(13 votes, average: 4.62 out of 5)
Loading...For over a year now I’ve been thinking and saying my next book would be on the formation of the New Testament canon — how we got these 27 books and not others. I definitely am going to write that book, but something else has come up that is going to occupy my time, brain, and research first.
My publisher, now that Love They Stranger is out, has asked me to consider writing a book about Jesus and capitalism (and socialism and marxism etc.). At first I was hesitant. I’m obviously not an economist. And there are plenty of books like that (look them up online). BUT, not so much by New Testament scholars approaching the issue the way I would.
So I’m gonna do it.
Books like this take shape over time. I never know exactly where my research will take me or what I will turn up that is hugely interesting but that I never thought about much before. (Did you ever see that old Daffy Duck cartoon
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I’m really glad you’re going to write this book. This subject matters to me a lot.
To be honest, capitalism hurts me. Not trade or business as such, but the pressure toward profit, competition, scale, and treating people mainly in economic terms. It hurts even more when I look at the gap between rich and poor. Some people live in enormous wealth while others cannot survive. I often wonder what Jesus would have said about the world we have built.
Since you invited suggestions, I’ll mention one from my own Dutch background. You mention Weber, and that makes sense. But Abraham Kuyper might also be worth looking at: theologian, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1837–1920). His concept of sphere sovereignty (souvereiniteit in eigen kring) is interesting here because it does not simply fit capitalism or socialism. The market does not govern everything. The state does not govern everything either. Family, church, economy, and state each have their own place and limits.
I’d also be curious how the early church handled this after the expected end did not come as soon as hoped. James and the Didache may be useful there.
I’ll be following this closely.
Tjalling
Thanks for the reference!
This sounds like an enormous challenge, but also a very important one. It certainly seems true that Jesus frequently used money and wealth in his parables and teachings, and if those traditions are connected in some meaningful way to the historical Jesus, then he clearly had strong views regarding wealth and poverty.
At the same time, I wonder if the issue becomes distorted when Jesus is “weaponized” for modern ideological debates. Reading the Gospels more calmly and historically, it seems to me that Jesus’ teachings on wealth were deeply connected to his apocalyptic worldview — namely, the expectation that the present order would soon be overturned by God and replaced by an ideal kingdom in which poverty, inequality, and hierarchy would disappear. If so, perhaps he was less interested in reforming economic systems themselves than in calling people to ethical and spiritual transformation in preparation for what he believed was soon to come, including generosity toward the poor, detachment from wealth, and a radical reorientation of one’s life and values.
In any case, I am very much looking forward to reading the book. Please hurry!
On the private wealth aspect of capitalism: After retiring from a career in wealth management, I hosted a financial wellness class at a church I attended. The pastor asked that I incorporate biblical principles. Well, since I had only just started attending church again after a 50 year absence, I had no idea what those biblical principles might be. I explored the writings of a couple of Christian financial authors to get a flavor for the approach they took, and how I could square that with my professional understanding. The bridge for me was stewardship…..everything I have is a gift from God (the Christian viewpoint) and it is my responsibility to use that wisely (everyone).
Ah, 50-years to catch up. Sounds like you pulled it off! disabledupes{954bab29e3326903f4730e826a2ffdc4}disabledupes
Wonderful! do it.
Did Jesus think there was some form of capitalism in heaven? Obviously, you would want God as a customer…
And he doesn’t need to bargain for a good deal.
Excellent. We need this book. Also, “Weaponizing Jesus” is a very eye-catching title.
Sounds like a great and much needed book.
“it is indeed possible, to some extent, for Jesus’ views of wealth and poverty to play a role in a modern context. Among other things, in a democratic state it is possible (so far, at least, up to this week) to elect officials who share these concerns, as opposed to those who despise them and instead seek raw power and immense wealth with little concern about whomever they exploit, manipulate, oppress, and destroy. It is also possible to expose the self-professed Christians among the power-hungry as urging policies (and living lives) precisely contrary to the teachings of the one they claim to serve.”
Reminds me of something Dom Crossan says/writes (often) regarding the “Rule” (his preferred translation for basileia) of God: What would the Federal budget look like if God were literally on the throne, i.e., God’s will being done on earth?
Have you heard of the Gospel of Supply Side Jesus?
Seriously? Nope…
It is a comic by Al Franken!
Hello Bart, this is my very first time posting here. I just joined your blog after devouring much of your YouTube content, and finishing your book “Heaven and Hell, A History of the Afterlife”. I already have four of your books lined up in my bookcase at the moment.
