The Social Setting of Jesus and the Gospels

The context of jesus, his followers, and the early movement what do the social sciences have to contribute to the study of jesus and the gospels? this is the fundamental question that these essays all address from analyses of ancient economics to altered states of consciousness, politics, ritual, kinship, and labeling. contributors: bruce j. malina, wolfgang stegemann, richard l. rohrbaugh, ekkehard w. stegemann, gerd theissen, t. raymond hobbs, dennis c. duling, k.c. hanson, philip f. esler, s. scott bartchy, john j. pilch, christian strecker, richard demaris, stuart l. love, jerome h. neyrey, douglas e. oakman, gary stansell, santiago oporto guijarro bruce j. malina is professor of new testament at , omaha, and author or coauthor or editor of many influential volumes in new testament, including several recent fortress press titles: social science commentary on the book of revelation (2000); social science commentary on the synoptic gospels (2nd edition 2003); social science commentary on the gospel of john (1998); and the social gospel of jesus (2001).wolfgang stegemann is rector and professor of new testament at the augustana hochschule, neuendettelsau, germany, and is co-author of the jesus movement: a social history of its first century (fortress press, 1995) and jesus and the hope of the poor (1986). he is co-editor of the god of the lowly: socio-historical interpretations of the bible (1984) and the social setting of jesus and the gospels (fortress press, 2001).