What If the Messiah is Not Murdered as a Sacrifice?

Abstract

The Christian movement has always wrestled with the fact that its messiah was murdered by Rome. In the scene in Mark 10:35-45, this murder is somehow linked to the giving of life as a “ransom,” whatever that means. This has led to all manner of theological mischief (I’m looking at you, Anselm). This article reconsiders the social and narrational setting of the “ransom,” noting deep affinities with stories about the community-restoring stories of a go’el. How might the story of a go’el affect an audience in these violent days?