The first part engages in an actual theology of the New Testament in the context of early Christianity. Michael Bird argues for the possibility of a New Testament theology, identifies the relationship between a text and its community in the construction of a theology, and sets forth the methodological approach for the study. He looks at the challenges to New Testament Theology and questions their assumptions. Then he gives an overview of the theology of the New Testament where the texts are sometimes grouped by a common socio-religious context in early Christianity.
The second part engages the problem of unity and diversity in the New Testament. Bird argues for the abandonment of the terms unity and diversity. and in their place he advocates complexity and accordance. He looks at the problem of finding a centre or centres to a New Testament and surveys proposed centres. Then he gives explicit examples of complexity related to a number of subjects, and of theological accordance in the New Testament. Bird identifies the actual central nodes (fulcrum) of a New Testament theology, and then demonstrates the relative homogeneity of the early Christian movement and thus the possibility of a theology of early Christianity.
A theology of the New Covenant community in relation to the New Covenant documents.
In Whispers of Revolution, renowned biblical scholar Michael Bird forges a path through the tangle of conspiracy theories, older hypotheses, and scholarly debates to propose a compelling idea: The historical Jesus was driven by the conviction that through his words and work, his mission and message, God was unveiling his kingship in a way that would rescue Israel and eventually restore the whole world.
This careful and concise scholarly work covers a wide range of topics related to the historical Jesus and his context. Bird studies Jesus in light of archaeology, Judean history, and apocalypticism. He scrutinises sayings of Jesus and stories about Jesus, challenging many scholarly paradigms to offer a portrait of Jesus that avoids both sensationalism and pious simplification. The result is a story of Jesus that puts him firmly in the world of ancient Galilee and Judea and explains how this man, crucified by the Romans, becomes the catalyst for a movement that would defy and then consume the Roman empire.
This important contribution will appeal to scholars, students, and all readers looking for a fresh examination of the life of Jesus.
