See the post at Theological.
Tag: Biblical Theology
Did Jews Expect the Messiah to Rise from the Dead?
The short answer is “No.” N.T. Wright explains why…
But it remains the case that resurrection, in the world of second-Temple Judaism, was about the restoration of Israel on the one hand and the newly embodied life of all YHWH’s people on the other, with close connections between the two; and that it was thought of as the great event that YHWH would accomplish at the very end of the ‘the present age’, the event which would constitute the ‘age to come’, ha ‘olam haba. Nobody imagined that any individuals had already been raised, or would be raised in advance of that great last day…There are no traditions about a Messiah being raised to life: most Jews of this period hoped for resurrection, many Jews of this period hoped for a Messiah, but nobody put those two hopes together until the early Christians did so. – N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, 205
Evangelism Done Redemptive-Historically
Check out this review of Timmis and Chester’s The World We All Want (authors of Total Church). The reviewer highlights three mains strengths to this evangelistic approach: 1) gospel presented in the wider context of the Biblical story 2) emphasis on conversion into community, not making “the church” optional 3) Jesus centered. Here is an excerpt of the review:
I particularly liked the manner in which God’s people are described in session seven as “a waiting community, a proclaiming community, a loving community.” It’s been reported recently that many people on the street are cool with Jesus, but have a problem with the church. TWWAW demonstrates that you can’t have the bridegroom without his bride, nipping that particular problem in the bud.
A Book and a Break
I will be taking a break from blogging this week. Among other things, I will try to finish up The Mission of God, by Chris Wright.
Check out good discussion on the terms missionary, mission, and missional from here.