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Ann Johnston recommended this book with respect to Jesus’ use of Isaiah material.
Prof Bruce Chilton teaches New Testament at the University of Sheffield in England. He wrote it at Münster, presumably on sabbatical, with a research grant, prior to its publication date of 1984 (but after 1979 – no specific date is given).
He intends to reach those who are serious students of the Bible, but who find "the academic ghetto" tediously specialized.
The book is divided into three parts: I. A lengthy introductory discussion of Jesus and Judaism, and the development of scriptural interpretation in Judaism of the first (conjectural) and subsequent centuries (documentable), including mishnah, midrash, haggadah, and targums; II. A detailed discussion of Jesus and the Targum of Isaiah using specific types of examples; III. A discussion of how historical research into the life and times of Jesus relates to the question of faith.
Chilton discusses the various forms of Judaic interpretation of scripture, listed above, and how they relate to historical research. He develops a method and criteria for applying an analysis of connection between the synoptic gospels and the Isaiah Targum (an Aramaic paraphrase of Isaiah), then applies this method to the analysis of the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman (Matt 15:22ff; Mark 7:26ff); why Jesus taught in parables(Mark 4:11,12); the phrase about living and dying by the sword (Matt 26:52); the use of "Gehenna" to describe hell (Mark 9:44, 46, 48); the parable of the vineyard (Matt 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19); the parable of the crafty steward (Luke 16:1-9); Jesus’ baptismal formula (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22); one of Jesus’ proverbs (Matt 7:2; Mark 4:24). Chilton compares the inferred targumic tradition with Greek and MT sources to show how the Isaiah Targum illumines these examples in ways more useful than the other sources.
Chilton’s discussions of critical methods of text research is lucid and helpful, reflecting on all kinds of approaches used in the quest for historical understanding of Jesus and his milieu, and of Jesus’ message.
In the synoptics, Jesus’ occupation of the temple is followed by a parable of the vineyard (see refs above). In contrast to the disciples’ consistent lack of understanding in response to Jesus’ teaching, the meaning of this parable is immediately obvious to Jesus’ learned opponents in the temple: they know that the parable is a cutting criticism of them. Chilton shows that the Targum of Isaiah 5: 1-7 presents the vineyard imagery in a way that allows Jesus to play off it in his parable: the opponents’ immediate understanding of its application to themselves can best be understood if they are assumed to be familiar with the Isaiah Targum tradition. Chilton demonstrates that the three slightly different versions have features in common that strengthen the suggestion that a targumic tradition lies behind Jesus’ parable.
This was a wonderful book to read; I shall read it again. Chilton is clear, even when the argument is close and detailed. The first section on the development of first century Judaism, and the development of the author’s critical analytical methods, and the third section on Jesus’ preaching style are the best introduction to the problems of historicity and faith I have ever read. I would strongly recommend them to any seminary student, or any serious lay reader of the Bible. Chilton argues that Jesus’ preaching is of scripture fulfilled – Jesus’ interpretation of scripture is "analogical, critical, and experiential": "Yesterday’s fulfillment is for the historian; today’s is for the believer" – and thus he summarizes the relationship between historical biblical scholarship and the believer’s faith. His stance on these issues articulated my own, particularly as he explores the ways in which the Bible must be a living document if it is to continue to speak to contemporary believers.
Rita M. Gross – at the time of this publication, Gross was a faculty member of the Philosophy and Religious Studies of the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Terry C. Muck – at the time of this publication, Muck was with the faculty of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX. He is now the professor of Missions and World Religions at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY.
The intended readers of this collaboration by a Buddhist (Gross) and a Christian (Muck) would appear to be those of similar mind – people from both religious ways of life who desire more knowledge and insight into one another’s religion.
The first section of this book, titled “Jesus Christ Through Buddhist Eyes,” contains four essays by Buddhists from Iliff School of Theology; University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire; Won Buddhist Temple of Philadelphia; and Princeton University. This section is followed by “Christian Responses” by writers from Oregon State University and DePaul University. The essays in the third section, “Gautama The Buddha Through Christian Eyes,” are from representatives of the Methodist Church of England; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; Swarthmore College; and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The Buddhist responses in the final section are by Prescott College and Smith College writers.
While each of the contributors does an excellent job of expressing their position, it is interesting to note that the essays written by the Buddhists have many more concerns and questions about Jesus than their counterparts do about Buddha. Although the Buddhists never attack a Christian’s belief in Jesus, they do pose some interesting questions that should make the Christian reader squirm a bit as they ponder their own perception. And while the Christian responses do support following Jesus, they often do so by maintaining that the Buddhist writers are not necessarily incorrect in their statements about Jesus but rather they are mistaken in the literality of the Christian beliefs.
As mentioned, the essays written by the Christian writers do not pose many questions or concerns about Buddha. One of the essays in the Christian section is titled, “Buddha Loves Me! This I Know, for the Dharma Tells Me So.” Writer Bonnie Thurston from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary admits in her essay that in a roundabout way she owes both her status as an ordained Christian minister and the study and practice of the Christian scripture to her knowledge of Buddha. The message from the Christian essays can be summed up in the title of one of the Buddhist responses – “If the Buddha Is So Great, Why Are These People Christians?” One wonders if these Christian writers are sharing a more liberal Christian viewpoint that allows for the acceptance of all peoples and of Buddha.
