that evoked respect and commitment by many and hostility by more. He is called “teacher” forty five times and “Rabbi” fourteen times in the four Gospels. In retrospect, the writers of the Gospels frequently referred to His preaching. As to the messianic role, Jesus does not refer to Himself as Messiah or Son of God once in the Synoptic Gospels. This is not to suggest that He was not the anointed Son of God or that He did not accept this title when it was used by others. The point is that He did not
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