Feeding the Five Thousand

Roger David Aus, Ph.D., is pastor emeritus of the Evangelische Luther-Kirchengemeinde Alt-Reinickendorf in Berlin, Germany. He is the author of eleven other books on the New Testament and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Theologie.

• Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 I. Famine, the Omer, and Barley Bread Chapter 4 II. Similarities Between Elisha and aJesus, Especially as Wonder-workers Chapter 5 III. Jesus as a Teacher with Disciples, and Elisha as a Teacher with Disciples Chapter 6 IV. Denarii Chapter 7 V. Baal-shalishah, Shalishah, and John 6 Chapter 8 VI. Jesus' Praying, and Elisha's Praying Chapter 9 VII. Doubling, Garden Beds and Rows, According to Hundreds and Fifties, and Groups Chapter 10 VIII. Eating to Satiety, and Saying Grace After Meals Chapter 11 IX. Baskets Full of Left Over Pieces Chapter 12 X. 5000 Men Chapter 13 XI. Bethsaida as a Possible Site of the Feeding, and the Livia/Julia Cult Chapter 14 XII. Markan Redaction in 6:30-44, and Johannine Redaction in 6:1-15 Chapter 15 XIII. The Markan and the Johannine Contexts Chapter 16 XIV. The Semitic Background of the Feeding of the 5000, and Possible Hellenistic Parallels Chapter 17 XV. Major Motifs in the Narrative Chapter 18 XVI. The Genre Chapter 19 XVII. The Historicity Chapter 20 XVIII. Two Markan Feeding Narratives, and the Feeding of the 5000 as Part of a Miracle Collection Chapter 21 Sources and Reference Works Chapter 22 Author Index Chapter 23 About the Author

A model of exegetical analysis that places Jesus' feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle reported by all four Gospels, primarily within the historical-literary tradition of Rabbinic Judaism. Otherwise ordinary details of the story come to life when seen alongside a rich array of comparative Jewish texts spanning the Hellenistic and Roman periods. This study especially illuminates how interpretive traditions relating to Elisha influenced early Christian understanding of Jesus.