302 - Jesus and the Hope of the Poor

Jesus and the Hope of the Poor

By Louise Schottroff and Wolfgang Stegemann

Maryknoll, N.Y., Orbis, 1986. 134 Pp. $9.95.

The first two chapters of this book are by Schottroff. She purports to examine the earliest traditions about Jesus, but actually selects only his sayings on the poor and his fellowship with outcasts (ch. I). Then she looks at the life and attitudes of the wandering prophets who formed the Jesus movement, as reflected in the "sayings source" (ch.2). In all this, Jesus is supposed to emerge as "the hope of the poor." How that is so, we are not told. As the point is unclear, so is the argument erratic. Historical information, literary dissection, and liberation ideology jostle for position. In contrast, Stegemann's contribution (ch.3) is a lucid, elegantly argued analysis of Luke-Acts language about possessions. The poverty of Jesus' followers serves as a literary challenge to wealthy Christians who are urged to solidarity with the poor. The apodictic character of Schottroff's section sets the relative excellence of this treatment into sharp relief.

Luke T. Johnson, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.