The Vehement Jesus composes a fresh examination and interpretation of several perplexing passages in the Gospels that, at face value, challenge the conviction that the mission and message of Jesus were peaceful. Using narrative analysis and various forms of intratextual critique in the service of a hermeneutic of shalom, the author makes the case that Gospel portrayals of the vehement Jesus are compatible with, perhaps even indispensable to, the composite canonical portrait of Jesus as the Messiah of Peace. As a result, this exploration in New Testament theology and ethics makes an invaluable contribution to the crucial conversation about the role of Jesus' life and teaching in Christian reflection on the morality of violence today.

David J. Neville is associate professor of theology and lecturer in New Testament studies at St. Mark's National Theological Centre, the Canberra campus of Charles Sturt University's School of Theology. He is the author of two books on the synoptic problem and A Peaceable Hope: Contesting Violent Eschatology in New Testament Narratives (2013), as well as editor or co-editor of several essay collections in biblical studies, theology, and ethics.