The Aims of Jesus

by Ben F. Meyer, Tom Wright (Introduction)

Based upon Meyer's conviction that a human being can only be truly known by understanding his principal aim or goal in life, this work explains Jesus of Nazareth in exactly that fashion. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew of the 1st century of this era and to understand him you must have some understanding of the Judaism of that time. Meyer accomplishes this by defining methodology, assessing Jesus from gospel data, and showing how the Gospel materials about Jesus can be scrutinized on solid historical grounds.

Genres: Theology, Christian

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Benjamin Franklin Meyer (1927–1995) was a theologian and scholar of religion. Born in November 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, he studied with the Jesuits, his studies taking him to California, Strasbourg, Göttingen, and Rome, where he received his doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1965. He taught briefly at Alma College and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley before joining the faculty at McMaster University in 1969, where he taught in the religious studies department until 1992. Meyer's areas of specialization included the historical Jesus, the early expansion of the Christian movement, and the hermeneutics of Bernard Lonergan. He authored several important monographs over his 30-year career. He died on 28 December 1995 in Les Verrières, Switzerland.

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was first published in 1979 and therefore doesn't interact with the latest in historical Jesus research. But the amazing thing about this book is that it anticipates so much and is used by so much of it. The introduction by NT Wright spells out the significance of this book - the strengths of Meyer's approach where still so many scholars are lacking. Like Wright, Meyer writes with a sharp wit which easily dissects the absurdities of earlier skeptics while still maintaining a critical eye on the value of the evidence at hand. On more than one occasion I found myself smiling at the provision of an argument which demolishes later scholars who seem ignorant of his writing. Much of this is contained in the first part of the book which deals with "hermeneutical issues."

Meyer's thesis is that the best way to understand a historical figure is to try to work out what he was trying to achieve. This occupies the second part of the book. He begins by examining the career of John the Baptist, and observes that until John the Baptist's arrest John's gospel presents Jesus as working alongside John the Baptist in calling the nation of Israel to repentance and to be baptised. Meyer sees that John t Baptist is seeking to "prepare Israel for the impending judgement" - but not by forming a separatist community but in a way that challenged the establishment.

Following John's arrest, Jesus appears to change tactics. Meyer then goes on to examine the public teaching (proclaiming the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God) and actions of Jesus, searching for evidence of congruence and dissimilarity with John the Baptist's aims. He then also examines the gospel records of Jesus' esoteric (or private) teaching and actions (with his disciples).

In his conclusion, Meyer presents a comprehensive summary of Jesus' aims - to form the nation of Israel as an open community based on faith into which the Gentiles were welcomed. He deals with several objections (such as the delay of the parousia) and reviews his summary in a study of Jesus' continuity and discontinuity with 2nd Temple Judaism and early Christianity (in a way which anticipates later historical Jesus research).

This book is relatively short for one on this topic. But it contains more rare words and syllables per word than most others. I can see why NT Wright liked it - it fits with his style. I consider it well worth the read - probably one of the few early historical Jesus books (i.e. pre-1980) that doesn't feel dated.

[Geoff Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

In what is probably his more important work, Meyer cogently outlines a way forward in historical Jesus studies. The book's strengths are primarily methodological. Drawing from Bernard Lonergan's "critical realism," Meyer sets forth a method of historical investigation that eschews what he sees as the fatal flaw in most of modern criticism - the burden of anti-supernaturalist, anti-dogmatic, anti-establishment Enlightenment presuppositions on the gospel accounts. These, according to Meyer, make actual historical investigation of the gospels untenable. Meyer's own method sees the gospels as intending to record actual historical events, even if there are theological purposes to their being recorded. Thus, he posits, by taking what is recorded and critically analyzing the whole of what we have in the gospels, we are able to paint a fairly comprehensive picture of who Jesus was and what his aims were. Another fine feature of this book is that Meyer also exercises his methodology and, with an even hand and judicious exegesis of texts, concludes that Jesus' own aims were primarily centered on his mission being the reconstitution of a redefined eschatological Israel. (One clearly sees the roots from which NT Wright ultimately draws his conclusions in JVG.) Overall, the book is a strong contribution and continues to be relevant to anybody seeking a balanced critical perspective on historical Jesus studies. If anything, the greatest weakness of the book is that Meyer is a bit too succinct. His methodology could be expanded on in more detail and the conclusions he makes regarding Jesus' aims are left without much comment regarding any entailments or implications on other ideas, especially christology, which is a glaring lacuna. Despite this, and the fact that it is a bit dated in its interaction (it was written in 1979 and not updated), Meyer's book deserves serious consideration by any scholar or student seeking to converse with major modern approaches to the historical Jesus.

[Norman Falk]

NT Wright: “If I had to choose one of the following books to take to a desert island, it would almost certainly be Ben Meyer’s The Aims of Jesus, a neglected work with more wisdom and learning per page than many other scholars could provide per chapter.”

[Cameron Barham]

“Jesus stood outside every attested teaching tradition in Israel. By welcoming those whom these traditions agreed to ostracize he contradicted and in principle undermined them all.”, p. 251

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was taught by this man. He knows biblical exegesis and deals with the problems of the last things, eschatology, well. Although I must admit, he is heavy...

[Jameson Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenging to read at times as it delves into wonky debates among historians. But its conclusions about what Jesus intended while on earth are solid and clear. (Heard about this book as recommended by NT Wright.)

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

very very difficult to read but good if you're willing to mow through it.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important reevaluation of the quest for the historical Jesus focusing on Jesus' motivations and goals. It definitely proves the maxim that "brevity is the soul of wit!".