"As the gospels present it to us, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth is about the way in which the community of God's people - historically, the Jewish people who had first received the law and the covenant - is being re-created in relation to Jesus himself"
About this Quote
The theological subtext is ecclesial and political in the older sense: Jesus doesn’t merely deliver teachings to individuals, he gathers and reorganizes a community. Williams anchors that claim in Judaism, stressing “historically, the Jewish people” and their prior reception of “law and covenant.” It’s a preemptive corrective to Christian habits of treating Judaism as prologue and Christianity as replacement. By naming Israel’s ongoing story as the stage on which Jesus acts, Williams implies that the “re-creation” is an internal renewal of God’s people, not a hostile takeover.
The phrase “in relation to Jesus himself” is the hinge. Community is not re-made around ethnicity, territory, or even a refined legalism, but around a person whose identity and actions become the new organizing center. In context, this is classic Williams: Anglican, patristically informed, wary of abstract “religion,” and intent on rooting Christian identity in a concrete, historically situated peoplehood. The mission, then, isn’t just redemption as transaction; it’s the invention of a new social reality with Jesus as its living reference point.
Quote Details
| Topic | Bible |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Williams, Rowan D. (2026, January 16). As the gospels present it to us, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth is about the way in which the community of God's people - historically, the Jewish people who had first received the law and the covenant - is being re-created in relation to Jesus himself. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-the-gospels-present-it-to-us-the-mission-of-98675/
Chicago Style
Williams, Rowan D. "As the gospels present it to us, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth is about the way in which the community of God's people - historically, the Jewish people who had first received the law and the covenant - is being re-created in relation to Jesus himself." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-the-gospels-present-it-to-us-the-mission-of-98675/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"As the gospels present it to us, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth is about the way in which the community of God's people - historically, the Jewish people who had first received the law and the covenant - is being re-created in relation to Jesus himself." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/as-the-gospels-present-it-to-us-the-mission-of-98675/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
