Fatherless in Galilee - by Andries G Van Aarde (Paperback)

About the Book

"Fatherless in Galilee" explores the stories of the fatherless child Jesus, who called upon God as his heavenly father. Van Aarde offers an explanation of the historical figure of Jesus who claimed and trusted God as his father and destroyed conventional patriarchal values by caring for fatherless children within the sociological framework of family distortion and divine alienation in Herodian Palestine.

Book Synopsis

A compelling new treatment of the historical Jesus introduces the fatherless son theory, postulating that this role marginalized young Jesus and laid the foundation for his later ministry. Original.

Review Quotes

."..challenging...stimulating book that should be recommended to all who are seriously interested in the academic study of Jesus traditions and the implications of this study for the life of the church." Carolyn Osiek, Professor of New Testament, Catholic Theological Union--Sanford Lakoff

"Defending the abandoned and disdained, Jesus found the male identity that was otherwise denied him: the identity of father. This book offers a challenge to the quest of the historical Jesus, but might also be of interest to clergy interested in the roles of father and family in Jesus' time." Sakari Hakkinen, for Religious Studies Review, July 2002--Sanford Lakoff

"This book offers a challenge to the quest of the historical Jesus, but might also be of interest to clergy interested in the roles of father and family in Jesus' time. Sakari Hakkinen, Religious Studies Review, July 2002.--Sanford Lakoff

Andries van Aarde has taken a novel approach to the to the study of the historical Jesus. Whereas most attempts to explain the historical Jesus commence with Jesus encounter with John the Baptist at Jordan, van Aarde argues that it is possible, even helpful, to move beyond Jesus baptism to his adolescence and early years to elucidate the historical figure. This book has many strengths. Foremost, it is an interesting read that offers and alternative approach to understanding the historical Jesus. Van Aarde displays his erudition in the field with his clearly sketched contours of the current quest for the historical Jesus and where his work is situated in that quest. He draws out many interesting features about the father figure Joseph and ties them together through an innovative series of links. Van Aarde marshals the evidence and the source material in such a way that he paints a coherent and plausible picture of the historical Jesus. One has to applaud van Aarde for undertaking this novel enterprise of trying to find a fresh angle on the well plowed field of historical Jesus research. Lincoln H. Blumell, University of Calgary, Review of Biblical Literature, March 2004

In ancient Israel, being unable to specify one's father put one in a caste apart. The implications of that are here woven into the theoretical discussion of the historical Jesus, which has for the most part ignored this vital aspect of his persona. Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion and Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology, Bard College--Bruce Chilton

"His [van Aarde's] brief but elegant conclusion draws one to connect this Jesus, the champion of the fatherless, abandoned, and down-trodden, as an inspiration to the 'millions of children growing up fatherless.'" He has, after a fashion, almost produced a devotional or preaching piece as his book comes to an end." -Larry Swinford, Review of Biblical Literature

Van Aarde conveys the reader through a well-defined process of discovery. Fatherless in Galilee was an interesting theological exercise that need to be applauded. Larry Swinford, Global University, Review of Biblical Literature, March 2004

About the Author

Andries G. van Aarde is Professor of New Testament at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.