This is an in-depth assessment of whether and how we can psycho-analyse Jesus, based on the Gospel evidence, and what this can tell us about the historical Jesus. Can we psycho-analyze Jesus? What benefits might such analysis have for Historical Jesus Research? Bas van Os examines the key problems which surround writing a 'phsycho-biography' of Jesus - lack of data from his childhood, or information on his sexual identity - and goes on to apply psycho-analytical theory to the evidence we do have. Os considers Jesus' context as a religious Jew in 1st century Palestine coping with rejection, loss and insecurity and draws insights into the ways that religious people can cope with trauma by adopting 'scripted' roles from their religious heritage. Os uses these insights to generate hypotheses about the development of Jesus' self-awareness and the choices he made in the last years of his life. Formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement, this is a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS, examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE.
