Jesus and Israel's Traditions of Judgement and Restoration

Steven Bryan has produced a superb study that began as a doctoral dissertation under the direction of Andrew Chester and James Carleton Paget of Cambridge University. Jesus and Israels Trad itions of Judgment and Restoration is marked by clarity, logic, and fresh exegesis of the relevant materials. I found it stimulating reading, stopping often to jot down notes for further reference. Bryan argues that Jesus announced both judgment and restoration and that both were unfolding in Johns and his ministries. In doing this Jesus made creative use of Israels classic prophetic tradition. However, he did not adhere to its usual pattern of judgment followed by restoration. Rather, Bryan thinks Jesus proclaimed a paradoxical message in wh ich national judgement and national restoration were coming to simultaneous rather than sequential fulfillment (217). Bryans hypothesis opens the door for several innovative interpretations, some of them touching difficult texts that have long baffled scholars. In his first chapter Bryan reviews the problem and proposes a new assessment of the role of prophetic tradition in Jesus teaching and activities. [Full Review]