Rabbi Jesus by Bruce Chilton
Review by By Pat Weeks
Bruce Chilton
In anticipation of Easter, I am recommending this month a book by Bruce Chilton, a noted biblical scholar entitled, Rabbi Jesus, subtitled The Jewish Life and Teaching That Inspired Christianity. The author writes with vividness and readability that draws the reader into the world that Jesus occupied. He uses all sorts of sources: the Gospels of the New Testament, ancient Jewish literature, Aramaic oral traditions, the Torah and Talmud, archaeological discoveries, and texts from multiple scholars.
What I liked about the book is that he placed Jesus within the context of his times. He presents a fresh and revolutionary portrait of him. If we think politics of today are complicated and Machiavellian, it is a revelation to read about all the different machinations of political and religious leaders in Jesus’ time. The author’s descriptions of the customs and geography of Israel bring the stories of Jesus alive. He describes people like Pilate and other leaders who had major impact on Jesus’ fate and their probable thoughts, motives, and behavior with compelling clarity.
Chilton shows us the major influence and central role of Jewish teachings and traditions in Jesus’ evolution and development. Jesus was a practitioner of a form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God, which shows the origins of Christianity in a new light. It was very enlightening to me to look at the major role Judaism played in Jesus’ life.
It was also fascinating to me the account of the adolescent Jesus seeking out John the Baptist, ten years older than Jesus, who was a rabbi in the wilderness. (The author uses the term rabbi to describe a teacher of wisdom.) Chilton offers the interesting observation that Jesus during this time had a very deficient diet and, as a result, he was shorter than average.
He learned from John the mystical meditation practices about becoming one with God’s throne. John would deeply influence Jesus, especially in learning to meditate on God. This form of meditation would be the key to all of Jesus’ subsequent miraculous powers.
Little by little Jesus began to break from John and surpass him in influence. By the time he was nineteen, he was ready to return to Nazareth as the prodigal son coming home, which would later inspire his parable about that very event. As a young adult, Jesus worked as a journeyman in the construction business, a period reflected in his saying preserved only in the Gospel of Thomas, “Split the wood–I am there; lift the stone and you will find me there.” As time progressed he spent more time in festive meals than in work and taught through this practice that Galilee was already clean and acceptable to God, in contrast to the prevailing Judean mentality.
The book takes us step by step through the life of Jesus, the relationship with his disciples, and the historical events that led to his ultimate crucifixion. The author describes the main role that a high priest of the Temple, Caiphas, played in Jesus’ death sentence. I had not heard of this man previously, and I found the description of his influence and treachery to be chilling.
I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in learning more of the historical Jesus. It has added immeasurably to my understanding of Jesus, the man, and the times in which he lived.