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. Christology: Jesus Fully Human. . Theological Considerations. FAITH CLAIM: Jesus of Nazareth, called Christ is FULLY HUMAN Why this claim? What does it mean? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Christology:Jesus Fully Human
Theological ConsiderationsFAITH CLAIM:
Jesus of Nazareth, called Christ is FULLY HUMAN
• Why this claim?• What does it mean?• If Jesus IS fully human, what are the
theological implications for understanding his knowledge, teaching, life, death, resurrection?
• What does this suggest one needs (to know, to do) in order to properly be a follower?
SUMMARY IDEA: Theology requires knowing about Jesus’ life and context.
The World of Jesus of Nazareth
Places:Cities & Villages: Nazareth, Jerusalem, Sepphoris, Capernaum, Bethlehem, Rome
Areas: Galilee, Judea, Samaria
Image Source: http://whosquade.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/palestine-under-the-herods.jpg
ORIENTATION:
The Roman Empire:
The furthest boundaries
•Sadducees – aristocracy; associated with Temple priesthood; collaborators with Rome•Pharisees – Judaism w/o the Temple; rules for living
•Essenes – apocalyptic sect; withdrew to the desert; cease to exist during Jewish War (66-70CE); Qumran: Dead Sea Scrolls•Jesus movement – Jewish group that sees Jesus of Nazareth as the long-awaited Messiah
JUDAISM IN THE FIRST CENTURY:
Major Sects
Israel/Judea – divided kingdom after death of Solomon, son of David, 928 BCE
Israel (northern kingdom) conquered by Assyrians, 722 BCE
Judea (southern kingdom) conquered by Babylonians, 586 BCE; Solomon’s Temple destroyed; leadership exiled to Babylon
Cyrus of Persia conquers Babylon and allows exiles to return home, 539 BCE; (“Unto us a child is
born…”)Alexander the Great conquers Persian Empire, 331
BCE
ROMAN CONQUEST AND RULE:Precursors
168 BCE: Revolt by Maccabean Jews against Antiochus Epiphanes; successfully rule until 63BCE
Maccabees are torn by internal disputes and invite Roman Pompey to intervene, 63 BCE
Pompey brutally conquers all of Judaea and Israel (called Palestine by the Romans); abolishes Jewish self-governance
ROMAN RULE OF PALESTINE BEGINS, 63 BCE
Roman Conquest and Rule (cont.)
Brutal conquest and enforcement: heavy tribute (taxes) taken from peasantry
for Rome in addition to Temple tax already owed
debt slavery/loss of land and subsistence farming
military occupying forceentire villages taken into slavery or
destroyed for small infractions a period of repeated resistance and revolt
with mass crucifixions as penalty
Roman Rule and Conquest (cont)
Client kings and direct rule: Herod the Great
massive building program: Hellenistic cities, new temple
massive new taxes on peasantrycreates a police state of spies, restriction of
speech, assemblydies in 4 BCE, divides kingdom up between his 3
sons
Pontius Pilate (Judea)Appointed by Rome to rule south after
incompetence of Herod’s sonBrutal, ruthless, despises Judea and JewsCondemns Jesus to death by crucifixion about 33
CE
Roman Conquest and Rule (cont)
Peasantry: life for most in Roman PalestineSubsistence farmingCrushing taxation: temple tax, Roman tribute,
Herod’s building taxesMany lost their land when unable to payConstant fear of Roman troops/reprisalsConstant fear of secret police (Herod)Consistent resistance to Roman rule: non-
violent and armedHorizontal violence: Judeans vs. Samaritans,
e.g.; inter-village struggles
Roman Conquest and Rule (cont)
The Modern Search for the Jesus of History
“Quest of the Historical Jesus”
Images source: http://www.bible-archaeology.info/nazareth.htm
Historical Consciousness and the New Testament
The New Testament does not represent “objective” history
The New Testament letters are “in-house” documents addressing concerns in the early churches (Paul & others)
The New Testament gospels are interpretations of Jesus as Christ written for early Christians in particular times & places.
