Jesus the Priest

Following his critically acclaimed book Jesus the Temple, Nicholas Perrin offers a fresh paradigm for understanding the historical Jesus in Jesus the Priest. Perrin challenges the "standard reading" of classic texts (including the parable of the sower, the Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer) to argue that the historical Jesus primarily identified himself not as sage or prophet but as Israel's eschatological high priest. Perrin's insightful theological contribution synthesizes the best in traditional/conservative and liberal reconstructions of Jesus' life and teaching. He identifies Jesus' priesthood as a mediating understanding that sheds crucial light on the kingdom of God.

"Creative exegesis yielding constructive theology: another important contribution from Nicholas Perrin. Most modern Christians never think of Jesus as a 'priest.' Perrin, explaining why that is a serious omission, sheds a flood of fresh light on the Gospels and on Jesus himself."
--N. T. Wright, University of St. Andrews; author of Jesus and the Victory of God

"Jesus the Priest fills a major gap in the contemporary quest for Jesus. It is widely known that the word messiah could be used for both kings and priests. And yet no full-length study has ever been written on the historical Jesus and the Jewish priesthood. Perrin's book fundamentally changes this situation. Over and over again, he throws fresh light on the priestly dimension of otherwise familiar words and deeds of Jesus. The result is a thought-provoking case that Jesus did in fact speak and act as if he were the eschatological Jewish high priest. Essential reading for anyone interested in Jesus and Judaism."
--Brant Pitre, Augustine Institute; author of Jesus and the Last Supper