Jesus and the Powers ─ Conflict, Covenant, and the Hope of the Poor

Refusing a false dichotomy between "politics" and "religion" in Jesus' world (and our own), Richard A. Horsley explores Jesus' response to the imperial power of his day. Jesus and the Powers highlight the relevance of political realities under great empires for the rise of covenantal theology and apocalyptic vision in Israel's history; situates aspects of Jesus' prophetic and exorcising activity in the context of the Roman Empire; and shows how the character of his death by crucifixion itself galvanized the movement around him as his followers shaped a new community life in the shadow of imperial powers.

"The `powers that be' are among the most puzzling aspects in all Scripture. Horsley brings together the theme of the restoration of the people of God with the transformation of the powers in an illuminating and accessible style. The implications of the teaching and acts of Jesus for our own time blaze a trail in this brilliant and thought-provoking book." Walter Wink, author of Naming the Powers, Engaging the Powers, and Transforming the Powers (Fortress Press)

"In Jesus and the Powers, Richard Horsley synthesizes a broad array of insights into the polyvalent character of `power' in ancient cultures and brings this synthesis to bear on a provocative description of the message, activities, and impact of Jesus. Horsley takes seriously not only the context in which Jesus lived, called for renewal, and died but also the sustained narrative presentations of the Gospels as the basis for an account of Jesus' life and significance. Especially stimulating is Horsley's account of the crucifixion as the decisive moment of empowerment for the continuation and growth of the early Jesus movements." Daniel A. Smith, Associate Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Huron University College, author of Revisiting the Empty Tomb (Fortress Press)

Richard A. Horsley is retired Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of Revolts of the Scribes: Resistance and Apocalyptic Origins (Fortress, 2009), Religion and Empire: People, Power, and the Life of the Spirit (Fortress, 2003), Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder (Fortress, 2002), Jesus and the Spiral of Violence (Fortress paperback, 1992), and Bandits, Prophets, and Messiahs (1985), and the editor of Christian Origins, vol. 1 of A People's History of Christianity (Fortress, 2005).