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The book is a collection of essays exploring questions of freedom, justice, representation and identity as these arise in various historical moments both inside and outside of normative christological discourse about Jesus. The basic thesis is that messianic talk about Jesus in 1st century Palestinian through the imperial cult after Constantine. Messianism Against Christology: Resistance Movements, Folk Arts and Empire is a work committed to re-thinking the Christian tradition from the point of view of messianic movements of eco-sustainability and social justice rather than magnified individuals. Framed by considerations of political struggle and insurgent folk art in contemporary Detroit and ancient Ethiopia, the work concentrates its attention on the biblical tradition, teasing out memories of pastoral nomad resistance not entirely erased by the repressions of agricultural empires, that are revitalized in the prophetic movements of Elijah, the Baptist and Jesus. It also underscores the relevance of these "little tradition" practices for eco-politics and indigenous solidarity efforts today.

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Introduction: Soteriological Humility in the Encounter of Religions PART I: BIBLICAL ´CHRISTOLOGIES´ 1. Proto-Messianisms: Abel, Abraham, Moses, and Elijah 2. Underneath the Text: Samaritan Jesus and Syro-Phoenician Logos PART II: COUNTER-ROMAN-IMPERIAL MESSIANISMS 3. Ethiopian Amulet Deflecting the Eye of Evil 4. Celtic Peregrinatio in the Margins of Classical Illuminatio 5. Medieval Martyr´s Bones Echoing Provencal Phonolyte Stones PART III: COUNTER-EURO-COLONIAL MESSIANISMS 6. Slave Jesus Troping Master Jesus in Postcolonial America 7. Ogu´s Iron ´Revolutionizing´ Jesus´ Irony in Haiti 8. Filipino Pasyon Defying Euro Reason 9. South American Trance Jesus Flowering From Catholic and Evangelical Christs 10. African Arborial Spirits Appropriating Colonial Mission Christs Conclusion: Imperial Exorcisms

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James Perkinson, Professor of Ethics and Systematic Theology, Ecumenical Theological Seminary, USA.

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