Jesus and Magic

"It has become standard in modern interpretation to say that Jesus performed miracles, and even mainline scholarly interpreters classify Jesus's healings and exorcisms as miracles. Some highly regarded scholars have argued, more provocatively, that the healings and exorcisms were magic, and that Jesus was a magician. As Richard Horsley points out, if we make a critical comparison between modern interpretation of Jesus's healing and exorcism, on the one hand, and the Gospel stories and other ancient texts on the other hand, it becomes clear that 'the miracle' and 'magic' are modern concepts, products of Enlightenment thinking. "Jesus and Magic" asserts that Gospel stories do not have the concepts of miracle and magic. What scholars constructed as magic turns out to have been ritual practices such as songs incantations, medicines potions, and appeals to higher powers for protection. Horsley offers a critical reading of the healing and exorcism episodes in the Gospel stories. This reading reveals a dynamic relationship between Jesus the healer, the trust of those coming for healing, and their support networks in local communities. The author's reading of the Gospel stories gives little or no indication of divine intervention. Rather, he concludes, the healing and exorcism stories portray healings and exorcisms. Richard Horsley, Professor Emeritus at University of Massachusetts Boston, is author of numerous books on Paul, on the Gospels, and on the historical Jesus, including "Jesus and Empire" 2003, "Jesus and the Powers" 2011 and, more recently, "Text and Tradition in Performance and Writing" 2013. "A brilliant rethinking and reframing of evidence that powerfully challenges some long-held assumptions in NT scholarship. Not all scholars will agree with every point but Horsley persuasively shows that the modern use of 'miracle' and 'magic' refl ect the post-biblical history of those terms, and this work certainly lays to rest the thesis of 'Jesus the magician'." Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary."

Publisher -

Language - English

Paperback

Contributors

Author

Richard A. Horsley

Richard A. Horsley

Published Date -

ISBN - 9780227175255

Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.0 cm

Page Count - 192