Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus / Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments

The question of Jesus of Nazareth's wisdom as found in Mark 6:2 is discussed by the author as part of the traditional Jewish conceptions of wisdom, situated in the Greek-Roman times of the first century AD, and as part of New Testament studies of the past few decades.Through both his preaching and his actions Jesus of Nazareth opened up new paths to healing and being healed. This is contrary to the traditional restraint of history toward wisdom, and the apocalyptic drama is transformed from the backrooms of earthly events into an instrumental and dynamic force of history. Human actions experience a provocation that challenges us to revise the present according to the power of God's reign. We begin anew, though fragmentary and doomed to fail, but full of hope in the wisdom of God's reign.