A new project in “modern” Christology based in the rise of the scientific method
Defining “modern”: Dating of “modern”: “In 1492, …….” Rise of experimental science Enlightenment (18th century) Ideals: equality and
reason ….American and French revolutions
Increasing pluralism of peoples and ideas The “Modern” Theological Crisis
Path to the Quest of the Historical Jesus
Emergence of the Quest These concerns converge in 18th-19th c. Protestant Biblical scholars accept science’s
new definition of “knowledge” and “truth” & develop a new task using that method:
Write a biography of “Jesus” that will be: Empirically verifiable Independent and understandable Religiously unique and superior]
Christianity’s Responses to the Crisis of Truth
Rejection Responses Fundamentalism (rejection of science) Atheism (rejection of theology/religion)
Acceptance Reponses I do my thing; you do yours (theology and
science are two different kinds of thought & practice that don’t interfere with one another
Quest of the Historical Jesus…..
The Original Quest: A Failure of Objectivity Many “Lives of Jesus” (biographies)
written in the 19th c. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
Musician, Theologian, Physician to Africa Winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize Author, Quest of the Historical Jesus
(German edition, 1906) Summarized the most important 19th century
“Lives of Jesus” Showed that so-called “objective” accounts
of the life of Jesus were actually subjective self-portraits of their authors
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
at his hospital in Lambaréné
in whatis now
Gabon. The hospital
continues his work to the
present day. Http://www.schweitzer.org
The Original Quest:A Failure of Objectivity
According to Schweitzer: We do not need to seek the
historical Jesus. We would not know the
historical Jesus if we found him. The Spirit of Jesus, revealed in
service in his name, is the true Jesus who is to followed.
“He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lake-side, He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same word: “Follow thou me!”… And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal
Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and, as an ineffable
mystery, they shall learn in their own experience, Who He Is.” -Albert Schweitzer, the final lines of
Quest of the Historical Jesus
Will the REAL Jesus please stand
up?
The Historical-Critical Method of Biblical Study
Prompted by the “Quest of the Historical Jesus” (19th c)Searching for the “history “ behind the biblical textReading the bible as you would read any other ancient textUsing the tools of modern historical research: archaeology,
political history, sociology and social history, etc.
Kerkeslager: “Getting Past the People between Us and Jesus”*
The Modern Interpreter (0ur worldview and assumptions) Backward from 21st century
Earlier Interpreters of the New Testament (Church Tradition)
Scribes Who Copy Gospels (Glosses)
(Other early Christian texts)
Gospel authors and their audiences: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
Paul and his followers: Letters of Paul and other letters attributed to Paul
Written Sources: Miracle Stories, Sayings of Jesus, Parables of Jesus, Passion Accounts
Oral Sources: Eyewitness Accounts, Miracle Stories, Sayings of Jesus, Parables of Jesus, Passion Accounts
Forward from 1st centuryJesus, the human being
*Source: Allen Kerkeslager, SJU Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Allen Kerkeslager, "Critical Methods in the Study of the Gospels: A Basic Outline“ (Blackboard, used by permission of the author)
Results I:Tools of Historical-Criticism
SOURCE CRITICISM: seeking the literary relationship between the 4 gospels and the sources their authors used to create them. Example: The Synoptic Problem--Why is there so much material that seems identical or similar between some of the gospels, but not others?
FORM CRITICISM: seeking the original form of a unit of biblical tradition, before it was used in the biblical text. Example: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22, quoted by Jesus on the cross)
REDACTION CRITICISM: seeking, 1) the ways in which each of the gospel writers constructed his narrative of the life of Jesus from units of oral and written tradition; 2) techniques used by a gospel writer to persuade particular readers to adopt his ideas about Jesus; 3) information about the intentions and theology of the gospel writer and the life situation of his audience. Example: Matthew constructs his gospel so that Jesus gives 5 speeches, including one from a mountain, like Moses, as well fulfills Jewish “prophesy” about the messiah. This suggests that Matthew himself is Jewish and sought to persuade other Jews to follow Jesus as the “new Moses,” the messiah.
