The Role of the Disciples in the Prophetic Mission of Jesus
Author
Editor
- Samuel Byrskog
- Tobias Hägerland
Summary, in English
This article discusses what it meant for Jesus’ disciples to be disciples of a prophet and, consequently, what the presence of such prophet-disciples can tell us about his mission. This is done by situating the Gospel material about Jesus’ disciples in the context of early Jewish conceptions of prophetic discipleship, ultimately based on the Old Testament narratives about ancient Israelite prophets and on the prophetic books themselves. Among the ‘prophets of old’, the portrayals of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and their disciples will be considered. Despite the differences between various portrayals in the Old Testament and in early Jewish interpretations of it, there are some traits that are common to several of the prophet-disciples and that we may also detect in the disciples of the historical Jesus. Jesus’ disciples took on a threefold role in their capacity as prophet-disciples: first of all, they were tradition-bearers and as such probably expected to replace their master; secondly, they were representatives and co-workers who shared in tasks such as preaching, healing and baptising; thirdly and finally, they were informants from whom Jesus learned about his own reputation and prospects as a prophet.
Department/s
Publishing year
2015
Language
English
Pages
177-201
Publication/Series
The Mission of Jesus : Second Nordic Symposium on the Historical Jesus, Lund, 7-10 October 2012
Document type
Book chapter
Publisher
Mohr Siebeck
Topic
- Religious Studies
Keywords
- disciples
- historical Jesus
- memory
- New Testament
- prophet
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 978-3-16-153335-8