In the essay, “Jesus, Man of Sin: Toward a New Christology in the Global Era,” Buddhist Soho Machida writes:
The mind is like a haunted house that we have not yet completely explored. The underworld of human nature is unfathomably deep. Jesus shared this darkness with us. Let me quote one of my favorite parables in the Bible: “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst…Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground” (John 8:3-8). It is strange that no explanation is given about what Jesus was writing with his finger on the ground. In that silent gesture, was he not perhaps revealing an awareness within himself of the same evil nature as the woman’s? For one who shares in the common awareness of sin, it is impossible to judge another. Jesus’ attitude of love and tolerance toward weak and sinful ordinary people may originate not necessarily in his sacredness, but rather in his bond of sympathy with all other human beings as a Man of Sin. (63-64)
Within her essay, “My Unfinished Business with the Buddha,” Elizabeth J. Harris reveals her thoughts:
My seven and a half years in Sri Lanka make it almost impossible for me to write about the Buddha as a complete outsider. I remain a Christian, but the Buddha has become part of me. An exquisitely carved wooden image of the Buddha in meditation is now part of my home. The peace that emanates from it gives me strength. In complete honesty, I can say that I revere the Buddha…My personal conviction is that the Buddha has a message for the whole of humankind, not only those who label themselves Buddhist. I do not believe that one has to be a Buddhist to revere the Buddha. The qualities of the Buddha resonate with those of other great religious leaders, whether Jesus, Guru Nanak, or Mahavira. There is a family likeness and this must be recognized and celebrated. But, of course, there are differences. The issue of divinity is just one. These should neither be voided nor seen as inescapably confrontational. For it is at these points of difference that potentially there is the most opportunity for growth. The apparent depth of difference can be proportional to the depth of the potential for mutual enrichment. (90, 94)
This is a book that I will consider adding to my collection. I found quite interesting the information I was able to glean from the Buddhists about their religion. Additionally, I consider the questions the Buddhists posed regarding Christianity are deserving of answers – answers I would like to further reflect upon.
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Charles W. Hedrick, Professor of Religious Studies and Distinguished Scholar at the Southwest Missouri State University, published the book in 1999. He notes in his acknowledgments that the book grew out of classes taught during the last 20 years and is aimed to help beginning students appreciate the depth and width of the gap of Jesus the man and Jesus the Lord of Christian faith. He invites readers to “engage for themselves a discussion that has been taking place, out of the public eye, for some two hundred and fifty years.” (p. ix) The author notes that “studying Jesus, rather than simply affirming creedal statements learned in childhood, can bring new insights, broader understanding, and a deeper appreciation for the complementary relationship between faith and history.” (p. xiii)
Hedrick structures the book beginning with problems, and then helps the reader to appreciate their significance. Finally, he considers various solutions. The author says the approach is “inductive” and that it “engages students in the search for solutions by encouraging them to acknowledge the problems and to resolve the difficulties themselves.” (p. xiii)
In the contents of the book, Hedrick explores the Jesus of faith with the scholarship of the historical Jesus. He provides a historical panorama of the nature of the historical inquiry. In doing so, he provides a short history on how the recognized scholars in the field have understood the historical Jesus during different time frames throughout history and explains their approaches to the essential issues. A discussion on Jesus and the gospels in the twentieth century correlates with the information provided within the first chapter of the book, The Historical Jesus, by Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz. Hedrick highlights the discrepancies, contradictions, and differences as well as the similarities of the New Testament Gospel accounts. Hedrick states that an important development in the history of Jesus research has been the discovery of new gospel literature and fragments of other early Christian gospels including the Gospel of Thomas. According to Hedrick, this gospel attests to early Christians who viewed Jesus as a teacher of wisdom rather than the crucified Lord. He also provides information on Jesus in the gospels in the first century as well as highlights the diversity as well as the similarity among the gospels. The book also discusses the possibility of a “Lost Sayings Gospel Q.” Hedrick outlines the process from oral tradition to written gospel. He talks about the early Christian prophets in the church and shows their impact on the Jesus tradition. He ends the book by discussing the criteria used to determine the originality of the Jesus’ sayings. Hedrick adds a postscript that addresses science and faith and concludes that “knowledge of the historical man is not only important for Christian faith, it is absolutely essential to a historical faith.” (p. 151)
Hedrick informs the reader that systematic analytical study of Jesus of Nazareth did not begin until the middle of the 18th century. He cites the work of Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694 – 1768) as part of the “Old Quest,” which was distinctly a German quest. (p.15) He also cites turn-of-the century research by Albert Schweitzer (The Quest of the Historical Jesus) who affirmed that gospels as “historical” reports could be used to write a historical description of Jesus. Later New Testament scholarship from Rudolf Bultmann’s Jesus and the Word to the Jesus Seminar were attempts to “bridge the gap” between Jesus the man and the Jesus of faith. Throughout the book Hedrick outlines the criteria used by the scholars to determine the originality and fact of Jesus’ sayings. He stresses to the reader that conclusions for authenticity are based on possibility and probability rather than on certainty.
