The New Testament is immersed in the often hostile world of the Roman Empire, but its relationship to that world is complex.What is meant by Jesus' call to "render unto Caesar" his due, when Luke subversively heralds the arrival of a Savior and Lord who is not Caesar, but Christ? Is there tension between Peter's command to "honor the emperor" and John's apocalyptic denouncement of Rome as "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots"?Under the direction of editors Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica, respected biblical scholars have come together to investigate an increasingly popular approach in New Testament scholarship of interpreting the text through the lens of empire. The contributors praise recent insights into the New Testament's exposé of Roman statecraft, ideology and emperor worship. But they conclude that rhetoric of anti-imperialism is often given too much sway. More than simply hearing the biblical authors in their context, it tends to govern what they must be saying about their context. The result of this collaboration, Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not, is a groundbreaking yet accessible critical evaluation of empire criticism.Contributors include:



- David Nystrom on Roman ideology

- Judith A. Diehl on the state of empire scholarship

- Joel Willitts on Matthew

- Dean Pinter on Luke

- Christopher W. Skinner on John's Gospel and Letters

- Drew Strait on Acts

- Michael F. Bird on Romans

- Lynn Cohick on Philippians

- Allan R. Bevere on Colossians and Philemon

- Dwight Sheets on Revelation



Joseph B. Modica (Ph.D., Drew University) is university chaplain and associate professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. He is coeditor, also with Scot McKnight, of Who Do My Opponents Say That I Am?An Investigation of the Accusations Against the Historical Jesus.







Andy Crouch (MDiv, Boston University School of Theology) is partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship. His books include The Tech-Wise Family, Playing God, and Strong and Weak.







Scot McKnight (PhD, University of Nottingham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. He is the author of many books, including Reading Romans Backwards, Pastor Paul, The King Jesus Gospel, and commentarieson James, Galatians, and Colossians. He is also a general editor of the IVP Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, second edition.



Foreword by Andy Crouch

Introduction

Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica

1. We Have No King But Caesar: Roman Imperial Ideology and the Imperial Cult

David Nystrom

2. Anti-Imperial Rhetoric in the New Testament

JudithA. Diehl

3. Matthew

Joel Willitts

4. The Gospel of Luke and the Roman Empire

Dean Pinter

5. John's Gospel and the Roman Imperial Context: An Evaluation of Recent Proposals

Christopher W. Skinner

6. Proclaiming Another King Named Jesus? The Acts of the Apostles and the Roman Imperial Cult(s)

Drew J. Strait

7. "One Who Will Arise to Rule Over the Nations": Paul's Letter to the Romans and the Roman Empire

Michael F. Bird

8. Philippians and Empire: Paul?s Engagement with Imperialism and the Imperial Cult

Lynn H. Cohick

9. Colossians and the Rhetoric of Empire: A New Battle Zone

Allan R. Bevere

10. Something Old, Something New: Revelation and Empire

Dwight Sheets

Conclusion

Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica

Contributors

Subject and Author Index

Scripture Index