The Messiah before Jesus

The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Israel Knohl, David Maisel

$57.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

Hebrew

University of California Press
26 February 2002

Judaism; Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts

"In a work that challenges notions that have dominated New Testament scholarship for more than a hundred years, Israel Knohl gives startling evidence for a messianic precursor to Jesus who is described as the ""Suffering Servant"" in recently published fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Messiah before Jesus clarifies many formerly incomprehensible aspects of Jesus' life and confirms the story in the New Testament about his messianic awareness. The book shows that, around the time of Jesus' birth, there came into being a conception of ""catastrophic"" messianism in which the suffering, humiliation, and death of the messiah were regarded as an integral part of the redemptive process.

Scholars have long argued that Jesus could not have foreseen his suffering, death, and resurrection because the concept of a slain savior who rises from the dead was alien to the Judaism of his time. But, on the basis of hymns found at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls, Knohl argues that, one generation before Jesus, a messianic leader arose in the Qumran sect who was regarded by his followers as ushering in an era of redemption and forgiveness. This messianic leader was killed by Roman soldiers in the course of a revolt that broke out in Jerusalem in 4 B.C.E. The Romans forbade his body to be buried and after the third day his disciples believed that he was resurrected and rose to heaven. This formed the basis for Jesus' messianic consciousness, Knohl argues; it was because of this model that Jesus anticipated he would suffer, die, and be resurrected after three days.

Knohl takes his fascinating inquiry one step further by suggesting that this messiah was a figure known to us from historical sources of the period. This identification may shed new light on the mystery of the ""Paraclete"" in the Gospel of John. A pathbreaking study, The Messiah before Jesus will reshape our understanding of Christianity and its relationship to Judaism."

By: Israel Knohl
Translated by: David Maisel
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 10mm
Weight: 227g
ISBN: 9780520234000
ISBN 10: 0520234006
Pages: 159
Publication Date: 26 February 2002
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Figures Preface Introduction The Messianic Secret After Three Days Another Paraclete Postscript Appendix A: The Messianic Hymns Appendix B: Between Rome and Jerusalem List of Abbreviations Notes Index

Israel Knohl teaches at the Bible department of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He taught as a visiting Professor at Berkeley, Stanford, and Chicago. He is the author of The Sanctuary of Silence (1955), which won the Z. Shkop Award for Biblical Studies.

Reviews for The Messiah before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Readers who share Knohl's questioning attitude about 'the Jewish context of Jesus' messianic career' will find [this] brief, accessible book fascinating and informative. - Booklist A small but mind-bending book...a stunning imaginative leap. The impulse to reject Knohl's thesis is very strong...yet Knohl's consummate scholarship and intimate familiarity with other scholarly work gradually prevails. Is this book important to anyone but scholars? Yes, courageous, responsible scholarly work such as Knohl's deserves attention-and admiration. - Christian Science Monitor This is a very significant, original, and daring book. It illuminates an important era in the history of the Jewish people as well as the background of Christianity, making full use of the new Qumran material. - Professor Emanuel Tov, Editor-in-Chief, Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project This is a work of very high quality....Knohl convincingly points out the historical event of a Messiah who predated the more famous one, Jesus Christ....This is one of the most fascinating findings regarding the history of Jewish Messianism and the understanding of the emergence of Christianity...I am confident that it will mark a new phase in research of ancient Judaism. - Moshe Idel, author of Messianic Mystics Fascinating....Knohl's book is an original piece of research that defies some of the most solid beliefs of our time. - Avraham Burg, Chairman of the Keneset (Israeli Parliament).