An example of how a specific passage of the Bible is interpreted which shows essential characteristics of the book falls under the criterion of multiple attestation. Hedrick says the idea behind this is the following theory: “when two of more independent sources preserve a similar teaching or idea, it is more plausible to assume that the ideas did not originate with the authors of the written texts, but rather antedated them.” (p. 141) This applies to the sayings about the prophet without honor, and according to Hedrick, suggests the likelihood of it being a saying that may have originated with Jesus. The saying appears in the Gospels of Mark, John and the Gospel of Thomas.
 | A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. (Mark 6:4) |
| For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. (John 4:44) |
| A prophet is not acceptable in the prophet’s own town. (Gospel of Thomas 31:1) |
According to Hedrick, since the same saying appears in three independent sources and two literary forms, it may well indicate that the saying existed prior to the writing of the texts. (p. 142)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, When History and Faith Collide. For me, it was like an archaeological dig where I was provided with the history and tools to understand the thought processes behind the reconstruction of the gospels and first century texts. It also provided me with additional insight into the value of the extra canonical sources including the Gospel of Thomas and The Lost Sayings Gospel Q. All students of theology and religion could benefit from reading the book. However, it would be especially useful for those who are seeking concrete evidence to support and understand the Jesus of faith. It provides a realistic basis upon which to better understand the historical man and to confront the issues of historical scholarship.
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This anthology was prepared by Gregory Dawes. Dr. Dawes has brought together a compilation of theory of the historical Jesus in this scholarly work. This undertaking occurred while teaching a graduate-level course on the historical Jesus. In preparing for the class he found difficulty in arranging the course, as the subject matter is controversial and the available research is formidable. His resulting work has met the goal. In this one volume, many of the loose ends of the scholarly research on the subject of the historical Jesus from almost four hundred years, have been tied together. Dr. Dawes concise introduction to each author’s work, his translations of the language and his efforts in keeping the material fresh, make this study a fundamental research reference in the study of the historical Jesus.
The text in this anthology is presented in a chronological sequence. Each chapter is presented with an introduction by Dr. Dawes, in which he gives an overview of the theology of the authors, their educational background and a summary of the research as each particular author interprets the historical Jesus through the Gospels or other biblical study.
Throughout the anthology numerous references are made to the disparity between history and faith. These two points of reference are the chasm which has separated the theological historians. The Greek Bible both the new and old testaments are examined and reexamined by the researchers beginning with Benedict Spinoza (1632-77) and ending with Ernst Kasemann (1906-98). The authors, as their work proceeded through the centuries have built on or retraced the work of those that went before them. The final result of all the investigation and evidence still leaves each researcher without a truly verifiable result. This outcome of course is expected as all interpretation is just that. The sources used whether faith-based or seemingly historical are taken from all manner of writings. There is much reference to those past researchers along with as already mentioned biblical passages taken from the Greek Bible. The evidence is interpreted by way of matching historical events and the writings of mostly the synoptic Gospels.
William Wrede (1859~1906) The Messianic Secret in the Gospels (1901).
Wrede’s work examines the Gospel of Mark and concludes that the history of the Gospel of Mark belongs to the history of dogma. His research is intent on showing that Mark had only a limited capacity for transposing himself into the historical situation. Wrede further emphasizes that the gospel of Mark is based on the hidden agenda of Jesus. Wrede argues that one cannot produce a portrait of Jesus as the Gospel of Mark displays while trying to fill in the gaps with assumptions about the historical context and the psychological development of Jesus and the disciples. He shows in his research the problems with taking Mark’s Gospel at face value.
Throughout his investigation, Wrede points out the discrepancies in the Gospel of Mark with a final suggestion that Jesus wanted to keep his Messiahship hidden. He cites an example of the discrepancy in Mark 7.24: ‘And from there he rose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and would not have anyone know it; yet he could not be hid. But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet…’ This and other passages are fragmented and disconnected. Wrede points out that the Gospel according to Mark states one thing and then something opposite happens, time and time again. He then compares Mark to John and other Old Testament material in an effort to determine when Jesus and his followers realized his Messiahship. Was there an awareness of Jesus’s Messiahship, and if so, when did it occur? Was the revelation during Jesus’s lifetime or after his resurrection? Many questions remain unanswered but some Wrede’s theories of the Gospels are enlightening and at the very least a thoughtful examination by a learned scholar.
This anthology offered me a great opportunity to get to know the most prominent researchers in the theological study of the historical Jesus. There were several words in which I had to use my dictionary. I now have added several theological terms to my vocabulary. The information given in regards to the research and studies done on the historical Jesus, while certainly condensed, were edited with care. I feel another reading of the book would be even more fruitful and that is my intention. For a newcomer into the field of theology this was a good choice for me, although I didn’t choose the book, but was assigned this reading. In spite of the challenge this reading presented, I recommend this book to both the informed and those just starting on the path to finding the historical Jesus.
I selected the title primarily because it was presented as an introduction to a variety of ancient texts regarding references to Jesus outside of Biblical constraints. I hoped for general overview and a reader-friendly translation of those texts.
