Building on his earlier studies of Jesus, Galilee, and the social
upheavals in Roman Palestine, Horsley focuses his attention on how
Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God relates to Roman and
Herodian power politics. In addition he examines how modern
ideologies relate to Jesus' proclamation.
"A cogently argued critique of
prevalent approaches to the historical Jesus that depict him as
individualistic, depoliticised and that ignore the real context in which he
operated. Horsley makes a very good case for his relational-contextual
approach, which makes better sense of the New Testament and other evidence
available. But what I found quite exhilarating was his showing the crucial
relevance of proper New Testament scholarship and theology in the amazing
parallels he has shown to exist between the policies of the ancient Roman
Empire and those of contemporary America. In the present highly charged atmosphere of international politics, this
is a very important—indeed salutary—book that should be read not just by New
Testament scholars, but especially by politicians."
— Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate and Archbishop Emeritus, Author of No
Future without Forgiveness (2000)
"In this provocative new book, Richard
Horsley builds on his previous work to develop further his understanding of
Jesus as a resistance leader to Roman imperial domination. Horsley situates
this picture of Jesus against empire in the context of the ambiguity of
American identity as a people who see themselves as both liberated and
liberating, New Israel and the New Rome of global empire. He shows how these two
identities are on a collision course post–September 11, 2001. Americans must
ultimately choose between them."
— Rosemary Radford Ruether, Author of The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of
Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2nd ed. 2002) and
Women and Redemption: A Theological History (1998)
"Richard Horsley is one of the few writers who can draw the connections between ancient text and contemporary political meaning. At his dexterous hands we discover riches of insight and gems of interpretation that leave us all in his debt. The Roman Empire becomes the foil that exposes the American Empire. The Kingdom of God reveals the hideousness of the New World Disorder, and Jesus is discovered to be the purveyor of truths available nowhere else."
— Walter Wink, Auburn Theological Seminary, New York, Author of The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man
(2001) and When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of the Nations (1998)