An Example of Source Criticism: “The Synoptic Problem”
Ancient Answer (2nd c. until modern period):
. Harmony of the gospels + Q: How to explain discrepancies in the 4 gospels? A: The four New Testament gospels can be put together to give a full picture of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
How do we explain the close similarities between Matthew, Mark & Luke? Some hypotheses:
Modern 1: The 4-Source Hypothesis Question 1: How do explain similarities
between Mark, Matthew and Luke? + Answer: Matthew and Luke copied from
Mark Question 2: How do you explain the
commonalities between Matthew & Luke that are not in Mark?
+ Answer: Matthew and Luke share another source called Quelle = “Q” “(German: “source”)
Modern 2: Farrar-Goulder Hypothesis (20th-21st c.)
Problems with The 4-Source
theory: Q never been
found More
complicated than necessary
F-G Hypothesis eliminates the need for a hypothetical document, “Q”
Results II: What can we say about
the Historical Jesus?
Sources for the historical Jesus Criteria for evaluating the sourcesPortraits of the historical Jesus
Sources Jesus’ ministries, teaching, & death Oral tradition about Jesus Written collections:
Sayings Parables Miracle stories Passion narratives
Gospel accounts (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) (Nothing from Paul) Non-canonical gospels and writings Materials from outside the Christian community
(for example, Josephus)
More Tools: Criteria for Historically Accurate Data Embarrassment: any account that would have
shamed the early church
Discontinuity or Dissimilarity: any account that differs from practices and ideas of either 1st century Judaism or early churches
Multiple attestation: reported in more than one place (but an exception is the synoptics gospels)
Criteria, continued
Explains Jesus arrest and public execution
Coherence: Sounds like something Jesus would say that we know from other sources
Scholars agree that… Jesus was born to a practicing Jewish family, was
raised Jewish, and continued to practice Judaism until his death
Jesus was raised in the Galilean town of Nazareth Jesus was trained as a wood-worker Jesus was baptized by John and was very likely a
disciple of John the Baptist Jesus left to become an itinerant preacher and
healer He was arrested, beaten and execution by
crucifixion as a political criminal. His disciples had experiences of him as
resurrected which brought them out of hiding to continue his ministry as they understood it.
Current Researchers John Dominic Crossan: Jesus as social
critic and threatened the present social order; thus he was arrested and executed
John P. Meier: Jesus is like other prophets in the Jewish tradition and understood his own relationship to God as intimate and his death as redemptive
Current Researchers
Current Researchers E. P. Sanders: Jesus’ saw his mission as
reforming and revitalizing Judaism; a threat to establishment Judaism
Current Researchers
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza: Jesus taught and practiced egalitarian relationships as indicative of the realm of God
Current Researchers
Obery Hendricks: Jesus was a strategic leader to taught his followers how to live out of the realm of God so as to resist the crushing burden of Roman oppression
Tools of Reason – Tools of Faith?
• Historical-criticism uses all the tools available to modern scientific-historical study to investigate the figure of Jesus in any available sources:
• History as “fact” – seeking what really happened• Archaeology – what do found objects tell us about the
world of Jesus and the early churches?• Sociology – What does studying social and economic
relationships tells us about these worlds?• Literary and rhetorical criticism – What does analyzing the
structure of these and other ancient historical texts reveal about the author’s intentions?
Implications for Christology ALL of these methods must use information that is:
• never complete (what else might we find/find out?)
• always the product of human interpretation (there are different ways of interpreting data/information)
What PROBLEM does this raise for Christian faith?
People have an abiding interest in the person of Jesus (a historical endeavor - historical, but not religious).
