THE MESSIAH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE LIGHT OF RABBINICAL WRITINGS
Copyright © Risto Santala
Translated from Finnish by
William Kinnaird

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

To the English reader

INTRODUCTION 

THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Christianity through the eyes of the earliest historians
Mentions of John the Baptist.
Josephus' disputed mention of Jesus
Comparison of the New Testament with the other literature of ancient times
Jesus in the light of Jewish sources
When and how did the gospels come about?
Did Jesus really speak about the destruction of Jerusalem?
What was the status of the Hebrew language   in the second Temple period?
New light on the date of the New Testament
The Jerusalem school's understanding of the gospel origins

JOHN THE BAPTIST, HERALD OF THE MESSIAH'S COMING

THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPELS
Jesus, the beginning of creation, as set forth by John
The birth of Jesus as described by Matthew
Is Jesus the Son of David?
The star which appeared at the time   of Jesus' birth.
The giving of gifts to the Messiah.
The Murder of the Innocents in Bethlehem.
The events surrounding the birth of Jesus, through the eyes of the Virgin Mary.
What do we know of Luke himself?
Luke's testimony to the virgin birth;
Luke, the collector of psalmody;
the historicity of his narrative,
Jesus' early childhood.

JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY AND PREACHING
An overview in map form of Jesus' preaching itineraries
The dating of Jesus' ministry

STUDIES IN THE LIFE OF JESUS
Nicodemus hears of the New Birth
Jesus meets a sinful woman:
the Samaritan woman.
The scandal in the sanctuary.
 Jesus the healer:
the man blind from birth receives his sight,
Jesus and the leper,
Jesus, the vanquisher of death

JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF HIS TEACHING
The sermon on the Mount: Jesus' "manifesto".
The background of the Beatitudes.
The general character of Jesus' teaching.
Jesus, the explainer of the commandments
The teaching regarding love for one's neighbour.
Fasting and prayer.
The Jewish background of the Lord's prayer.
A message of encouragement and exhortation.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
The parables in chronological order
The teaching discourses in chronological order

THE PASSION OF CHRIST
The king arrives in his capital city
The Passover in Jesus' day
The Lord's Holy Communion - a Messianic banquet
A possible reconstruction of Jesus' trial
The arrest in Gethsemane
The various stages of the trial
Jesus before the representatives of the Roman state
Facts relating to Jesus' death
Proofs of the resurrection

JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF HIS ESCHATOLOGICAL PREACHING
The Bible speaks of two End Times
What do the Jewish sources say about the Last Days?
The renewal of Israel which will take place   in the Last Days

WHAT, THEN, SHALL WE SAY TO THIS?

LITERATURE CONSULTED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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