Jesus the Victim Author(s): Helmut Koester Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 111, No. 1 (Spring, 1992), pp. 3-15 Published by: The Society of Biblical Literature Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3267506 . Accessed: 06/04/2012 10:49 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. The Society of Biblical Literature is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Biblical Literature. http://www.jstor.org JBL 111/1(1992) 3-15 JESUS THE VICTIM* HELMUT KOESTER Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 I. The Original Quest of the Historical Jesus In the second half of the nineteenth century, Albrecht Ritschl, the influential theologian who taught for many decades at the University of GCttingen, defined the kingdom of God as the achievement of the universal moral community. This, he proposed, is the goal of the divine action in the world and the purpose of the ministry of Jesus. As God's action is motivated by his love, Jesus incorporates this love in his teaching as well as in his suffer- ing and death. Jesus indeed is God, but only insofar as he represents fully God's moral purpose for humankind.