Pure Kingdom

Pure Kingdom strives to reveal the historical Jesus. Bruce Chilton is aware of the gulf that lies between an academic understanding of who Jesus is and the popular (but sometimes historically improbable) conception of what he stood for. In Pure Kingdom, Chilton speaks directly of Jesus. Modern theorists on Jesus are appealed to only insofar as they clarify Jesus’ own vision of the Kingdom of God. After exploring the scholarly state of the question, Chilton maps out key background material of Jesus’ understanding of the Kingdom, drawing on the Psalms and Jesus’ appropriation of this tradition. Then, looking at the Gospels themselves, Chilton hammers out Jesus’ theology of the kingdom by examining both Jesus’ teaching and his actions, which also declare God’s kingdom. Finally, Children examines the questions of the preaching of Jesus’ Kingdom message in primitive Christianity. Chilton’s fresh analysis of the Kingdom in Jesus’ ministry will prove to be required reading for all interested in the topic. Pure Kingdom is a masterpiece of scholarship and highly recommended for anyone with an interest studying the historical Jesus within the context of his time and culture.