Exile

Description

Even though Israel had returned to its land, the majority of Jews of the second temple era regarded themselves in exile under Roman rule and still awaiting their full restoration. It was this crisis of exile that reached its resolution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This, according to N.T. Wright, is the controlling narrative that shaped the thinking of Jesus and Paul. While many find this a compelling key to understanding the New Testament, critical responses also abound. Exile: A Conversation with N. T. Wright engages a variety of scholars in conversation with Wright’s thesis, taking the discussion of exile as a second temple Jewish theme to a new level. In this work, Wright clearly restates his thesis in a programmatic essay, which is followed by eleven essays from leading scholars. These essays interact with Wright’s thesis from various perspectives: Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, early Judaism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament, and theological perspectives. The book finishes with a response from Wright in regards to the presented perspectives.