Jesus and Jewish Covenant Thinking

Book excerpt: This book offers the first large-scale investigation into the attitude of the historical Jesus towards covenant belief, the dominant theme of the Judaism of Jesus' day. The book, intended as part one of a two-volume investigation, takes its point of departure in a simple question which nevertheless integrally reflects the covenant thinking of the time: Was Jesus engaged in trying to find out how to remain faithful to the covenant? Current scholarship underlines both the importance of the covenant belief for early Judaism and the need for considering Jesus as being within Judaism. Studying how Jesus viewed the covenant leads right to the heart of the matter, both illuminating his relation to Judaism and providing a significant, still unexamined vantage point for his proclamation.