Who Is Jesus?: An Introduction to Christology

by Thomas P Rausch

Overview

Who is Jesus? This is the fundamental question for christology. The earliest Christians used various titles, most of them drawn from the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures, to express their faith in Jesus. They called him prophet, teacher, Messiah, Son of David, Son of Man, Lord, Son of God, Word of God, and occasionally even God. In Who Is Jesus? Thomas Rausch, S.J., focuses on the New Testament's rich variety of christologies.

Who Is Jesus? covers the three quests for the historical Jesus, the methods for retrieving the historical Jesus, the Jewish background, the Jesus movement, his preaching and ministry, death and resurrection, the various New Testament christologies, and the development of christological doctrine from the New Testament period to the Council of Chalcedon.

Chapters are "The Three Quests for the Historical Jesus," "Methodological Considerations," "The Jewish Background," "Jesus and His Movement," " The Preaching and Ministry of Jesus," "The Death of Jesus," "God Raised Him from the Dead," "New Testament Christologies," "From the New Testament to Chalcedon," "Sin and Salvation," and "A Contemporary Approach to Soteriology."

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, PhD, is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the theology of the priesthood, he has published eight books including the award-winning Catholicism at the Dawn of the Third Millennium, The College Student's Introduction to Theology, and Reconciling Faith and Reason: Apologists, Evangelists, and Theologians in a Divided Church, published by Liturgical Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814650783
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	07/01/2003
Series:	Michael Glazier Books
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	227,409
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in ecclesiology, he has published twenty books and numerous articles and has long been active in ecumenism. He co-chairs the Los Angeles Catholic/Evangelical Committee and the Theological Commission for the Archdiocese. From 2010 to 2014 he was a consultor to Jesuit Superior General Father Adolfo Nicholás for ecumenical affairs.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	ix
	Abbreviations	xi
	Introduction	1
	Images of Jesus	1
	Starting Points for Christology	3
1.	The Three Quests for the Historical Jesus	9
	The First Quest: Reimarus to Schweitzer	10
	The New Quest: Kasemann to Schillebeeckx	13
	The Third Quest	15
	Conclusion	20
2.	Methodological Considerations	23
	From Precritical to Critical Christology	23
	The Development of the Gospel Tradition	28
	Recovering the Historical Jesus	35
	Doubtful Criteria	37
	Conclusion	38
3.	The Jewish Background	41
	The Messianic Tradition	42
	The Wisdom Tradition	48
	The Apocalyptic Tradition	51
	First-Century Palestinian Judaism	55
	Conclusion	60
4.	Jesus and His Movement	61
	Jesus and John the Baptist	62
	The Jesus Movement	68
	Conclusion	76
5.	The Preaching and Ministry of Jesus	77
	The Sayings of Jesus	77
	The Parables of Jesus	82
	The Kingdom of God	84
	A Note on the Miracle Tradition	91
	Conclusion	93
6.	The Death of Jesus	95
	The Offense Behind Jesus' Death	96
	Theological Perspectives	99
	How Did Jesus Understand His Death?	103
	Conclusion	109
7.	God Raised Him from the Dead	111
	The Easter Experience	111
	The Easter Tradition	113
	Reflections on Easter Faith	118
	Conclusion	123
8.	New Testament Christologies	125
	Easter Christologies	127
	Son of God Christologies	131
	Wisdom Christologies	137
	Preexistence Christologies	142
	Conclusion	145
9.	From the New Testament to Chalcedon	147
	Faith and the Dialogue with Culture	147
	From the Third Century to Nicaea	152
	From Nicaea to Chalcedon	156
	Conclusion	163
10.	Sin and Salvation	165
	Sin and Salvation in Scripture	166
	Sin and Salvation in Christian History	171
	The Sixteenth Century	178
	Conclusion	181
11.	A Contemporary Approach to Soteriology	183
	The Mystery of Iniquity	184
	Jesus Mediates God's Salvation	186
	Is Jesus the Source of Our Salvation?	197
	Conclusion	202
	Glossary	205
	Index of Names	209
	Index of Subjects	213

Editorial Reviews

An ideal textbook for college students and a helpful resource for parish education.
Interpretation


Clearly written and well organized, this work provides readers with a sound and reliable introduction to Christology.
Interpretation


This is a good introductory text in christology. . . . I highly recommend its use for a college or adult education course.
New Theology Review


Who is Jesus? deserves to get priority placing on the reading programme of teachers and students of Christology. It cannot but stimulate the reflection and interest of all who amid the plethora of current religious opinions genuinely seek to find an answer to the question: Who is Jesus?
The Furrow


Seeks to take seriously both the work of historical-critical scholarship and the faith and life of the church.
New Testament Abstracts


In this lucidly written book, Thomas Rausch . . . offers an introduction to the discipline of Christology that surveys the best of recent Jesus research, engages with Evangelical theology, and proposes a contemporary soteriology . . . Rausch's book will serve as an excellent textbook for upper-level undergraduate courses in Christology.
Catholic Books Review


In a clear and accessible style, Thomas Rausch offers a judicious sifting of a wide variety of modern authors and ancient sources. His 'introduction' is comprehensive and coherent. It serves as an effective tool for those seeking to understand christology both then and now.
Michael L. Cook, S.J., Gonzaga University


Rausch has written a wonderfully clear, faithful, and reliable christology in the light of contemporary Scripture studies and the early tradition of the Church. Particularly helpful is his approach to the saving work of Christ in the light of other recent christological studies. I recommend this volume to college and seminary professors as an excellent textbook that will guide their students through the complexities of Western Catholic reflection on the mystery of Jesus Christ.
Brian O. McDermott, S.J., Georgetown University

From the Publisher

The question in the title of Rausch's new book succinctly summarizes its contents. However, unlike many introductions to the discipline of Christology, this work does not present a historical survey of the field of scholarship but instead attempts to put into practice a particular methodological model, the Third Quest for the Historical Jesus. In this regard, Rausch (Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology, Loyola Marymount Univ.; Catholicism at the Dawn of the Third Millennium) succeeds admirably. From the table of contents, one can identify each of the steps, which are well articulated and logically connected in the method adopted. After describing the differing presuppositions of the three different quests for the historical Jesus and his own research in the first two chapters, the author traces the development of Christology from Jesus' Palestinian Jewish background through the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.) and the Protestant Reformation. The final chapter provides a contemporary understanding of the question, "Who is Jesus?" Written in an informed but nontechnical manner, this book provides a highly readable explanation of the major issues in Christological theology. Recommended for public libraries. Highly recommended for academic libraries.-Fr. Charlie Murray, C.S.S., Fordham Univ. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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