Robert E. Van Voorst is professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. His past books “Building Your New Testament Greek Vocabulary” and “The Ascents of James: History and Theology of a Jewish-Christian Community” indicate his areas of focus are both biblical and historical. The editors’ (Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans) indicate in their introductory remarks that this is the first book in a series regarding the study of the historical Jesus. The book is intended to be an introduction to and overview of that course of study and appears to be geared to an audience that is also new to that area of focus.
The book opens with an overview of the type of research done in the study of an historical Jesus. The primary thesis is to use the material outside of the canon to prove that Jesus was a real person and not a mythical creation. The author states that, since Jesus is referred to in histories, letters, treatises, etc., which are not only not in the canon but, in some cases, not supportive of the Christian movement, it is proof that the person of Jesus who taught and performed miracles was a real person. The author then divides the types of ancient writings into categories in order to focus on the different areas Jesus is mentioned—general classical texts, ancient Jewish texts, possible sources for the canon and Christian writings not in the canon. The book also has an extensive bibliography for more detailed research, as well as many explanatory footnotes.
The author uses primary sources in his exploration of early references to Jesus. He places those sources in their historical context, including possible political influences, as well as other ulterior motives that might be attached to a specific text. Some of his inferences to Jesus, as when Jesus is not clearly identified, might be questionable as to whether it is a reference to Jesus. But, in each of those incidents, the author clearly states through historical evidence why he believes the more anonymous reference should be considered to be a specific reference. While the author clearly has a perspective as to the interpretation of the given texts, he also presents viewpoints that are contrary to his own (i.e.-the two source theory is both supported and challenged without a definitive conclusion being reached). The evidence is presented, put into historical and social context. It is interpreted, but not in only one way, inviting the reader to ponder and look deeper into the matter.
I found the section of the book dealing with searching for the sources of the canon to be especially well developed. Through reviewing the synoptic parallels, Van Voorst creates a credible theory of a written source that we call Q. This process also delineates the material specific to each Gospel, helping to indicate the purpose each Gospel writer had in writing their version of the life of Jesus.
In the non-canonical writings, the author uses other Christian writings of the period to show, through language and style, where interpolations may have occurred and why he believes, in some instances, no alteration of the text took place.
I found this book to be an effective introduction to both canonical and non-canonical references to Jesus found in ancient texts. The strengths of the book include the presentation of the material, which is helpfully divided into different areas of reference. The author not only gives his perspective of how the writings could be interpreted, but other theories as well. There are no absolutes presented as he explores potentially interpolated material into the ancient writings. While the focus of the book is references to Jesus outside the New Testament, I found the author’s review of the canon helpful. Van Voorst does not simply present the canon as evidence, but rather explores potential sources for the Gospel authors. His overview of the two-source theory is presented in a clear fashion and helped clear up some confusion in my mind. In the final analysis, the ancient references do not give a clearer picture of Jesus as an historical figure, as it gives a picture on the development of the early Church and how it was perceived by contemporaries that were supportive, not supportive or neutral. The book is reader-friendly, with many explanatory footnotes, and presents what can be a complex matter in a straight-forward manner. While the book does raise some questions that it does not fully answer, I believe that those will be issues addressed in later volumes of the proposed series.
Leander E. Keck is the author of Who is Jesus? History in Perfect Tense. His book evolved over time, its origins being a series of three lectures in January of 1995 at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul on the topic "Who Is Jesus?" at their mid-winter convocation. The work was expanded upon, modified and presented as the Clark Lectures at Duke Divinity School a few months later. In March of 1997 they were revised again and presented at the University of South Carolina and at Mepkin Abbey. The work continued to evolve until it reached its present form and was published in Columbia, South Carolina, by University of South Carolina Press in the year 2000.
The author's target audience are those interested in the historical Jesus using the negative criterion method, yet also devoted to the quest of Jesus' current theological and moral roles in today's world.
The book is written in five chapters consisting of the following: 1) The Presence of the Past, 2) The Permanent Particular Jesus the Jew, 3) The Embodied Future: Jesus the Teacher, 4) The Fractured Prism: Jesus' Death and the Living God, 5) The Authorizing Judge: Jesus in the Moral Life. The first chapter explains the usage by modern historians of the negative criterion method in the quest to find "solid historical information about Jesus." (p. 14) In this method, "one should subtract from the gospels all sayings of Jesus that coincide with Christian teaching about him, (for this reason, the majority of the gospel of John is subtracted because authorship consisted around one particular group of Christians) especially those in which he formulates the purpose of his mission. As a result, getting to the real Jesus of history entails a consistent de-Christianizing of Jesus in the gospels." (p. 15) Likewise, since many early Christians were Jewish, "only those teachings that do not express typical Jewish views as well came to be regarded as genuinely from Jesus himself." (p. 15) Therefore, what we are left with is the purging of Jesus from Christian theology, typical Jewish beliefs, and negative attitudes towards Judaism as well. (p. 16) The remaining four chapters utilize this method exploring the remaining four roles of Jesus, seeking meaning in "perfect tense."
Throughout his book, Leander E. Keck relied most heavily on scholarly research. Nearly every page of his book cited at least two scholars, and often more. His "works cited" page was ten pages long. Two names that were listed fairly frequently were Albert Schweitzer and P.T. Forsyth.
