The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David

by Thompson, Thomas L.

• ISBN13: 9780465085774
• ISBN10: 0465085776
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-04-12
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Since the eighteenth century, scholars studying the texts of the Bible have attempted to distill historical and biographical facts from the mythology and miracles described there. Even today, they routinely dissect the Gospels and other early Christian writings to separate the "Jesus of history" from the "Christ of faith." Now in The Messiah Myth, distinguished Biblical scholar Thomas L. Thompson argues that the quest for the historical Jesus is beside the point, since the Jesus of the Gospels never existed.

Author Biography

Thomas L. Thompson is one of the leading biblical archaeologists in the world. He was awarded a National Endowment fellowship, has taught at Lawrence and Marquette Universities in Wisconsin, and currently teaches at the University of Copenhagen, which has one of the most prestigious Biblical Studies programs in the world. His book, The Early History of the Israelite People, a famously controversial book at the time, is now a standard text in the field. He lives in Denmark.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Abbreviations	xiii
One: The Kingdom Of God
1 Historicizing the Figure of Jesus, the Messiah	1	(26)
2 The Figure of the Prophet	27	(40)
3 The Children and the Kingdom	67	(40)
4 The Song for a Poor Man	107	(32)
Two: The Royal Ideology
5 The Myth of the Good King	139	(32)
6 The Myth of the Conquering Holy Warrior	171	(26)
7 The Myth of the Dying and Rising God	197	(26)
Three: The Never-Ending Story
8 Holy War	223	(36)
9 Good King, Bad King	259	(26)
10 The Figure of David in Story and Song	285	(38)
Appendix 1: Examples of the Song for a Poor Man	323	(14)
Appendix 2: Testimonies of the Good King	337	(8)
Notes	345	(26)
Bibliography	371	(10)
Index of Biblical Citations	381	(16)
Subject Index	397