My religious upbringing was complex to say the least, and has greatly limited my search for information. It is time to change that though. I must thank you for the help and knowledge you are providing through your videos and writings.
Regarding the book, I love its theme!
Although I’d also love to read the previously announced one.
Thanks! And welcome to the blog.
Both books would be interesting, for sure. But I wish you would stick with the original plan! I was more excited for that one. Well, follow your heart, I guess.
Dr. Ehrman, if I’ve learned anything from your books and other research it’s that you can’t rely on the accuracy of what’s attributed to Jesus in the New Testament. Given that, I think it would be more appropriate to write a book entitled The New Testament and capitalism. How can you say what Jesus’s attitude was toward this or that when we don’t even know who wrote the words attributed to Jesus?
Right! You have to do the work of the historian to figure out what we CAN know about the teachings of Jesus. The task of scholarship is not only to figure out the difficulties presented by our sources to establish the past but then to do the hard work of determining what is most likely or not (e.g., what Jesus probably did say and do).
Ouch! I am so sorry, I voted this blog 4 stars by mistake and can’t seem to be able to edit my rating. It’s 5 stars from newbie me!
No problem, you’ll still get a star in your crown.
I’m thinking that Christians apply scriptures to their modern context because they believe Jesus is alive and the Word is applicable to their daily lives, so what does Jesus want them to believe about the economy?
What is your book setting out to prove exactly? Jesus’ views about the economy were directly tied to his apocalyptic expectation? Modern economic systems have little in common with Jesus’s teachings?
I don’t know yet!
Looks like it is going to be a(nother) fascinating book, Dr Ehrman. I guess, from my reading of the Gospels, it is easier to see Jesus as a hippy, drop-out socialist than a capitalist but I take your points about context, selective reading etc. J D Crossan’s suggestion that Jesus could have been a Jewish Cynic philosopher has some traction. By the way, Kim Bowes new book ‘Surviving Rome’, on grass roots economics in the Roman Empire, could be worth checking out. I haven’t read it, but it gets good reviews.
And here I was, waiting for the planned book on the formation of the canon. I guess I’ll get over it.
Oh, I’m definitely going to be doing it. Just not right now.
To me it would be most helpful to try to understand what Jesus was expecting the coming kingdom to be like. Egalitarian? Would money even be a thing? Would the accumulation of wealth (in whatever form) be encouraged or frowned upon? Would a ruling class exist? (I mean, if God’s in control of the kingdom, would there be layers of government and bureaucracy?) Etc…
I would love to have an idea of how he thought the new kingdom would operate on such topics first. To me that would be priority one. Next would come how later thinkers try to extrapolate Jesus into socialism/capitalism/anyotherisms.
I’m sure he thought money would be completely unnecessary in the kingdom any more than it was in the Garden of Eden.
My vote would still be in favor of the New Testament book first, but this does sound worthy and fascinating, so I’ll ultimately be fine with whatever you decide!
Caricature of remembered college arguments in my youth:
Jesus cared for the poor!
Response: But Jesus said “The poor you will always have with you!” Checkmate socialist!
Good one!
“And we can at least expose … they stand diametrically opposed to all he stood for.”
Don’t hold back! I look forward to this book…a “must read”. I wish you well, and hope it hits a NYT top tier.
What troubles me about these discussions is that (you touched on this above) Jesus was much more concerned about the SPIRITUAL destination of each individual’s soul than of any specific economic system. He was teaching INDIVIDUALS to give up materialism to “inherit the kingdom of heaven”…a non-material realm. Mapping his philosophy to economics, even socialism, debases it somewhat. That said, understanding hippie-Jesus’s anti-materialist IMPACT on any economic system is worthwhile, and I look forward to your analysis, and refutation of “weaponization” 🙂
Note, I outright reject the conventional interpretation that apocalyptic-Jesus didn’t know that the “final kingdom” was far-off chronologically; he just didn’t reveal “the gap”, teaching present-people in their present-day the spiritual impact of their life choices upon their imminent death/judgement, regardless of the year. Subjective apocalypticism and objective apocalypticism are thus different reference-frames. Not to mis-attribute, but at least for me any argument of “He didn’t care because he expected the entire world to end next week” won’t work.
I understand this is a hot topic in today’s political environment and why a publisher would be pushing for a critical historical perspective. I’m disappointed that the NT canon book will be delayed but since you are retired with nothing to do (haha!), perhaps you can double up and get it to us asap.
I love your work. Thanks.