He also incorporated both Hebrew and Greek texts into his work. For example, when discussing Jesus' teachings in the third chapter, the question of "repentance" came up when discussing both John the Baptist's and Jesus' teachings. For John, "repentance" was a key phrase, and Jesus did receive John's baptism. When examining these two particular Jews, Keck explored the Hebrew Bible's usage of the word for repent which was shub. (p. 88 & 89) Likewise, in the following chapter which dealt with the death of Jesus, when examining the passages in the Synoptic gospels that deal with Jesus' decision to go to Jerusalem, Keck quotes a source that explores two Greek words. The two words explored were dei and gegraptai--both meaning God wills it, but the first implying a catastrophic event. (p. 118)
Perhaps the best example of Keck's usage of the negative criterion method's "purging" to the Historical Jesus was his work surrounding the story of the wicked tenants who killed the landowner's son (Mt 21:33-46; Mk 12:1-12; Lk 20:9-19; Thomas 65). In this segment, Keck explores the parable in each source and declares that, "In the Synoptics, especially Matthew, the story is an allegory of God's repeatedly frustrated efforts with Israel: the landowner is God, the vineyard is Israel (as in Is 5:2), the tenants are the religious leaders, the rejected slaves sent by the owner are the prophets, Jesus is the son, his murder is the crucifixion, the annihilation of the tenants is the destruction of the temple, and the ‘others' who receive the vineyard are the Gentile Christians. Since the Evangelists see in the slain son Jesus' self-reference, they append a saying about the rejected stone, taken from Psalm 118:22-23. The absence of these allegorical details from Thomas implies that it may well be closer to what Jesus said than what the Synoptic's report." (p. 100)
Here is a perfect example of why the negative criterion method is used. Keck maintains that the Synoptic Evangelists have added "Christian" interpretation to the actual words of the historical Jesus. It is especially evident in Keck's phrase, "those who receive the vineyard are the Gentile Christians." His very first premise in the second chapter of the book was that Jesus was a Jew, and held Jewish negative attitudes towards Gentiles. On page 58 he stated, "It is altogether likely that Jesus had not one good thing to say about Gentiles as a group." Therefore, the Gospel of Thomas version–although the "son" probably also refers to Jesus--is probably a truer rendition of the words of the historical Jesus.
Gospel of Thomas Version: "A...person owned a vineyard and rented it to some farmers, so they could work it and he could collect its crops from them. He sent his slave so the farmers would give him the vineyard's crop. They grabbed him, beat him, and almost killed him, and the slave returned and told his master. His Master said, ‘perhaps he didn't know them.' He sent another slave, and the farmers beat that one as well. Then the master sent his son and said, ‘perhaps they'll show my son some respect.' Because the farmers knew that he was the heir to the vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him. Anyone here with two ears had better listen."
(Keck, p. 100)
The negative criterion method was something totally new to me. At first I thought it was the most preposterous thing I had ever heard of. The "purging" of the gospels to get to the historical Jesus seemed quite ironic. Since I view Jesus as sinless, what needs to be purged? I grew to respect it though as I read on and understood where they were coming from. I don't remember a time during my formative years that I didn't attend church. That is becoming more and more rare. It also is more and more rare for people to just accept the gospels as truth simply because they are called gospels. Going into ministry one needs to be prepared by having the tools to use in order to answer valid questions. I'm glad I've learned it because it will be valuable information. No longer do I see it as preposterous.
I don't consider myself to be "scholarly," nor am I "historically minded." With this in mind, the book for me was very difficult to read. I read it with a dictionary in hand, and to be completely honest, I read most chapters twice to make sure that I had grasped as much of the meaning as I possibly could. Although the process was tedious, I enjoyed the book. What I enjoyed the most was that it allowed me to take the information and apply it both theologically and morally. I am a theological person very bent on holy living, so I had a great time with it. Looking at Jesus in the present tense allowed me to be the believer in the resurrection that I am, to recognize that Jesus is alive today, and to think about what that means. At the same time, the final chapter dealt with Jesus as Judge which was all about holiness and accountability. At least that's how I looked at it.
In closing, I'll share just a few favorite segments. When speaking of Jesus' life on earth Keck stated, "He acted as the finger of God and spoke as the mouth of God." (p. 101) He revisited the "finger of God" metaphor later when he discussed Jesus and the cross. When on the cross, "Jesus addressed the void, not the bystanders. On that darkened day he did not ask them, ‘Why has God forsaken me?' but hurled his question into the unsensed Presence directly, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' In those circumstances that was nothing less than the profound cry of faith from the bruised finger of God into the hidden face of God." (p. 138) And finally, "The point is that the cross does not promise explanations but a way of understanding that can release power to persevere and to hope because it is a definitive precedent validated by the God whom Jesus, even in his sense of abandonment, dared to call ‘My God, my God.'"
(p. 149) Provocative to say the least.
