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The family is a topical issue for studies of the Ancient world.
Family, household and kinship have different connotations in
antiquity from their modern ones. This volume expands that
discussion to investigate the early Christian family structures
within the larger Graeco-Roman context. The essays in the volume
offer original and diverse perspectives; particular emphasis is
given to how family metaphors, such as 'brotherhood' function to
describe relations in early Christian communities. Asceticism and
the rejection of sexuality are considered in the context of
Christian constructions of the family. Moxnes' volume presents a
comprehensive and timely addition to the study of familial and
social structures in the Early Christian world, which will
certainly stimulate further debate.
The link between historical Jesus studies and the broader cultural
contexts has been largely lost in contemporary scholarship, with
the heritage of the Jesus scholarship from the nineteenth century
being detached from its cultural context and with the history of
Jesus scholarship being buried as a topic in the development of
methods and issues in New Testament studies. As a result most
presentations of the historical Jesus are historiographically and
hermeneutically na?ve, assuming an objective posture, with little
or no reflection on their ideological presuppositions. Therefore,
consciously or unconsciously, they often represent hegemonic
positions. This collection of essays starts from a different
position, by questioning the use of presentations of Jesus to
defend and protect hegemonic or mono-cultural contexts, and thereby
explicitly or implicitly favour a development towards a more
inclusive society for persons from different ethnic, racial,
national, gender and sexual orientation backgrounds. This
collection of essays will look at the cultural and ideological
beginnings of historical Jesus studies in the nineteenth century
and expose the underlying presuppositions of hegemony in
contemporary presentations of Jesus, viewed from the perspective of
cultural complexity.
The link between historical Jesus studies and the broader cultural
contexts has been largely lost in contemporary scholarship, with
the heritage of the Jesus scholarship from the nineteenth century
being detached from its cultural context and with the history of
Jesus scholarship being buried as a topic in the development of
methods and issues in New Testament studies. As a result most
presentations of the historical Jesus are historiographically and
hermeneutically na?ve, assuming an objective posture, with little
or no reflection on their ideological presuppositions. Therefore,
consciously or unconsciously, they often represent hegemonic
positions. This collection of essays starts from a different
position, by questioning the use of presentations of Jesus to
defend and protect hegemonic or mono-cultural contexts, and thereby
explicitly or implicitly favour a development towards a more
inclusive society for persons from different ethnic, racial,
national, gender and sexual orientation backgrounds. This
collection of essays will look at the cultural and ideological
beginnings of historical Jesus studies in the nineteenth century
and expose the underlying presuppositions of hegemony in
contemporary presentations of Jesus, viewed from the perspective of
cultural complexity.
The great German theologian Albert Schweitzer famously drew a line
under 19th century historical Jesus research by showing that at the
bottom of the well lay not the face of Joseph's son, but rather the
features of all the New Testament scholars who had tried to reveal
his elusive essence. In his thoughtful and provocative new book,
Halvor Moxnes takes Schweitzer's observation much further: the
doomed 'quest for the historical Jesus' was determined not only by
the different personalities of the seekers who undertook it, but
also by the social, cultural and political agendas of the countries
from which their presentations emerged. Thus, Friedrich
Schleiermacher's Jesus was a teacher, corresponding with the role
German teachers played in Germany's movement for democratic
socialism. Ernst Renan's Jesus was by contrast an attempt to
represent the 'positive Orient' as a precursor to the civilized
self of his own French society. Scottish theologian G A Smith
demonstrated in his manly portrayal of Jesus a distinctively
British liberalism and Victorian moralism. Moxnes argues that one
cannot understand any 'life of Jesus' apart from nationalism and
national identity: and that what is needed in modern biblical
studies is an awareness of all the presuppositions that underlie
presentations of Jesus, whether in terms of power, gender, sex and
class. Only then, he says, can we start to look at Jesus in a way
that does him justice.
The family is a topical issue for studies of the Ancient world. Family, household and kinship have different connotations in antiquity from their modern ones. This volume expands that discussion to investigate the early Christian family structures within the larger Graeco-Roman context. Particular emphasis is given to how family metaphors, such as 'brotherhood' function to describe relations in early Christian communities. Asceticism and the rejection of sexuality are considered in the context of Christian constructions of the family. Moxnes' volume presents a comprehensive and timely addition to the study of familial and social structures in the Early Christian world, which will certainly stimulate further debate.
Synopsis: Biblical scholars often read the Bible with their own
interpretive interests in mind, without associating the Bible with
the concerns of laypeople. This largely undermines the
contributions laypeople can offer from reading the Bible in their
own contexts and from their own life experiences. Moreover, such
exclusively scholarly reading conceals the role of biblical texts
in dealing with current social problems, such as HIV/AIDS-related
stigmatization. Hence, the lack of lay participation in the process
of Bible reading makes the Bible less visible in various common
life situations. In this volume Elia Shabani Mligo draws on his
fieldwork among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Tanzania,
selects stigmatization as his perspective, and chooses
participant-centered contextual Bible study as his method to argue
that the reading of texts from the Gospel of John by PLWHA (given
their lived experiences of stigmatization) empowers them to reject
stigmatization as unjust. Mligo's study shows that Christian PLWHA
reject stigmatization because it does not comply with the attitude
of Jesus toward stigmatized groups in his own time. The theology
emerging from the readings by stigmatized PLWHA, through their
evaluation of Jesus' attitudes and acts toward stigmatized people
in the texts, challenges churches in their obligatory mission as
disciples of Jesus. Churches are challenged to reconsider healing,
hospitality and caring, prophetic voices against stigmatization,
and the way they teach about HIV and AIDS in relation to sexuality.
