Jesus & Utopia

"Mary Ann Beavis moves the study of the historical Jesus in a dramatic new direction by drawing together two fields of study not previously combined: Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God, and ancient utopian literature and movements. Highlighting utopian aspects of the Essene community and Philo's discussion of the Therapeutae, she argues that only ancient utopian thought accounts for the lack of explicit political echoes in Jesus' message of the kingdom of God. The resulting portrait of Jesus, and of the basileia movement in which he participated, demonstrates that Jesus and his circle shared in the utopian impulses of their age."--BOOK JACKET.