The authors each come from a different perspective. Richard Horsley has devoted a good deal of his life to the search for the historical Jesus, studying New Testament texts and Judean history. He has numerous works some of which indicate that Jesus’ public ministry in first century Galilee reflects similar movements of peasant protest and resistance. Neil Asher Silberman’s writings reflect his own study of the modern political, religious and ideological entanglements of Near Eastern archaeology. He concludes from his recent study of the Dead Sea Scrolls that modern scholars have greatly underestimated the dimension of the apocalyptic expectations. He feels that scholars may have overlooked the function of the scrolls as an ideological protest against Roman imperial rule. Together they portray a common, close connection between ancient religion and politics. Using new sources of information the intent of this book is to trace the earthly origins of early Christianity. This is an attempt to show that the world of Jesus, His disciples, Paul and the early Church was not just a religious battleground, but one of economic turmoil, dislocation and changes in culture and politics. They offer a view of the changing world from those on the bottom of the social heap, rather than the top.
The book is set up in chapters 1 through 11 which tell who the early Christians were. They start with a brief history of the Israelite people. They put forward the picture of what is going on politically and culturally. They establish the life under Roman rule and turmoil of succession of the Israelite kings eg. Herod. Through out the book they stress the climate of oppression for the common people. There was an enormous gap between the opulence of the rich and the poverty of the common people. We are drawn through the lives of John the Baptist, Jesus, His surviving disciples, Paul and the early Christian. The history, politics, socio-economic life and responses to all of these influences are brought out in the book. They stress that this was not just a religious movement, but a movement in response to the environment in which these people lived.
Sources for this book were the four Gospels, Acts, Paul’s letters, the Dead Sea Scrolls, other archaeological findings and early Christian writings. Scriptural interpretations were taken from Revised Standard Version copyright 1946, 1952 and 1971.
The Authors made use of Paul’s letters quite a bit. One example is his letter to Philemon. This letter was to an individual rather than a community. From the salutation at the beginning of the letter we can tell that Philemon was a household owner who hosted an assembly. They presume this was in Ephesus. Paul regarded Philemon as a “beloved fellow worker”. However while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he sheltered and baptized Onesimus who was a run away slave who belonged to Philemon. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a request begging Philemon to free Onesimus and treat him as a beloved brother, rather than expecting him to purchase his freedom as was the custom.
I liked this book. It is well set up and clear. The background concerning the world in which Christ and the early Christians lived helps to give a new perspective on what influenced people of the time. The environment in which they were living clearly impacted their attraction for the better world they were hearing Jesus talk about.
If I had been searching for a book to read regarding Jesus, I would have been drawn to this book. Serendipitous that it should be chosen for me.
The introduction of the book describes Richard Q. Ford as a clinical psychologist long interested in responding to the parables of Jesus with the particular ways of listening practiced by psychotherapists. He chose seven parables commonly titled the Dishonest Steward, the Talents, the Unforgiving Servant, the Unjust Judge, the Wicked Tenants, the Prodigal Son, and the Vineyard Workers to study within the concepts of psychotherapy listening. A forgiving way of interpretation intended for any reader of Jesus parables.
The book is structured to analyze and persuade the reader to consider the lives of the characters in the parables at a deeper emotional level. He states that each narrative has a common theme in that two persons or groups of persons are in conflict. One side being stronger and in control, the other weaker and obliged to comply. All seven also share common structure in that they all have three scenes. “Therapists invite, respect, and struggle with the distortions that regularly occur when two persons of different backgrounds try to stay together, when they want something from each other, and when at least one of them resists either controlling or being controlled.”
All of us have read these parables many times and we tend to skim them knowing who is the superior character, morally correct, and in God’s favor. We perceive and follow the superior characters actions and attitudes as correct, right and exclude that the actions of the subordinate as difficult. We attribute resolution and power to the superior character and blame and weakness to the subordinate character. This author suggests that with the “listening” skills of a therapist that there is another option when reading these parables. We can perceive a more balanced and complex tension between the two persons and that each contributes pain, weakness and power to the conflict.
The author uses the evidence of the biblical parables as written in the New Revised Standard Version of the bible. The parables unfold with historical background, some scholarly interpretation, and some translation from original text language. He then applies a psychotherapy approach to slow down the action, and emotions while prodding the reader with questions that will help reveal a less segregated drama. Leaving the reader with a choice to understand the parables in both directions.
In scene one of the Prodigal Son, the younger son says to the father “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me. So he divided his property between them.” I will have to trust the research of the author when he says that nearly all English-speaking commentators perceive in the father a figure for God. Almost no one probes the significance of his decision to hand over control of his estate to his two sons. The author uses evidence from the studies of James Breech to provide the reader with a different gateway to this parable. Here are some of Breech’s inquiries.
The father has given in to his younger son’s demand, contrary to expectation. To do so, he had to overlook, or to ignore, the fact that the younger son was attempting to manipulate him, and that the younger son was treating him as thought already dead. The man inexplicably does even more than demanded. He divides his entire living between his two sons, giving the part demanded to his younger son and the rest, unasked for, to his elder son. If the man had simply given his younger son what he demanded, the listener could conclude that the man was under the spell of his younger son. The man’s action of dividing his living between his sons creates a situation the significance of which must be clearly understood. In the thinking of the ancient world, questions regarding ownership of property and questions regarding father-son relationships were inextricable. What the man does—allowing himself to be treated a though dead and giving away his proprietary rights—is utterly unparalleled in any of the parabolic narratives which survive from antiquity (Jewish Greek or Latin). Since the situation is so extraordinary, the narrative raises the question of why the man, by dividing his living between his two sons, totally altered the basis of his relationship with them.