This raises A QUESTION for faith: Is it essential to Christian faith that we know anything about
the life of the historical Jesus? ….With TWO ANSWERS:
NO: “Jesus as a historical personality remains a stranger to our time. However, his spirit, which lies hidden in his words, is known simply and directly….And they [who obey him] shall experience who he is as an inexpressible mystery….” Albert Schweitzer
YES: “If Jesus is Christ, then the Christ is Jesus.” Eduard Schweizer
REGARDLESS of these problems, the QUEST persists
Which of the following statements best describes your own opinion?
• Christian faith MUST take the full risk of the ambiguity of historical research.
• Christian faith CANNOT depend on the probabilities of historical research.
What Do You Think--Does the Historical Jesus Matter?
JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Timeline for the New Testament
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) 40’s-60’sEarliest material in the New Testamenta Pharisee involved in persecution of early
members of Jesus movement Sees stoning of Stephen (“first” Christian
martyr)Traveling to Damascus in Syria; hears voice
identifying itself as “Jesus” and sees vision of Jesus
Is struck from his horse and suffers blindnessTaken to house of Barnabus in Damascus –
during his recovery he regains his sight and becomes a follower of Jesus
Stages in Formation of New Testament
Has never met earthly Jesus Identifies himself as “called to be an apostle”Expects Parousia (return of Jesus) immediatelyAll believers will be taken up to heaven to live with Jesus and
GodPreaches salvation from sin through belief “in” Jesus as
crucified and risen Savior; uninterested in Jesus life or teachings
Sees Jesus as liberator from all human laws and religious rules (“For freedom, Christ has set you free…use your freedom to love one another.”)
His understanding of being a follower of Jesus is in constant conflict with that of Jerusalem church, e.g., all food is allowable, Gentiles do not need to be circumcised to be baptized
Paul’s Christology
Paul (cont)Embarks on mission to convert GentilesTension with Jerusalem church over Gentile-Jewish
relationship for new converts; attends Jerusalem conference (49 CE)
Argues Christians are no longer bound by human laws (including religious laws)
Writes letters to churches he has visited or founded offering blessings, news and practical advice (50’s-60’s)
Tradition says he is executed in Rome before 66 CEKey passages from his letters in the NT:
Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female, but you all are one in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:2-12: The kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ; setting aside of divinity in order to become human and be crucified.
I Corinthians 8:1-13 Concerning food offered to idols.Galatians 5:13-14: on Christian freedom and responsibilityThe Letter to the Romans: justification before God by faith in
Christ Jesus, even while continuing to be sinners
Sources for NT Gospel Writers
Jesus’:
Passed on first by oral tradition, then written down.
Communities of the Gospels
Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/
The New Testament Gospels
THEMES in
MARK’S STORY
OFJESUS
Jesus is often “on the way” somewhere, moving swiftly, “soon,” “immediately.” Mark is constructed as an account of Jesus’ travels through Palestine with an urgent purpose.
6:39-49 Jesus’ – Jesus’ ministry of nourishment: feeding the 5000 (+ women and children!)
7:20-37 Jesus travels in both Jewish & Gentile areas.
