Are You the One Who Is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question

by Michael F. Bird, Stanley Porter (Foreword by)

Overview

Did Jesus claim to be the long-awaited "messiah"? Going against much contemporary scholarship, Australian scholar Michael Bird argues that he did. He begins by exploring the messianic expectations in the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature. Next, Bird points out weaknesses in current arguments that "Messiah," or "Christ," was a title given to Jesus by the early church but not used by Jesus himself. Bird then examines the Gospels and related literature, finding in Jesus's words and actions evidence that he saw himself as the messiah described in the Scriptures of Israel and believed that Israel's restoration hinged on the outcome of his ministry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441205964
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	791 KB

About the Author

Michael F. Bird (PhD, University of Queensland) is lecturer in theology at Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College in Australia. He is the author of Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission and The Saving Righteousness of God, and is a co-contributor to the biblical studies blog "Euangelion."
Michael F. Bird (PhD, University of Queensland) is lecturer in theology at Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College in Australia. He is also Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University. Bird is the author of Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission and The Saving Righteousness of God, and is a co-contributor to the biblical studies blog "Euangelion."

Table of Contents

Foreword by Stanley E. Porter
Preface
1. "Jesus Who Is Called the Christ"
Scholarship on the Messianic Question
In Quest of Jesus's Self-Understanding
2. Messianic Expectations in Second Temple Judaism
The Paucity and Diversity of Messianic Expectations
The Extent of Messianic Ideas in the Old Testament
Messianic Claimants in the First Century
Sources and a Sketch
Conclusion
3. Messiah Jesus--a Role Declined?
Messiahship Inferred from the Resurrection
The "Messianic Secret"
Disciples' Enthusiasm and Authorities' Perception
An Inference from the Titulus on the Cross
The Scripturizing of the Tradition
Conclusion
4. Messiah Jesus--a Role Redefined?
The Messianic Jesus
Son of Man as Divine Agent and Messiah
Jesus as the Anointed One of Isaiah
The Kingdom of God Presupposes a King
Allusions to David and Solomon
The "I Have Come" Sayings
Conclusion
5. Messiah Jesus--a Crucified Messiah?
Peter's Confession at Caesarea Philippi
The Anointing of Jesus at Bethany
Triumphal Entry and Demonstration in the Temple
The Royal Riddle of David's Lord
The Passion of the Shepherd King
The Trial of the Messiah
The King of the Jews
The Messianic Herald of Salvation
Crucified Messiah, Not Crucified Martyr
The Origins of the Christianoi
Conclusion
6. Toward a Messianic Christology
Eschatological Finality
The Church and Israel
Prophet, Priest, and King
Conclusion
Indexes