Who did Jesus of Nazareth claim to be? What was his relationship to early Judaism? When and how did he expect the kingdom to come? What were his intentions? Though these key questions have been addres
Who did Jesus of Nazareth claim to be? What was his relationship to early Judaism? When and how did he expect the kingdom to come? What were his intentions? Though these key questions have been addressed in studies of the historical Jesus, Brant Pitre argues that they cannot be fully answered apart from a careful historical analysis of the Last Supper accounts. Yet these accounts, both by the Gospel writers and by Paul, are widely neglected by contemporary Jesus research.
In this book Pitre fills a notable gap in historical Jesus research as he offers a rigorous, up-to-date study of the historical Jesus and the Last Supper. Situating the Last Supper in the triple contexts of ancient Judaism, the life of Jesus, and early Christianity, Pitre brings to light crucial insights into major issues driving the quest for Jesus.
Dale C. Allison Jr.
—Princeton Theological Seminary
"Brant Pitre's contribution is provocative in the best sense of the word. At every turn readers will find new observations worth pondering and new arguments worth weighing."
Craig S. Keener
—Asbury Theological Seminary
"A pivotally important work on the Last Supper and also an important contribution to historical Jesus research. Carefully researched and vigorously yet graciously argued, it offers a brilliant new synthesis of the data."
Matthew Levering—Mundelein Seminary
"Pitre should win the Ratzinger Price for this book alone."
Anthony Le Donne
— United Theological Seminary, Dayton
"Now more than ever the field of historical Jesus studies is in a state of flux. The discipline is razing old foundations with the hope that more sophisticated methods will emerge. With Jesus and the Last Supper Brant Pitre constructs a bridge from the best scholarship of previous generations to the most promising possibilities of the present. This book is nothing less than a blueprint for resurrecting Jesus studies in the twenty-first century."
Michael F. Bird
— Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College
"This long-awaited book is a brilliant study about the sacred meal that Jesus instituted for his followers, including its background, its origins, and its meaning for us. Pitre artfully shows that the bread and wine of the meal commemorate and embody the hopes of Israel's restoration as achieved through their messianic deliverer. You'll never look at the Lord's Supper, Eucharist, or Mass the same way after reading this book. A sumptuous feast of exegesis and theology!"
Spirit & Life
"Pitre finds that studies of the historical Jesus have largely neglected careful historical analysis of the last Supper accounts. This well-written, engaging book represents his efforts to remedy that failure."
Journal for the Study of The New Testament Booklist
"Exceptionally detailed, clearly structured. . . . This book will be foundational for any future studies on these texts."
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Brant Pitre is Professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also the author of Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile; Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper; and Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.
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