This doctoral thesis is an exploration into the influence of Jewish eschatological thought upon the way the death of Jesus came to be understood in earliest Christianity. It is essentially a tradition-historical sketch which begins with Paul on one end, and works back to the lifetime of the historical Jesus. My question is, Did Jewish eschatological expectation provide the fundamental interpretive grid for the theological explanation of Jesus' death in the period 30-60 CE? My thesis enters into this question by first engaging the academic debate over the nature of Jewish apocalyptic eschatology. I then engage in an exploration of the influence of Jewish eschatology in early Christian literature. My objects of focus are laid out in the following order: pre-Pauline materials contained in Paul's writings; primitive traditions found in the early chapters of Acts; the synoptic Sayings Source (Q); and dominical material in the Jesus tradition. My primary contention is that Paul's theological-apocalyptic understanding of Jesus' death as a definitive saving event was passed on to him from the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, and ultimately goes back to Jesus' own expectations of martyrdom and vindication as the fulfilment of God's eschatological plan.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:660259 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Owen, P. L. |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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