Benjamin Willard Robinson, Ph.D.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1930
The Sayings
of Jesus:
Their Background
and Interpretation
THE SAYINGS OF JESUS Benjamin Willard Robinson, Pb.D.
Preface I. Uprising of the Jews
From Alexander to the Uprising of Mattathias (336-167 B.C.)
Alexander the Great—From Alexander to Mattathias—The Uprising of Mattathias
Judas Maccabaeus (166-160 B.C.)
First Victories—Purification of the Temple—Death of Antiochus—Accession of Demetrius
II. Growth of the Jewish State
Jonathan (160-143 B.C.)
Jonathan Is Successful—Jonathan Made High Priest — Jonathan and Demetrius II—Jonathan and Trypho — Jonathan Captured
Simon (143-135 B.C.)
Establishes Peace—Treaty with Pome—Battle with the Syrians at Modin—Death of Simon
III. Rise of the Pharisees
John Hyrcanus (135-105 B.C.)
Aristobulus I (105-104 B.C.)
Alexander Jannams (104-78 B.C.)
Alexandra (78-69 B.C.)
Aristobulus II (69-63 B.C.)
The Capture of Jerusalem (63 B.C.)
Roman Rule (63-40 B.C.)
IV. Palestine under the Romans
Herod the Great (40-4 B.C.)
A King in Search of a Kingdom—The Period of Conflict — The Period of Building — The Period of Domestic Troubles
Palestine in the Time of Tesus (4 B.C.-44 A.D.)
Archelaus (4 b.c -6 a.d/) Judea — Herod Antipas (4 B.C.—44 A.D.) Galilee and Perea—Philip (4 b.c -54 A.D.) Trachonitis—Herod Agrippa I (37-44 A.D.)
The End of the Jewish State (44-7° A.D.)
Increasing Discontent under the Roman Governors The East Governors of Judea—The Jewish Uprising — Destruction of Jerusalem
V. Religious Nationalism
Legalism
The Messianic Hope
Religious Nationalism
VI. External Form of the Teaching in the Gospels
Nature of the Parable
Purpose of the Parable—Allegorizing the Parable — Interpretation of a Parable—Reasons against Considering Parables as Allegory
Jesus’ Ideas Concerning Nature and History
The Physical World—The Nature of Man—Supernatural Beings Jesus Ideas about Hades—Old Testament History and Authorship Apocalyptic Ideas of the Coming of the Kingdom
VII. The Early Years of Jesus’ Life
Jesus’ Home
Jesus’ Visit to the Temple
The Baptism
The Temptations
VIII. The Sayings of Jesus
From an Early Source (“G”)
Another Early Source (“Pm”)
Another Early Source (“PI”)
Doubly-attested Sayings
The Best-attested Saying
IX. The Ethical Teaching of Jesus
The Sayings of Jesus—Earliest Sources
The Nature of Jesus’ Religion
Self-denial
Fear and Trust
Resisting Evil
Marriage and Divorce
Personal Character
X. The Prayer Life of Jesus
Prayer in a World of Science
Jesus’ Personal Prayers
Jesus’ Teaching Regarding Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
XI. The Son of Man
The Son of Man
The “Christ” or “Anointed”
The Son of God
XII. The Kingdom of God
Old Testament and Jewish Use of the Term “Kingdom”
Jesus’ Use of the Term “Kingdom”
The Blessings of the Kingdom
Conditions of Entering the Kingdom
XIII. The Kingdom as a New Social Order
The Kingdom Both Present and Future
The Kingdom as a Great Hope
The Kingdom as a Brotherhood
Modern Ideas of the Kingdom
XIV. The Inner Dynamic of Jesus’ Religion
His Genius in Selecting the Best
The Dynamic Quality Which He Imparted
The Old Testament Morality
Jesus’ Standard of Righteousness
Modern Adaptations of Jesus’ Spirit
Relation of Negative to Positive Religion
The Dynamic Quality Inherent in All Parts of Jesus’ Religion
XV. The Forceful Quality of His Expressions
The Wide Range of Jesus’ Illustrations
The Radical Quality
Exclusion of Non-contributing Details
Deferred Applications
Effective Reversal of Previous Figurative Usage
Jesus’ Use of Antitheses
Changing a Negative to a Positive
Combination
Naturalness
Inwardness
Conclusion Reference Library Index of Scripture References Index of Subjects