Summary The Shadow Of The Galilean By Gerard Theissen

Gerd Theissen, a German Protestant theologian and New Testament Scholar is also a Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He is the author in the narrative theology, The Shadow of the Galilean: the Quest for the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. This book follows a fictional account from the character Andreas, who is on a quest to find Jesus and who He is. Although Andreas is fictional he is accurately historic and the narrative takes second so that the historical setting drives the overall story. As the book follows Andreas around it illustrates a story of the true events, teachings, and life of Jesus and the life of those around Him, such as Pilate and Herod Antipas, from a historical perspective. Theissen fully explores the social and historical context of Jesus and His actions in this book. This book is a great source that conveys …show more content…
The first is to investigate the Essenes, a secret community hidden in the wilderness and isolated from society. Their isolation and non partake in the sacrificial cult of the Temple make Romans unsure of their political allegiance. As Andreas and his two slaves, Timon and Malchus journey to the hidden community they stumble upon Baruch, a banished Essene and learn about the community through him. In Andreas report, he mentions how the Essenes “differ from other Jews above all by their own calendar: they celebrate their festivals in accordance with the solar calendar, whereas all others follow the lunar calendar.” Giving the reason why they do not partake in the sacrificial cult; however, they are still sending gifts to the temple. Lastly, they do not accept any form of polygamy or divorce, which is why they “criticize the family life of our Herodian rulers” (44). Andreas decides to leave out the part how much the Essenes hated the Romans and their belief of a future religious war when the last days were upon them, or how much they criticize power and riches (44 -