For the sake of brevity, I will not go through the lengthy process that the author does to answer Breech’s question. Some of the questions raised are that the younger son’s request implies a wish that his father die. This father offers no resistance to his son’s premature request for authority. “What does the father believe he has provided by relinquishing control over his own resources?” “Can the father in fact give of himself in such a self-sacrificing, premature, and conclusive manner without inflicting great damage?” ”Can parents while still competent relinquish control over their resources without at the same time communicating to the next generation serious doubt about the latter’s ability to discover their own?” Has the father’s life purpose become empty of meaning? The author raises some choices for the reader of the parable. How does the son now see his father? How does the son now see himself? And what feelings he now has. To gain insight in answering these questions, reading the book will unveil many possibilities based on psychoanalytic evidence from other sources.
This book is short and at times difficult to read. Even if the reader is not interested in psychotherapy, the slowing down of interpretation, the probing with questions opens the possibilities of a more balanced interpretation of the text that is refreshing. I myself enjoyed the book and read through it rapidly. Listening to each side of the characters in these parables brings forgiveness to the forefront rather than power and blame. Anyone interested in the teachings of Jesus would benefit from reading this book. These are the stories central to our Christian outlook on life. This book could easily inspire any reader to attempt to listen to a more balanced approach. To quote the author….”I propose that the massive power of these narratives lies in their reliance upon the listener. In them the empire of God comes upon us, not as an overwhelming corrective but rather as that lure which evokes in us the work of recognizing the very different experience of the other.”
Forgiveness and the grace of God.
Bart D. Ehrman is a professor and Chair of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He arrived at Chapel Hill in 1988, after teaching four years at Rutgers University. His principal areas of research interest include: New Testament Interpretation; History of Ancient Christianity (first three centuries), especially Orthodoxy and Heresy, Formation of the Canon, New Testament Manuscript Tradition, Historical Jesus, and Apostolic Fathers. Dr. Ehrman has served as President of the Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, chair of the New Testament textual criticism section of the Society, book review editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, and editor of the monograph series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers. He currently serves as co-editor of the series New Testament Tools and Studies and on several other boards for monographs in the field.
Ehrman maintains that he is not trying to say anything new about Jesus, but his intent is to "popularize scholarly views," with a book that is not dull nor idiosyncratic. He identifies with twentieth-century humanitarian Albert Schweitzer’s view that, "Jesus is best understood as a first-century Jewish apocalypticist."
This book is set up in fourteen chapters. It begins with, who was jesus? why it’s so hard to know, on to declaring jesus the apocalyptic prophet then to the final point of declaring jesus as the prophet of the new millennium. There is an excellent section on his notes, which serve to clarify many of his references throughout the book. Also, there is an extensive bibliography which could serve to be extremely useful for further study of the subject. He is very strong on the premise, throughout the book, to not only share what he thinks but why he has come to the opinions he has. Erhman believes the reader has the right to know what the evidence is that brought him to his conclusions.
Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium seeks to show readers "what many historians have believed about the Gospels and the man, Jesus." Ehrman has evaluated the New Testament Gospels and other surviving sources, including the Gospels of Thomas and Peter. He proposes that, "Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet, a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within his lifetime, and that a new kingdom would be created on earth- - a just and peaceful kingdom ruled by a benevolent God." This results in the proposal that Jesus’ teachings were so strongly urged for immediate action, because He believed the end was truly near.
The book is deemed a "historical-Jesus book," with much of it devoted to context, sources, and the means of assessing them. There are recounts of historical Jesus research, descriptions of Jesus’ context, and descriptions of the context in which accounts of His life were formed.
In the historical research context, Ehrman used, among many examples, the question, "When did Jesus die?" The account from Mark (14:12) tells us on the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus’ disciples asked Him where He wanted them "to make the preparations...to eat the Passover," they made the arrangements, and had the meal with Him that evening. Later that night they went to Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed and arrested. The following morning he appeared before Pontius Pilate, who ordered his execution, and was immediately taken to be crucified at the third hour(Mark 15:25), which would have been at nine o’clock in the morning. In the Gospel of John there is no indication that this final meal was the Passover meal and it is stated that, "Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; and it was about the sixth hour" (Mark 19:14), which would have been about noon. Ehrman shares that the difference can’t be reconciled but it can be explained, then shares a possible explanation.
Actual words attributed to Jesus, are used as a base of study; Jesus tells his disciples; "Truly I tell you, some of you standing here will not taste death before they have seen the Kingdom of God having come in power" (Mark 9:1); "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place" (Mark 13:30). The message that Ehrman attempts to impart is that Jesus did not appear to be looking at the world continuing on for 100's of years and was urgent in His messages to the world.
