A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume IV
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Law and Love
John P. Meier
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A leading scholar of the historical Jesus clarifies and illuminates Jesus’ teachings on Jewish law
John Meier’s previous volumes in the acclaimed series A Marginal Jew are founded upon the notion that while solid historical information about Jesus is quite limited, people of different faiths can nevertheless arrive at a consensus on fundamental historical facts of his life. In this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the series, Meier approaches a fresh topic—the teachings of the historical Jesus concerning Mosaic Law and morality—with the same rigor, thoroughness, accuracy, and insightfulness on display in his earlier works.
After correcting misconceptions about Mosaic Law in Jesus’ time, this volume addresses the teachings of Jesus on major legal topics like divorce, oaths, the Sabbath, purity rules, and the various love commandments in the Gospels. What emerges from Meier’s research is a profile of a complicated first-century Palestinian Jew who, far from seeking to abolish the Law, was deeply engaged in debates about its observance. Only by embracing this portrait of the historical Jesus grappling with questions of the Torah do we avoid the common mistake of constructing Christian moral theology under the guise of studying “Jesus and the Law,” the author concludes.
John P. Meier is William K. Warren Chair Professor of Theology (New Testament), Theology Department, University of Notre Dame. He lives in South Bend, IN.
“John Meier is the most distinguished Roman Catholic biographer of Jesus.”—Harold Bloom
"John Meier demonstrates, through rigorous textual analysis, Jesus' intimate and profound involvement with Halakhah. This work will profoundly affect the ways Judaism and Christianity understand each other and themselves."—Hindy Najman, Director of the Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
"This definitive work on Jesus and the law displays mastery of the legal heritage of Judaism in clarifying critical issues. Meier's monumental research illuminates long debated issues and resolves a century of debate."—Jacob Neusner, Institute of Advanced Theology, Bard College
"The quest for the historical Jesus requires the quest for his historical context, late Second Temple Judaism in the land of Israel. With learning both broad and deep, John Meier constructs this context and uncovers therein a prophet and healer and teacher of the Law—an historical Jesus fully incarnate within the Judaism of his time. This is a masterful study and an enduring contribution to scholarship."—Paula Fredriksen, author of From Jesus to Christ,, and Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
"In this fourth volume—Law and Love . . .—on the Jewish Law and Jesus' love commands, Meier argues that Jesus' approach to the Torah seems to have been neither total rejection of the Law, nor a dialectic that embraces yet in effect rejects the Law, nor a total affirmation of the Law that simply involved legitimate (though debatable) interpretations of individual practices. . . . in dealing with the very complex topics that come under his subtitle Law and Love, Meier shows himself to be a sober historian who carefully sifts through the relevant texts, constructs forceful arguments and comes to solid and measured conclusions. Rather than setting out with a thesis to be proved, he allows his conclusions to emerge from rigorous scrutiny of the evidence."—Daniel J. Harrington, America
“Meier’s book contains a wealth of useful information, acute observations, and penetrating argument . . . the breadth and depth of Meier’s scholarship call for high admiration.”--Robert H. Gundry, Books & Culture
Publication Date: May 26, 2009
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