident in the New Testament, and offering a way forward for Christians today.

Leading Bible scholar John Dominic Crossan, the author of the pioneering work The Historical Jesus, provides new insight into the Christian culture wars which began in the New Testament and persist strongly today. 

For decades, Americans have been divided on how Christians should relate to government and lawmakers, a dispute that has impacted every area of society and grown more rancorous over the past forty years. But as Crossan makes clear, this debate isn’t new; it can be found in the New Testament itself, most notably in the tensions between Luke-Acts and Revelation.  

In the texts of Luke-Acts, Rome is considered favorably. In the book of Revelation, Rome is seen as the embodiment of evil in the world. Yet there is an alternative to these two extremes, Crossan explains. The historical Jesus and Paul, the earliest Christian teachers, were both strongly opposed to Rome, yet neither demonized the Empire. 

Crossan sees in Jesus and Paul’s approach a model for Christians today that can be used to cut through the acrimony and polarization roiling our society and dividing us. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062964939
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/29/2022
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	621,974
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida.

Table of Contents

Prologue Triumph Too Soon, Tragedy Too Fast 1

Overture The Things of Caesar and the Things of God 9

Part 1 Culture Rejected and Demonized

1 God Shall Overcome Someday 25

2 The Coming of What Is Already Present 39

3 The Once and Future Beast 53

14 Among These Dark Satanic Hills 68

5 The Longest Lie 83

Part 2 Culture Accepted and Canonized

6 Creating a Counternarrative 107

7 "Whom Paul Had Taken with Him" 126

8 The Vision of Roman Christianity 144

9 The Way of the Holy Spirit 162

10 The Cost of Acculturation 185

Part 3 Culture Confronted and Criticized

11 The Invention of Nonviolent Resistance 211

12 "We Are Unarmed, as You See" 223

13 "Jesus Called Christ" 238

14 Sanctions and Sabbaths 250

15 "Love Your Enemies" 263

Epilogue The Things of God Against the Things of Caesar 275

Appendix A Intercultural Translation of "Kingdom of God/Heavens" 281

Appendix B Violent and Nonviolent Response to the Romanization of Israel 285

Appendix C Genesis 1:1-2:4a as Overture to the Bible 287

Notes 289

Editorial Reviews

03/21/2022

This stimulating history by Crossan (The Historical Jesus), a retired religious studies professor at DePaul University, examines first-century clashes between the Christian church and Roman state. “What biblical vision best empowers contemporary American Christians to confront... the tragedy of Rome-like decline with violence at home?” asks Crossan, studying Jesus’s relationship with Rome for guidance on how Christians might respond to current crises of American democracy. The author finds the model of a vindictive relationship between church and state in Revelation’s demonization of Romans as Christian-killers. Luke-Acts promotes the alternative of assimilation, Crossan argues, through its celebration of the “Holy Spirit’s transfer of headquarters from Jerusalem to Rome.” Positing a third option, Crossan looks to the work of Jewish historian Josephus to suggest that Christianity can critique power from within non-Christian institutions. Despite some clichéd points of comparison (“Any Rome/America parallel must now focus on... when republicanism slouches toward dictatorship”), this is an illuminating exploration of how Christians might relate to broader society, written with style, panache, and accessible erudition. Specialists and general readers of history should take note. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Unmasking the dangerous cultural accommodations of Luke, revealing the equally dangerous cultural demonizing of John’s Apocalypse, and recovering the non-violent, family-based teachings of Jesus, this inspired volume moves from history to ethics and from first-century Rome to twenty-first century America. Vintage Crossan: poetic, principled, passionate, and powerful.”  — Amy-Jill Levine, author of The Bible With and Without Jesus and The Misunderstood Jew, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School

"Captivating. Render Unto Caesar is accessible, and inspiring, a true gift to modern people of faith. Crossan’s signature historical analysis provides insights into our modern cultural divisions, showing how modern Christians can work to resist corrupt governments and reform our society for the common good."  — Brandan Robertson, Activist and Author, Filled to Be Emptied: The Path of Liberation for Privileged People 

"This stimulating history examines first-century clashes between the Christian church and Roman state [and] is an illuminating exploration of how Christians might relate to broader society, written with style, panache, and accessible erudition." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"Captivating. Render Unto Caesar is accessible, and inspiring, a true gift to modern people of faith. Crossan’s signature historical analysis provides insights into our modern cultural divisions, showing how modern Christians can work to resist corrupt governments and reform our society for the common good." 

Brandan Robertson

Unmasking the dangerous cultural accommodations of Luke, revealing the equally dangerous cultural demonizing of John’s Apocalypse, and recovering the non-violent, family-based teachings of Jesus, this inspired volume moves from history to ethics and from first-century Rome to twenty-first century America. Vintage Crossan: poetic, principled, passionate, and powerful.” 

Amy-Jill Levine