134 - Jesus and the Kingdom of God

Jesus and the Kingdom of God

By G. R. Beasley-Murray

Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1986. 446 Pp. $29.95.

This important book will be appreciated by anyone interested in the perennial problem of understanding the message of Jesus. BeasleyMurray has given us a vast fund of information in a readable but precise form. He defines his task in this book "as a contribution toward clarifying" Jesus' understanding of himself by means of an analysis of his teachings on the Kingdom of God. He is confident that we can indeed grasp the basic message of Jesus. In this, he stands in contrast to the prevailing skepticism of the majority of New Testament critics.

According to the author, Jesus used the symbol of the Kingdom of God to communicate his understanding of the "divine intervention that brings about judgment and redemption." He understood his life, death, resurrection, and parousia as the tbeophany of God. The parousia is the climactic intervention of God in Christ and can only be presented in symbolic terms; it is inadequate to "isolate the teaching of Jesus on the parousia" from the rest of his message, as some scholars have argued. As

136 - Jesus and the Kingdom of God

a result, Beasley-Murray is confident that what many others describe as the teaching of the later church can be ascribed to Jesus.

The book is divided into three parts: The Coming of God in the Old Testament; The Coming of God in the Writings of Early Judaism; and The Coming of God in the Teachings of Jesus.

As this outline implies, Beasley-Murray assumes that the Old Testament and the first century Jewish background should be the basis for understanding Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of God. This discussion is indeed the most significant part of this work and will be appreciated by anyone who is familiar with the difficulties of digesting the vast quantity of materials available. The principles established in Parts One and Two are developed throughout the exegetical discussion in Part Three.

Beasley-Murray's analysis of the teaching of Jesus is divided into relevant categories, for example, sayings about the coming of the Kingdom in the present or the future, about the Son of Man, and about the parousia. Each relevant synoptic saying is examined in detail. He is careful to indicate how earlier studies are related to his own interpretation, which, in turn, is based primarily on the background materials and an examination of the linguistic data.

The problem that many readers will find in this work is the author's eclectic use of traditional exegetical methods. He exhibits some interest in redaction criticism, a heavy reliance on linguistic criteria, but very little mention or use of form critical categories and methods. Given the history of the problem of authenticity, it is surprising that BeasleyMurray does not state his criteria for authenticity. He appears to assume a unity or consistency within Jesus' thought that does not take into consideration the extensive redactional studies of the past three decades.

In sum, this is an excellent book which brings together the opinions and considered judgments of a respected British New Testament scholar. Despite his neglect of form and redaction criticism, it is a masterful compendium that will have a lasting influence.

RICHARD A. EDWARDS

Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin