Messianism is one of the great themes in intellectual history. But for precisely this reason, because it has done so much important ideological work for the people who have written about it, the historical roots of the discourse itself have been obscured from view. What did it mean to talk about "messiahs" in the ancient world, before the idea of messianism became a philosophical juggernaut, dictating the terms for all subsequent discussion of the topic? In this book, Matthew V. Novenson gives a revisionist account of messianism in antiquity. He shows that, for the ancient Jews and Christians who used the term, a messiah was not an article of faith but a manner of speaking. It was a scriptural figure of speech, one among numerous others, useful for thinking kinds of political order: present or future, real or ideal, monarchic or theocratic, dynastic or charismatic, and other variations beside. The early Christians famously seized upon the title "messiah" (in Greek, "Christ") for their founding hero and thus molded the sense of the term in certain ways, but, Novenson shows, this is nothing other than what all ancient messiah texts do, each in its own way. If we hope to understand the ancient texts about messiahs (from Deutero-Isaiah to the Parables of Enoch, from the Qumran Community Rule to the Gospel of John, from the Pseudo-Clementines to Sefer Zerubbabel), then we must learn to think in terms not of a world-historical idea but of a language game, of so many creative reuses of an archaic Israelite idiom. In The Grammar of Messianism, Novenson demonstrates the possibility and the benefit of thinking of messianism in this way.

About the Author
Matthew V. Novenson is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh. He has also been a visiting professor at Dartmouth College and Duke University and a visiting research fellow at Durham University. He is the author of Christ among the Messiahs (Oxford University Press, 2012).

Reviews
Novenson surveys and successfully disrupts the discourse about messianism, and his fresh approach suggests new directions for scholarly inquiry on the messianic idea by utilizing methods and techniques from literary studies ... Upper-level and graduate students as well as senior scholars in literature, religious studies, and theology will find great reward in this inquiry. * Patrick Horn, Reading Religion *
His detailed attention to and breath of familiarity with primary messianic texts, from Second Isaiah to Sefer Zerubbabel, is impressive. Novenson's ability to penetrate and to deconstruct scholarly constructs is insightful and perceptive. ... Novenson's work is a must read for anyone focusing on ancient messianism and I anticipate that his approach to ancient messianic texts will lead to further refinement in the study of ancient messianism. * D. Clint Burnett, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
From a new angle, and with a fascinating range of biblical, rabbinic, and patristic instances ... Whatever conclusions are reached by students of messianism, they will not be sorry to have read this stimulating and informative book. * William Horbury, Catholic Biblical Quarterly *
combine[s] a close engagement with an impressive array of scholarship and its history, exegetical rigour, and attention to a wide range of primary sources, with a clarity of argument and style. * Judith M. Lieu, Theology *
The ambition of the projects scope is remarkable ... [The Grammar of Messianism] is a valuable contribution, and a compelling invitation to fresh exegesis. * J.P. Davis, Journal for the Study of The New Testament *
Matthew Novenson's study of ancient messianism is revisionary as well as elegantly simple...[and] has enormous implications for understanding the Jewish origins of Christianity and a variety of New Testament texts. * Joshua Jipp, Christian Century *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190255022
Author Matthew V. Novenson
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 640g
Dimensions(mm) 157mm * 236mm * 36mm