Yup, I’m otherwise just sittin’ around, drinking beer and watching soaps….
Ahh, Professor the question I have long contemplated: since “ the massive suffering ——— — was soon to end with a supernatural intervention of God who was to destroy all the supernatural forces wreaking havoc and causing suffering along with the governments and people aligned with them ——— Those who sided with God would be delivered from the coming onslaught and brought into God’s utopian kingdom, where there would be no more poverty, hunger, homelessness, or want.” Do you think that utopia was to be supernaturally “utopian” or (once the Son of Man turned it over to Jesus) a natural state based on godly behavior?
Supernaturally created. We ain’t gonna get there by improving….
I look forward to reading this book. It sounds interesting.
You mention Jesus’s teaching, but will you also look at how the church in modern times has tackled these issues?
When I went to Spain, I was surprised to learn how much the Catholic Church was hated by socialists in Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, the socialist side (called the Republicans, which I know is confusing for Americans) banned the Catholic Church. I’m British. Although we have a state church that is intertwined with the Crown, the Church of England has never been top of the list of socialists to protest against. I get the impression that most of Northern Europe is like Britain in that regards.
Yup, I’ll be talking especially about the Prosperity Gospel, but also about how, in one important line of thought, capitalism appears to have arisen out of Protestant, in particular Calvinist, circles…
I, like you (though for different reasons) try to avoid proselytizing my political/economic views. For me, it’s because I think both modern “left” and “right” ideologies in the American context share assumptions that are, in different ways, at odds with Christianity.
If a Democratic politician advocates for government healthcare, or a Republican advocates for school vouchers, and I find either persuasive, I may vote for one of them. But I recognize that, in doing so, Im attempting to push forward *my* position- “my will be done.”
That doesn’t mean voting is meaningless. Some systems/policies produce outcomes I prefer over others, so I vote. But I see all political/economic systems as provisional and secondary. What I ultimately look toward is the coming Kingdom, which is primary and eternal. And the posture required for that kingdom is the opposite of “my will be done.” It’s “not my will, but Yours.”
Because of that, I don’t think Christ’s political or economic vision neatly aligns with any modern system. The Kingdom of God is, in one sense, a monarchy rather than a constitutional republic: Christ is King. But it’s a form of kingship infinitely better than any earthly system we could create.
A couple of other ideas to consider for future books possibly–Salvation! How does one get saved exactly? I don’t think it’s clear at all. When I was in the UPC, no one was saved unless they believed in the Oneness doctrine and was baptized in Jesus’ name. Some churches say it’s entirely based on faith. Others say you have to make a public confession. How does the OT’s view of salvation compare to the NT?
Sexuality–I think you were considering this one before several years ago. I distinctly remember vehemently disagreeing with you (what’s new there? ha!) about homosexuality and marriage regarding sex. I think it’s worth reconsidering as a book. Wonder if you could tie views about abortion in with this somehow. I believe clothing had to be distinct between men and women too? Rules about hair and such. I think it’s all tied into sexual distinctions.
On another note, the Garden of Eden had no animal slaughter. Did Jesus believe that the new kingdom would include killing and eating animals?
Great idea! Excited to read.
A “talent” was 60 pounds. A talent of Gold or Silver was more money than a wage earner makes in a lifetime. The Parable of the Talents is about investing money and speculation. It is about capitalism. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the Crippled Beggar is a message of the improper use of financial assets. Also, Jesus condemned the capitalistic practice of foreclosure and eviction of tenants who were unable to pay. Also, the Good Samaritan had ample financial assets (more than the average wage earner). It is easy to edit the narrative. It is more difficult to present a balanced narrative. Best regards.
Well, I just now joined after listening to your podcast for a while and then watching your retirement speech, which I really enjoyed. I immediately thought “If all these are different books, then why the hell did they put them together between 2 covers?” And asked Professor Google. So I would love to read your original book proposal. But this one sounds good as well and we need it. I was lucky that I went to a college where we had to take biblical studies classes to graduate, and because I was raised Catholic, it was all eye opening to me. I’m in a non-fiction Bookgroup with people who know nothing about religion except that it’s bad. I want to get in a good discussion with them so I think your book on Jesus and Capitalism would be great as you are proposing it.
Middle Class!
I lived in China mostly 1995-2021. And USA news would show rich folks living extravagantly. Talking how there was not so much a middle class last century.
Then I pull out maybe Pew definition 0.75-2x median income is middle class. What the news is showing is the top 5% of Chinese. And otherwise we see on TV is the Global Consumer Class, that is over US$40k/year income.