Churches must revisit their practices toward stigmatized groups and
listen to their voices. Mligo argues that participant-centered
Bible-study methods similar to the one used in this book (whereby
stigmatized people are the primary interlocutors in the process)
can be useful tools in listening to the voices of stigmatized
groups. Endorsements: "Elia Shabani Mligo's own profound knowledge
about the situation of people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania is
balanced with a comprehensive and informed reflection on the
complex phenomenon of stigmatization. He convincingly shows how
reading the Bible can be a resource toward dignity for marginalized
people. The book is highly valuable both in regard to the concrete
topic discussed--HIV/AIDS and stigmatization--and for those who
want to do Bible studies in a broader context than the academia."
--Helge S. Kvanvig University of Oslo "One of Elia Shabani Mligo's
most important contributions to the discussion of overcoming the
scandal of stigmatization to PLWHA is his insistence that it is
achievable. Here he makes his powerful, prophetic, and deep case
for laypeople in faith communities and their leaders to be engaged
in ending the stigmatization in our society. This is a gem of a
book that I am delighted to endorse because it tells the truth in
ways that empower." --Lechion Peter Kimilike Njombe University
College Project Author Biography: Elia Shabani Mligo is Principal
of Kidugala Theological College, in Njombe, Tanzania. He is
currently an employee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Tanzania in the Southern Diocese.
This is a study of the historical Jesus that pays close attention
to the role of space and place, from household to kingdom, for
understanding Jesus' identity. Moxnes employs a sociological and
anthropological approach that promises to give greater depth to our
perceptions of Jesus. household. He explores the significance of
Jesus leaving his own house and calling his disciples. He asks
whether Jesus and the disciples' leaving their households have had
an effect on their masculinity. Finally he discusses Jesus'
creation of a new place, the kingdom of God, over against the
established political powers in Galilee.
Few documents in world history can match the inspirational impact
of the New Testament. For all its variety - gospels, letters and
visions - this firstcentury collection of texts keeps always at its
centre the enigmatic figure of Joshua/Jesus: the Jewish prophet who
gathered a group around him, proclaimed the imminent end of the
world, but was made captive by the authorities of Rome only to
suffer a shameful criminal's death on a cross. When his followers
(including former persecutor Saul/Paul) became convinced that Jesus
had defeated extinction, and had risen again to fresh life, the
movement crossed over from Palestine to ignite the entire
Greco-Roman Mediterranean world. The author shows how the writings
of this vibrant new faith came into being from oral transmission
and then became the pillar of a great world religion. He explores
their many varied usages in music, liturgy, art, language and
literature. In discussing its textual origins, as well as its later
reception, Moxnes shows above all how the New Testament has been
employed both as a tool for liberation and as a means of power and
control.
Few documents in world history can match the inspirational impact
of the New Testament. For all its variety - gospels, letters and
visions - this first-century collection of texts keeps always at
its centre the enigmatic figure of Joshua/Jesus: the Jewish prophet
who gathered a group around him, proclaimed the imminent end of the
world, but was made captive by the authorities of Rome only to
suffer a shameful criminal's death on a cross. When his followers
(including former persecutor Saul/Paul) became convinced that Jesus
had defeated extinction, and had risen again to fresh life, the
movement crossed over from Palestine to ignite the entire
Graeco-Roman Mediterranean world. The author shows how the writings
of this vibrant new faith came into being from oral transmission
and then became the pillar of a great world religion. He explores
their many varied usages in music, liturgy, art, language and
literature. In discussing its textual origins, as well as its later
reception, Moxnes shows above all how the New Testament has been
employed both as a tool for liberation and as a means of power and
control.
The great German theologian Albert Schweitzer famously drew a line
under nineteenth-century historical Jesus research by showing that
at the bottom of the well lay not the face of Joseph's son, but
rather the features of all the New Testament scholars who had tried
to reveal his elusive essence. In his thoughtful and provocative
new book, Halvor Moxnes takes Schweitzer's observation much
further: the doomed 'quest for the historical Jesus' was determined
not only by the different personalities of the seekers who
undertook it, but also by the social, cultural and political
agendas of the countries from which their presentations emerged.
Thus, Friedrich Schleiermacher's Jesus was a teacher, corresponding
with the role German teachers played in Germany's movement for
democratic socialism. Ernst Renan's Jesus was by contrast an
attempt to represent the 'positive Orient' as a precursor to the
civilized self of his own French society. Scottish theologian G A
Smith demonstrated in his manly portrayal of Jesus a distinctively
British liberalism and Victorian moralism. Moxnes argues that one
cannot understand any 'life of Jesus' apart from nationalism and
national identity: and that what is needed in modern biblical
studies is an awareness of all the presuppositions that underlie
presentations of Jesus, whether in terms of power, gender, sex and
class. Only then, he says, can we start to look at Jesus in a way
that does him justice.
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