Jesus and Magic

"A brilliant rethinking and reframing of evidence that powerfully challenges some long-held assumptions in NT scholarship. Not all scholars will agree with every point but Horsley persuasively shows that the modern use of 'miracle' and 'magic' reflect the postbiblical history of those terms, and this work certainly lays to rest the thesis of 'Jesus the magician.'"

--Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary



"Jesus was no 'miracle-worker' or 'magician' but a healer who encountered scores of the ill and the spirit-possessed, welcomed their trust in his power to heal, and mediating God's healing power, reintegrated them into society. His healings and exorcisms were perceived by his followers as manifestations of the direct rule of God in human community and key means for the renewal of Israel in opposition to the Jerusalem establishment. A must read for Bible translators and interpreters, as well as an eye-opener for students, preachers, and general readers."

--John H. Elliott, University of San Francisco



"Horsley challenges the traditional understanding of Jesus's activity as miracles and/or magic. Instead, he argues convincingly for a relational and contextual approach to analyzing the figures and scenes in the gospel healing and exorcism stories about Jesus. They make sense only in the concrete sociocultural context of Roman Palestine and Israelite tradition. This is Horsley at his critical best."

--John J. Pilch, Johns Hopkins University