Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE QUESTION OF JESUS' SELF-UNDERSTANDING §15.2
also among the unlettered masses. It should be observed that this finding reverses
the trend noted above, consequent upon the new appreciation of the diversity of
eschatological hope. For most of the second half of the twentieth century the
general assumption has been that the royal Messiah was only one among several
messianic figures who featured in some expressions of that hope, and that royal
messianism was therefore not particularly prominent in the eschatological expectation
of the period. The sounder conclusion now appears to be: one expression
of a more diversely expressed hope, yes; but the most prominent and widespread
of the various expressions of that hope. 32
In the light of the above we can go on to ask whether Jesus would have
been reckoned a credible contender for such a role. Was Jesus regarded as royal
Messiah during his life? Contemporary scholarship is more split on this question
than ever. The spectrum stretches from a confident Yes! to an equally confident
No!
b. Jesus the Revolutionary
One end of the spectrum is confident that Jesus intended to lead a revolution
against Rome's overlordship. Starting with Reimarus this thesis has been offered
at various times during the past two hundred years. 33 Particularly in the 1960s,
the portrayal of Jesus as equivalent to the modern freedom fighter proved to be
very influential in Liberation theology. 34 But the most scholarly statement of the
thesis has been that of S. G. F. Brandon. 35
Brandon's argument is basically that the Gospels' presentation of Jesus is a
32. R. A. Horsley's conclusion 'that there was little interest in a Messiah, Davidic or
otherwise, let alone a standard messianic expectation, in the diverse Palestinian Jewish literature
of late Second Temple times' is much too strong (' "Messianic" Figures and Movements in
First-Century Palestine', in Charlesworth, ed., The Messiah 276-95 [here 295]).
33. For a thorough review see E. Bammel, 'The Revolution Theory from Reimarus to
Brandon', in E. Bammel and C. F. D. Moule, eds., Jesus and the Politics of His Day (Cambridge:
Cambridge University, 1984) 11-68.
34. Illustrations in J. P. M. Sweet, The Zealots and Jesus', in Bammel and Moule, Jesus
and Politics 1-9 (here 1-2).
35. S. G. F. Brandon, The Fall of Jerusalem and the Christian Church (London: SPCK,
2 1957); also Jesus and the Zealots (Manchester: Manchester University, 1967); also The Trial
of Jesus of Nazareth (London: Batsford, 1968; Paladin, 1971). See also Buchanan, Jesus, who
argues consistently for a political sense for the kingdom of God: 'Jesus was convinced that God
was prepared to give the Kingdom of Heaven to the Jews of his time with him as the new Messiah
to sit on David's throne at Jerusalem ... he was at that very time recruiting followers and
raising funds to undertake a movement that would evict the Romans from power' (200; see
also, e.g., 84, 123, 127, 154, and particularly 200-22, 240-52).
622