Ch 8: Mark sometimes tells the story as sets of parallel events: Jewish/Gentile; blindness/sight
8:14 “One loaf” on the lake between Jewish and Gentile areas: metaphor of unity
Mark’s Theme #1: Journeys & Meals
Jesus’ inner circle (the “twelve”) do not understand him (seating in the K of God; Peter’s ‘confession’)
Those outside the circle (blind Bartimaeus, the Syro-Phoenican woman [Gentile], the Roman centurion] all do recognize Jesus; his family and followers do not
The “literary sandwich”: Mark tells a story “sandwiched” between two other parallel stories to make contrasting point: the Messianic secret
Jesus in conflict with scribes and PhariseesPassages: 3:1-6 (conflict), 5:41-6:8, Mark 10
(conflict, blindness and “blindness”)
Mark’s Theme #2: Conflict & Blindness
Jesus repeatedly tells followers not to tell anyone about him after he has performed a healing (e.g., lepers): Jesus doesn’t want to attract crowds who are looking for a “triumphant” Messiah
Jesus rebukes Peter for saying the disciples will prevent Jesus from suffering and death: I am not the kind of Messiah you have been expecting
Jesus speaks of the devastation of Jerusalem and the Temple: interpreting the aftermath of the war
Passages: 3:12 (Messianic secret), Ch. 8 (Peter rebuked), Ch. 13 (the “little apocalypse”)
Mark’s Theme #3: Suffering & Death
Division: Mark’s Jesus addresses the problem of Jews and Gentiles relationship in the church
Confusion: Mark’s story anticipates the disappearance of the “Mother Church” of Christianity that existed in Jerusalem
Suffering: Mark is writing after 70CE (the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple) -- in Mark, Jesus knows about and experiences the suffering and devastation that are everywhere.
Between the Lines: Mark’s Concerns
Unity: Mark enacts a church united: Jew and Gentile; insider and outsider
Comfort: Mark’s story offers an answer to the question of why the founding church of Christianity (church in Jerusalem) no longer exists
Empathy & Re-vision: Mark speaks to those who have suffered then & nowJesus knows your experience of suffering “Salvation” and “victory” will not look like success as the world
defines it
Between the Lines: Mark’s Jesus Saves his People
The New Testament Gospels
THEMES in
MATTHEW’SSTORY
OFJESUS
Matthew’s Theme #1: Declaring Identity – The True JudaismCh1 and 2 (selections) - genealogy and slaughter of the
innocents2:12-22 - Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish “prophecy”:
“Out of Egypt I have called my son”*
“…to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet” (x 7)4:1-11 temptations in the desert: Jesus fulfills what the
Hebrews could not in their own “wilderness experience” beyond Egypt
Ch 5-7: Jesus as the “new Moses”: teaching from the mountain; 5 sets of teaching**; survives Herod (Ch 2)
*Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son**Matthew’s 5 Discourses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Discourses_of_Matthew
Matthew’s Theme #2: Maintaining Identity – Boundary Lines5:17ff. Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
(Also, Theme #1: Jesus is the genuine fulfillment of Judaism)Strict Rules for Living (5: 17-43, You have heard it
said, but I say to you…; 7:17, the narrow gate)18.17-27: forgive 70 times 7Ch 19: Jesus on divorce; to young man about possessions;
camel through the eye of a needleGatekeeping
Ch 20: parable of the wicked tenants (recog. Messiah) Ch 25: separation of the true from the false followers:
parables of bridesmaids and of the talents; judgment of the nations
Matthew’s Theme #3: Practicing Identity: “Witnessing” CompassionCh 5-7: from “the Sermon on the Mount”
The BeatitudesSalt and LightSpirit of the LawJudging oneself
Healings & compassion for the crowds (7:29-8:18, 8:9-19; 8:28-33; 8:31-9:36)
Ch 25: “Whosoever does it to one of the least of these (hungry, thirst, naked, sick, imprisoned)…does it also to me.”
Probable place of writing: Antioch of SyriaProbable dating: 80 CEProbable audience: Jewish followers of Jesus
in conflict with other Jewish groups after 70Only Jesus movement and Pharisees
remain: Essenes (destroyed )and Sadducees (die out).
Matthew’s Q: what is the place of Jesus movement vis-à-vis Judaism? What is its place in the world beyond Palestine?
Between the Lines: Matthew’s Context and Concerns
Identity: the true Judaism. Although we are few, recognize the true Messiah and follow the true way of Judaism
Identity: the narrow gate. In a complicated, cosmopolitan world, we know who we are because our way of living is clear and true
Compassion: Following Jesus means extending compassion to others, especially the most vulnerable. This is the basis for how we will be judged.
