Joel L. Watts 
Jesus as Divine Suicide [EPUB ebook] 
The Death of the Messiah in Galatians

Jesus as Divine Suicide makes the argument the death of Jesus follows established and well-known models of self-sacrificing individuals, a model readily available to Roman and Jewish audiences. Paul, in his letter to the church in Galatia, uses this model to present a premeditated, self-chosen death meant to bring about a change in the cosmos. Watts, understanding the emotional attachment to the word, is careful to construct his argument based on a plethora of examples within Paul’s reach, if not the reach of Jesus. The concept of devotio is explored using recent scholarship and examples are drawn from Jewish and Roman sources with the intention to show that not only did Paul use it, but that it may help to solve some of the questions scholars have raised as to who gave Paul his language of the death of Jesus. Watts goes on to argue the gruesome act of a self-caused death would have not only been allowed even by Jewish sources, but also would have had theological speculation supplied by the history of the devotion so that with minimal description, Paul is able to use the act as a way to make his argument for his gospel in Galatians.

Sobre o autor

Joel L. Watts is a doctoral student at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism and the Gospel of Mark and a contributing co-editor of From Fear to Faith. He is an active member of Christ Church United Methodist (Charleston, WV) and blogs daily at www.Unsettled Christianity.com.