Jesus and the Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder.Jesus and the Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder. By Richard A. Horsley. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003. vii and 178 pages. Paper. $17.00. Horsley, Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts The system includes UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth (affiliated with Cape Cod Community College), UMass Lowell, and the UMass Medical School. It also has an online school called UMassOnline. and a leading proponent for the sociopolitical so·ci·o·po·li·ti·cal adj. Involving both social and political factors. sociopolitical Adjective of or involving political and social factors reading of the New Testament, has written this important book that compares Roman Empire with the American Empire. Actually, Horsley uses only the last twelve pages to compare Rome with the United States. He did not really need those pages; by his choice of texts and examples, and his use of contemporary vocabulary for ancient data, the comparison throughout is quite clear. It does not take a rocket scientist Rocket Scientist In the world of finance, these are people with science and math degrees who work in the finance field building highly advanced quantitative finance models. These models help banking, insurance and investment firms to price financial instruments. to know that Horsley is thinking of America when he writes of Rome. The author first describes with terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. detail the impact of Rome on the peoples of the Empire. Galilean Jesus must have been intensely aware of how his people were so severely subjugated sub·ju·gate tr.v. sub·ju·gat·ed, sub·ju·gat·ing, sub·ju·gates 1. To bring under control; conquer. See Synonyms at defeat. 2. To make subservient; enslave. by Rome, Roman puppets, and temple authorities. Using the covenantal structure of the prophets, Jesus attacked the Roman Empire and, on the other side, called for renewed covenant community in the villages of Galilee Galilee (găl`ĭlē), region, N Israel, roughly the portion north of the plain of Esdraelon. Galilee was the chief scene of the ministry of Jesus. . He attacked the Empire by casting out the demons Demons See also devil; evil; ghosts; hell; spirits and spiritualism. ademonist one who denies the existence of the devil or demons. bogyism, bogeyism recognition of the existence of demons and goblins. of supernatural tyranny. He developed village community by healing the sick and returning them to their rightful place. A restored covenantal community could withstand the political and economic devastation created by the Empire. Those who ply the sociopolitical type of analysis usually reject later religious or even theological interpretations of Jesus and the New Testament. Horsley is no exception. By interpreting Jesus in terms of his political and economic environment, Horsley gives credence to those who are reluctant to define Christianity in terms of liturgy or creeds. Nevertheless, applying Jesus to our time is fraught with complications. Many writers lack knowledge both of Jesus and his times and of the modern situation. Horsley does well with the Jesus context. By keeping short the application section he may have approached the proper methodology: Tell the story, and let the readers discern its relevance. Graydon F. Snyder Chicago, Illinois |
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