Redemption and Resistance brings together an eminent cast of contributors to provide a state-of-the-art discussion of Messianism as a topic of political and religious commitment and controversy. By surveying this motif over nearly a thousand years with the help of a focused historical and political searchlight, this volume is sure to break fresh ground. It will serve as an attractive contribution to the history of ancient Judaism and Christianity, of the complex and often problematic relationship between them, and of the conflicting loyalties their hopes for redemption created vis-à-vis a public order that was at first pagan and later Christian.
Although each chapter is designed to stand on its own as an introduction to the topic at hand, the overall argument unfolds a coherent history. The first two parts, on pre-Christian Jewish and primitive Christian Messianism, set the stage by identifying two entities that in Part III are then addressed in the development of their explicit relationship in a Graeco-Roman world marked by violent persecution of Jewish and Christian hopes and loyalties. The story is then explored beyond the Constantinian turn and its abortive reversal under Julian, to the Christian Empire up to the rise of Islam.

List of Contributors

Preface - Raphael Loewe

Introduction - Markus Bockmuehl & James Carleton Paget

1. The Persian Period - Joachim Schaper

2. The Hasmonaean Period - Jan Willem van Henten

3. The Herodian Period - Seàn Freyne

4. Plutarch's Life of Numa: Some Observations on Graeco Roman 'Messianism' - Hans Dieter Betz

5. Resistance and Redemption in the Jesus Tradition - Markus Bockmuehl

6. Messianism and Christology: Mark, Matthew, Luke and Acts - Graham Stanton

7. Messiah and Resistance in the Gospel and Epistles of John - Judith M. Lieu

8. The Christ of Paul - Andrew Chester

9. The Catholic Epistles and Hebrews - David G. Horrell

10. The Apocalypse - Paul Spilsbury

11. Messianism and Politics in the Land of Israel, 66-135 C.E. - Martin Goodman

12. Jews and Christians in the Holy Land, 135-325 - Oskar Skarsaune

13. Syria and Mesopotamia - Sebastian Brock

14. Egypt - James Carleton Paget

15. The West and North Africa - Wolfram Kinzig

16. Material Remains - David Noy

17. The Rabbis and Messianism - Philip S. Alexander

18. Messianism in Ancient Bible Translations in Greek and Latin - Alison Salvesen

19. Messianism in Ancient Bible Translations in Aramaic and Syriac - Robert P. Gordon

20. Jewish and Christian Messianic Hopes in pre-Christian Byzantium - Nicholas de Lange

21. False Prophet, False Messiah and the Religious Scene in Seventh-Century Jerusalem - Guy G. Stroumsa

William Horbury's Publications

Works Cited