Salvation for the righteous: Jesus amid expectations of salvation in Second Temple Judaism

This dissertation seeks to explain why there is such an ethical emphasis in Jesus' gospel proclamation in the Synoptic Gospels. The premise underlying the investigation is that a diachronic hermeneutic should be employed, allowing for a progression of revelation. Due to his audience, Jesus was limited in the revelation of his message of salvation, and thus emphasized a behavioral righteousness while expanding the concept of 'righteousness' to include the necessity of a righteous nature (while Paul emphasized a forensic righteousness in his unlimited reflection after the cross and resurrection).;The approach followed in the dissertation was to view Jesus thoroughly within the expectations of salvation of the diverse sectarian Judaism of his day, meeting his audience within their own conceptional realms (and then expanding those realms to point to the nature of his salvation, to be fully understood only after his resurrection). Seeing Jesus in this historical-cultural milieu provides the reason for the ethical emphasis of his proclamation. At the center of such expectations of salvation in Second Temple Judaism were the concepts of the necessity of covenantal obedience, sectarian revelation, and the hope of an eschatological salvation. The apocalyptic lesson was that the covenant must be kept in order to avoid the wrath of God. Sectarian revelation (or exegetical method) enabled the various groups to keep the Law properly by correct halakhah. Covenantal obedience as a necessary requirement for salvation was thus held in logical tension with the grace of God. Since the Qumran Scrolls demand a strict Torah obedience and also emphasize God's mercy, sectarian revelation, and an eschatological hope, the scope of this study is limited primarily to the Scrolls.;Besides a demand for righteousness, the expectations of salvation in Second Temple Judaism often include a diverse messianism. Since Jesus comes as the Messiah he must define his messiahship, and thus his message of salvation, in relation to such messianologies. The function of a Messiah teaching the way of righteousness particularly affords Jesus the opportunity to enlarge upon their expectation of a greater covenantal obedience to point to the need for a greater righteousness of the heart. Therefore, Jesus affirms the concept that salvation is indeed for the "righteous," but only as he points to the necessity of a righteous nature through himself as the unique Messiah.