Between the Lines: Matthew’s Jesus Saves his People
The Historical Context of Matthew’s Anti-JudaismMatthew as a Jewish follower of JesusConflict between Jesus movement and other
Jewish groups seen throughout New TestamentThe Jesus movement as the right way of being
Jewish; Jesus is the Jewish messiah.The Distortion of Matthew’s Gospel—
later XtyThe growth of early Christianity as a Gentile
religionThe legitimization of Christianity in the EmpireThe use of this power to claim “supersession” of
Judaism27:24 Scripture taken out of its historical
context: "His blood be on us, and on our children! “
Matthew and Anti-Judaism
The New Testament Gospels
THEMES in
LUKE’SSTORY
OFJESUS
1:1-4 Writing an “orderly” account based on the best sources to distinguish truth about Jesus from fiction
1:3 The ‘addressee’ is most excellent Theophilus” (lit. God-lover), either an actual person named Theophilus or a metaphor for all Christians.
Luke tells us that there are a variety of sources for constructing a narrative of Jesus’ ministry other “less orderly” accounts circulating among Christian communities
3:23ff A genealogy from Joseph back to Adam, “He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph,...son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. ”
Luke’s Theme #1: A Proper Account
1:46-55: The Magnificat (Mary’s Song) ‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of
his servant…. He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty…. ‘
4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…to bring good news to the poor,…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
6:20 “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (compare Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”)
Luke’s Theme #2: God Saves the Poor
Ch. 23: Jesus’ innocence announced by 4 ‘outsiders’The Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate
23: 4 ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’The Roman client king, Herod Antipas
23:15 ‘Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us.’A criminal, also being crucified
23:41 ‘…we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’
A Roman centurion on guard at the crucifixion23:47 ‘When the centurion saw what had taken place, he
praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’
Luke’s Theme #3: The Innocence of Jesus
Providing a correct account of the story of Jesus
God’s special concern for the poor The role of the SpiritA two-volume work: Luke-ActsThe universality of the Christian messageA Gentile audienceThe relationship of early Christians to
Rome
Between the Lines: Luke’s Concerns
The Spirit of God acts first through Jesus, then through the Church
God takes sides: inequities will be righted, the poor will inherit the realm of God
The message of Jesus is a “worldwide” message; The church is becoming more Gentile
Christians are not a threat to Rome – Jesus was innocent; Christians are being persecuted without cause
Between the Lines: Luke’s Jesus Saves his People
The New Testament Gospels
THEMES in
JOHN’SSTORY
OFJESUS
Genesis 1: 1-5a In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him….What has come into being in him was …the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John’s Theme #1: The Eternal Logos...
1: 6-9, 24 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Theme #1: …the Word become flesh…
1.18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
3.35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.
10.38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
10:27-28, 30 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.…The Father and I are one.”
14.10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works….Believe me because of the works themselves.
Theme #1: …Of the Father, One with the Father
Seven Signs1. Turning water into wine in Cana (2:1-11)2. Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-
54)3. Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda
(5:1-18)4. Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-
14)5. Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee
(6:16-21)6. Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7) 7. Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45)
20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
John’s Theme #2: Signs & Metaphors
Other metaphors:1:29 the lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world4:6-16 living water – the woman at
the well6:30-40 the true bread; the bread
of life; the bread that came down from heaven; the living bread
John 15:1-5 the true vine and the branches
John’s Theme #2: Signs & Metaphors
1: 10-11 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
5.16 Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.
15:18-25 The “world’s” hatred: ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you.’
John’s Theme #3: Conflict, Rejection & Belief
Probably the last of the New Testament Gospel written (90 CE or later?).
The separation from Judaism is complete. John’s community is persecuted (?expelled from synagogue?)
Dualism: good vs. evil, light vs. darkness, love vs. hatred; truth vs. falsehood; faith vs. unbelief
The strongest claims about the closeness of Jesus to God as his Word and light in the world
Jesus’ identity & glory is clearly revealed (cp. Mark’s “Messianic Secret”); he is always in control and enacting God’s will and word
Between the Lines: John’s Context and Concerns
John’s Jesus presents a world where it is clear what is good and what is evil.
