Jesus, debt, and the Lord's prayer
Subtitle: first-century debt and Jesus' intentions
By: Douglas E. Oakman ; [foreword by K.C. Hanson]
Publisher: Cascade Books
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Eugene, Oregon
Language: eng
Number of pages: 144
ISBN-13: 9781625647931
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Q hypothesis (Synoptics criticism); Economics in the Bible; Bible; Teachings; Criticism, interpretation; Christianity; Economic conditions; Debt; Economic aspects; Lord's prayer; Economic history
Description: Deeply rooted in the story of Jesus of Nazareth is a concern for people mired in debt. Debt was a central control mechanism for the administration of the Roman Empire. Client states such as those of the Herods in Palestine were entrusted with maintenance of the established order, the Pax Romana, and their patronage entailed legions of the indebted. Debt kept peasants at their plows and contributed to the suffering bodies and tortured minds that Jesus attempted to heal. His parables and central prayer feature the forgiveness of money debts. In the end, his praxis to liberate people from perennial debt led to a Roman cross, but his memory was kept alive at the table around which he communed with tax collectors and debtors alike.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 123-134) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : two kingdoms, one table : Jesus in political perspective; title: Jesus and agrarian debt; title: The Lord's prayer in social perspective; title: Jesus the tax resister; title: Conclusion : need or greed as the proper end of economics?