Killing Enmity: Violence and the New Testament - Paperback

by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld (Author)

Is the New Testament inherently violent? In this book a well-regarded New Testament scholar offers a balanced critical assessment of charges and claims that the Christian scriptures encode, instigate, or justify violence. Thomas Yoder Neufeld provides a useful introduction to the language of violence in current theological discourse and surveys a wide range of key ethical New Testament texts through the lens of violence/nonviolence. He makes the case that, contrary to much scholarly opinion, the New Testament is not in itself inherently violent or supportive of violence; instead, it rejects and overcomes violence. Published in the UK by SPCK as Jesus and the Subversion of Violence: Wrestling with the New Testament Evidence.]

Back Jacket

Thomas Yoder Neufeld considers many of the New Testament's texts that might implicitly or explicitly condone violence of one kind or another. Though he concludes that these texts actually subvert violence, he does so without avoiding the very difficult questions they raise. Readers will be both disturbed and challenged by this timely book.
--Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary & University

"Thomas Yoder Neufeld explores violence-related questions throughout the New Testament, including love of enemies, forgiveness, Jesus' prophetic act in the temple, the atonement, subordination, and divine warfare. His book stands out from other recent treatments of the topic because it deals honestly and clearly with the wide range of issues raised in the current debate while still holding to the texts as Scripture; it refuses to downplay the themes of judgment and vindication of the divine purposes; and it recognizes that the cultural, political, and confessional location of the interpreter plays a crucial role in how the texts are evaluated. Readers will find it an insightful and indispensable guide."
--Andrew T. Lincoln, University of Gloucestershire, England

"That certain rhetorical and theological features of the New Testament accounts can be read as endorsing or fomenting violence is undeniable; that this is how they ought to be read is quite another matter. In this crystal-clear and profoundly responsible analysis, Tom Yoder Neufeld shows how the New Testament writers speak realistically of and to the violence that pervades human experience while simultaneously declaring God's definitive conquest of violence through the death and resurrection of Christ. In setting forth this paradoxical and subversive truth, Yoder Neufeld exemplifies what it means to be a wise reader of Scripture today."
--Christopher Marshall, Victoria University of Wellington

Published in the United Kingdom by SPCK as Jesus and the Subversion of Violence: Wrestling with the New Testament Evidence

Author Biography

Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld (ThD, Harvard Divinity School) is professor of religious studies (New Testament) at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including "Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament" and a commentary on Ephesians.