Review and Reflection on “God and Empire” by John Dominic Crossan
John Dominic Crossan is a person within Christianity that elicits a strong reaction from some folks because of his arguments about Jesus. I generally try not to read book that are only going to confirm what I already believe, but rather, I like to read books that cause me to question my beliefs, explore them, argue with the author, do reflection, and come away with a fresh perspective. I appreciate an author that has caused me to do this type of inner work. Crossan has certainly done that.
So, let’s dive into his work. So much of this book can be characterized as an exploration of the theology of empire versus the theology of the kingdom of God. Crossan describes the social power inherent in empires such as Rome as coming from four types of powers — military power, economic power, political power, and ideological power. (Pg. 12–13). This is not unique to Rome of course. But in exploring the contrast of empire versus kingdom of God, Crossan makes two key statements:
- “Rome spoke of itself in transcendental terms as an empire divinely mandated to rule without limits of time or place.” And
- “Second, when Jesus of Nazareth, Paul of Tarsus, and John of Patmos came against the Roman Empire, they did so not with military, economic, or political power but exclusively with ideological power.” (Pg. 15)
Given Crossan’s restrictions to four types of powers, I’ll grant him the second statement, although I’m not convinced that ideology and…