Judaism’s message and meaning is transferred to the followers of Christ: Jesus is now the Passover lamb
John’s Jesus embodies the love and truth and light of God. To be with Jesus is to experience God’s presence.
God forgives sins through People need only recognize the signs and “believe” he is the Christ.
John’s Jesus offers comfort to the isolated and rejected. Jesus loves his disciples and sends the “paraclete” to be with them, as opposed to those who hate.
Between the Lines: John’s Jesus Saves his People
5:17-18 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him….
7:1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.
Compare Matthew, Mark and Luke: the scribes and Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priest and the scribes…
In John, “the Jews” used 71 times; only 16 times in M, M and L together. The phrase almost always identifies the Jews as opposing Jesus.
Anti-Judaism in John
Gospel Images of Jesus
History?.....
Or,….Interpretation?
THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, suppressed groups
of Christians (usually identified as “gnostics”) hide some of their writings to keep them from being destroyed by proto-orthodox church leaders, who have condemned them as heretical.Copies are discovered in 1945 in Egyptian desert
outside the town of Nag HammadiNag Hammadi gospels = Gnostic Gospels13 codices (volumes, singular: codex) containing
banned booksA window onto the diversity
of early Christianity
The Jerusalem Church: James, Peter and others who were among Jesus’
disciples and early followers; “institutional memory”disappears during Jewish-Roman war of 66-70 CE. Understands the Jesus Movement as a new form of Judaism – continue to follow Jewish dietary practices, in conflict with Paul’s interpretation of how to follow; the only remains are embedded in the canonical gospels
Ebionites – a “lost” Christianity Christianity as a sect of Judaism Jesus as a human being chosen by God Jesus is not a divine figure, but a “bearer” of the logos
(the Wisdom or Word of God)
EARLIEST CHRISTIANITIES
Gnostic Sects Various groups of gentile Christians who believed that salvation lies in
escaping the mortality of the body so that a divine spark within can return to the world of the spirit, emphasis on Christ’s divinity
Marcionites Rejection of Judaism Jesus as divine spirit not “encumbered” by being human
Other Gnostic Writings The Gospel of Thomas (sayings of Jesus) The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Mary as apostle) The Gospel of Philip (Mary Magdalene as closest to Jesus) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Jesus as a magical and
dangerous child!)
MORE LOST CHRISTIANITIES
Many claimed to have “secret knowledge” from Jesus Thus, the name “gnostic” from the Greek, “gnosis”
meaning “knowledge” Their descriptions of Jesus rejected his
humanity Jesus in gnostic texts is often “docetic” (from the Greek
“to appear”); viz., Jesus only “appears” to be human Some were more open to women:
God as dyadic: with both male and female elements Women’s leadership in worship and other church
functions
GNOSTIC CHARACTERISTICS
The Emergence of “proto-orthodoxy” The form of early Christianity that develops into Eastern Orthodoxy,
Roman Catholicism, and (later) Protestantism Emphasis on crucifixion; bodily resurrection; affirmation of Hebrew
bible; humanity and divinity of Jesus
The drive for unity Begins in the 2nd century Proliferation of writings Persecution and martyrdom One important critic: Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies
Lost Christianities/Lost Scriptures: Banning & destruction of non-orthodox writings Rejection and suppression of non-orthodox sects and their
members
FROM THE MANY TO THE ONE
PBS Frontline: “From Jesus to Christ” web site:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/heretics.html
Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award)
Elaine Pagels, Rereading Judas (with a translation of the Gospel of Judas by Karen King)
Bart Ehrmann, Lost Christianities Bart Ehrmann, Lost Scriptures (English translations
of gnostic and other banned texts) English translations of gnostic gospels:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gnostics.html
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY