The Death of Jesus and the Politics of Place in the Gospel of John - Hardcover

by Peter Claver Ajer (Author), Jean-Francois Racine (Foreword by)

This book's findings are rich and intriguing: In his death, Jesus--the chief architect in the production of space in the Christian realm--founds an alternative community that reorders space and creates a new reality for believers. This new community, which dwells in this radical new space, successfully resists the domination of oppressive regimes and mindsets, such as the Roman Empire. Suffering is transformed here. Many recent biblical studies have utilized various methodologies and historical-critical viewpoints, which have been helpful. However, drawing on theories of space and postcolonial approaches, Dr. Ajer breaks new ground in Johannine studies, a new terrain that will yield much fruit. The new understandings of "space" provide a key with which we may unlock more of the mysteries of the Fourth Gospel, as Ajer here demonstrates with powerful new discoveries and insights into John's Passion narrative.

Author Biography

Peter Claver Ajer holds a PhD in biblical studies (New Testament) with a complementary concentration in the allied field of political science (peace and conflict studies). He is currently adjunct faculty in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at University of San Francisco. He has been a visiting lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at University of the Pacific, and guest speaker in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at University of California, Berkeley.