Fracture
The Cross as Irreconcilable in the Language and Thought of the Biblical Writers
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2006
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Publisher's Description
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. Since the advent of formal biblical criticism, many have come to see the crucifixion as merely one event in the process of religious development. Yet for the New Testament writers it was so much more, representing a radical break that forever affected their perception of God and the world. In this insightful work of careful critical scholarship, Roy Harrisville examines the thought worlds of the New Testament writers, showing how the cross fractured their previously held ideas, causing a profound reorientation centered on the story of the cross. Focusing chronologically on Paul, the Synoptic writers, John, and the authors of Hebrews and 1 Peter, Harrisville demonstrates changes in the writers' understanding of sacrifice, law, Hellenism, apocalyptic, and other areas — changes that created the new values of the radically different Christian community.
Endorsements (3)
“A bold and unabashedly theological essay on the interpretation of the cross of Christ by Paul, the three Synoptists, John, Hebrews, and 1 Peter, this work from a veteran New Testament scholar provides a high-protein diet for student and pastor alike. Roy Harrisville has a keen sense of the theological jugular of these ancient texts, thus focusing our attention on the multiple ways in which the event of the cross shattered and creatively remade the theological cosmos of early Christians. No aspect of the New Testament is of greater import.”
“The crucifixion of Jesus remains a powerful and disputed element in Christian faith and thought. Entering into the theological fray, Roy Harrisville shows how the cross disturbs earlier traditions and reshapes the way the New Testament writers think of God, the world, and the human condition. Combining passion for the subject with breadth of scholarship, Harrisville offers a compelling way to interpret the message of the cross in today's world.”
“Harrisville contends that in the New Testament, Jesus' cross is an event that ruptures and reconfigures worldviews, and so this book confronts interpretations that reduce the meaning of the cross to a fated tragedy, an admirable martyrdom, or an illustration of a principle — all of which leave one's world intact. Attentive readers will be challenged by this provocative book.”
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