Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS §12.2
over all the world and acknowledged by all (willingly or unwillingly). 50 Daniel's
vision of the great statue representing four successive kingdoms climaxes in the
vision of a stone 'cut from a mountain by no human hand' which would smash
the statue and grow until it filled the whole earth (Dan. 2.35, 44-45). The theme
became a favourite in post-biblical writing. 51 In particular, Qumran looked to
God to display his kingship over Israel's enemies, and for the wealth of nations
to flow into Zion (1QM 6.6; 12.7-16) in fulfilment of Isaiah 60. The third Sibyl
predicts that 'the most great kingdom of the immortal king will become manifest
over men' (Sib. Or. 3.47-48) and that God 'will raise up a kingdom for all ages
among men' when 'from every land they will bring incense and gifts to the house
of the great God' and 'there will be just wealth among men' (3.767-95). 52 The
Psalms of Solomon 17 expects 'God's eschatological rule as king (to be) manifested
and realized through the rule of the Son of David, the Lord Messiah'. 53
And the Testament of Moses envisages a climactic denouement when God will
rise from the throne of his kingdom, and 'his kingdom shall appear throughout
all his creation' (10.1, 3). 54
From this range of material we can gain a fairly clear idea of what reverberations
talk of God's kingship would set off within the convictions of 'common
Judaism'. Noticeable is the strength of the conviction regarding Yahweh as
king. Whatever happened on earth, Israel comforted itself with the assurance that
God's kingship, his kingly rule, is still in effect. Psalmist and prophet strengthened
the faith conviction that whatever Israel's failure, and exile notwithstanding,
Yahweh was still Israel's king. Reality as experienced in human perspective
did not necessarily reflect reality seen from God's perspective. At the same time,
the hope for the future, however symbolic in expression, evidently looked for a
tangible effect in the life of Israel. Also to be noted is the fact that Israel's understanding
of God's kingship embraced, as we might say, all three tenses (past,
present, and future). 55 We may conclude at once that for Jesus to talk of 'the
kingdom of God' would not have been strange to a typical Jewish audience in
first-century Palestine and would certainly have evoked a range of faith convictions
and hopes such as are illustrated above.
50. Isa. 24.21-23; Ezek. 20.33; Mic. 4.1-7; Zech. 14.9, 16-17.
51. S. Schreiber, Gesalbter und König. Titel und Konzeptionen der königlichen
Gesalbtenerwartung in frühjüdischen und urchristlichen Schriften (BZNW 105; Berlin: de
Gruyter, 2000) notes how the thought of God as king served as an antithetical image to hostile
political domination and 'a depraved or hybrid kingship' (141).
52. Sib. Or. 3 is usually dated to the middle of the second century BCE with first-century
BCE additions (Collins, 'Kingdom' 84-85).
53. Meier, Marginal Jew 2.258.
54. See above, chapter 9 n. 96.
55. Similarly Jeremias, Proclamation 98-100; cf. Caird, New Testament Theology ch. 4.
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