Statement Information about Jesus in the first century Palestine
Jesus was a Jew.
Jesus was commonly referred to as Rabbouni/Rabbi in Palestine.
Jesus was regarded as a prophet.
Jesus was perceived as the Messiah by the populace
Important statement
The unique titles attributed to Jesus in first century Palestine influenced how the populace perceived him in the backdrop of the Roman occupation and oppression of the entire Palestine region.
Appraisal of statement
Although an obvious historical fact, yet based on the tragedies of the later history following the departure of Jesus, not at all an obvious fact. The significance of the Jewish background of Jesus in early Palestine is essential in understanding the words of Jesus within a Jewish cultural setting and the context of Judaism. Jesus was also went by the title Rabbi in Aramaic, the predominant language spoken at the time in the region. He was however regarded at a different level compared to the rabbi at the time based on his presentation of his teachings. However, confrontations between Jesus as Rabbouni and the representatives of the traditions of the rabbi’s at the time is clearly documented in scripture as Pelikan (13-15) documents, with his teachings being a stark contrast to that of the other teachers. As a teacher, he spoke to the people in parables. As Pelikan (19) documents, Jesus as a teacher is confronted severally with a series of questions as documented in the scriptures. He is asked concerning the woman who had several husbands (Matt. 22:23 NIV), questioned about payment of taxes (Matt. 22: 15 NIV) among other questions. The undulation between ascribing new titles to Jesus as Rabbi and ascribing new roles of authority to him made it necessary for new titles to arise. As a prophet, He could foretell. The populace at the time also reckoned him as a prophet (Matt. 21: 11 NIV). Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem for instance. Finally, He was perceived as the Messiah or Christ. As such, he was elevated to divinity since the Messiah or Mahdi was perceived to have come from God.
Works cited
Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus through the centuries: His place in the history of culture. Yale University Press, 1999.
Zondervan, N. I. V. "Study Bible." Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan (2002): 146-147.
