Jesus and the Hope of the Poor

The authors emphasize that understanding Jesus requires recognizing his deep connections with his disciples and the impoverished Jewish community of his era. They argue that Jesus, as a Jewish figure, not only preached the reign of God uniquely but also served as a beacon of hope for the marginalized. By situating him within this context, Schottroff and Stegemann challenge the tendency to isolate Jesus from his cultural and social roots, offering a fresh perspective on his significance in the earliest Jesus movement.