This is the first scholarly book that I have ever read that made me laugh and made me sad. It affirmed, and then addressed, questions that I have had for a long time. It is easy reading and is written in an entertaining manner. The author certainly has a sense of humor and his goal of not being dull, was certainly met by myself. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a desire to look a little deeper into the life of the historic Jesus and who is not afraid to be challenged by what they read.
The authors of this book are many Catholic and Jewish scholars who come from a wide variety of traditions, from systematic theology to Jewish scholars of Christian origins. The broad nature of the authors therefore translates to an audience of all types, laity in all forms of Christianity and Judaism all the way up through teachers, preachers, and theologians on both sides of the fence. The authors’ areas of expertise span a great spectrum proving this book to have appeal to students looking for different studies of the historical Jesus.
The structure of the book is similar to most anthologies/collections of articles, with the exception that the articles are grouped by religious tradition of the author. The first four articles are by Catholic writers and the last five articles are by Jewish writers. Other than that there is no specific structure, i.e. articles placed in an order that could be construed as a [logical] progression. Rather the overall structure is merely a collection of articles, each approaching the question of the historical Jesus from its own bias.
Each author presents his or her own evidence, ranging from other articles and books to English translations of the Bible and TaNaK.
The interpretations of the Bible are as diverse as the authors, Catholic and Jewish “baggage” all brought to the discussion table.
Author Amy-Jill Levine in her article Jesus, Divorce, and Sexuality, says “…I find persuasive the arguments for the authenticity of the divorce legislation attributed to him [Jesus]: multiple sources suggest that Jesus permitted neither divorce nor, especially, marriage after divorce (Mark 10:2-12 [repeated by 1 Cor 7:10-11]; Matt 5:31-32; 19:3-9; and Luke 16:16-180. The prophet Malachi similarly speaks out: “For he hates divorce, says the Lord” (2:16), and divorce is an issue within the Dead Sea Scrolls. Thus, Jesus’ says are not anomalous.” (p 117) This passage is an excerpt from Levine’s perspective on Jesus as someone working within traditional Judaism. Like most of the other Jewish scholars in this book, Jesus is seen as a Jew in a Jewish society. The Biblical passages are therefore interpreted with said bias.
I enjoyed this book very much. It is a fairly light read, good as a source book when looking for historical Jesus information that comes from more than one tradition. In a way, it is far to short to cover any one of the ideas in enough detail, but the articles do provide a good introduction to many of the debated aspects of the historical Jesus. Overall it is a source I would recommend to anyone looking for a starting place on the issue that contains both Catholic and Jewish interpretations.
While I was assigned this title I was very pleased with this selection for two reasons. First, from a literary perspective it is well written, easy-to-read, and does not use overly scholarly language. Secondly, having never read a completely historical analysis of Jesus I found it to be quite objective and on points of uncertainty, the author argued persuasively yet always reminded the reader a perspective was plausible not absolute.
E. P. Sanders is currently a Professor at Duke University in the Department of Religion and has been since 1990. He is an academic with a great ability to ‘get to the meat’ of the matter. Having authored, co-authored, or edited thirteen books and works for other publications, he utilizes the simplicity of language to convey and expand on the essentials. While he is clearly an historian and intellect, it appears that his audience is quite versatile. This book would attract anyone with an open mind who is interested in an historical account of Jesus’ life. Scholars will find the book a valuable resource when encountering diverging historical opinions on items like the political and economic environment, as well as dating events in first century Palestine. At the other end of the spectrum, for those that are not interested in scholarly debates, the lay person will never feel bogged down with extensive religious jargon and terminology that is not adequately explained.
As the Author admits, it seems to require a necessarily long introduction. As the title reflects, in discovering the historical figure of Jesus, the political, economic, social, and religious values of first century Palestine must be explored. The result is that the first seven chapters put forth the essentials for an understanding of these issues. It is clear that without this ‘extended’ introduction, as it were, the balance of the material would not be adequate and most probably would have seemed biased. That certainly is not the case. The history unfolds with a kind of fluidity that one might not expect from an historian.
The next nine chapters are the base of the book and cover the issues regarding Jesus’ life and ministry that we can claim most probably to be true. He uses all the resources in the best possible manner; all is presented, considered, weighed, and then accepted or rejected. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the book’s structure (and perhaps this is true of all historical accounts of Jesus) is that Chapter 17, “Epilogue: The Resurrection”, is a brief account of how the gospels treat the subject. It underscores the whole of the book in that the primary objective is to discuss and assert what we do know about the person Jesus of Nazareth with a fair degree of certainty, rather than delving into theological and some say, subjective, areas that there is no real historical evidence to support.
Sanders’ evidence lies primarily with the widely accepted proof texts for such an analysis; the gospels themselves, and primarily the synoptic gospels. However, in the introductory materials he employs much of his prior researched material and other authoritative works. His analytical methods are noteworthy. Throughout the book one encounters tables that show the similarities and differences of the gospels on the issue at hand. Then he presents text which further explains his analysis. He also introduces contrasting views on issues that yields a clear and fair discussion, and finally he presents the currently agreed upon view. In certain instances, he states his personal position on an issue and explains why he chose this particular view. This is very useful for the novice who might not have as great a familiarity with the material. The final interpretations of the material becomes both persuasive and yet unbiased, encouraging the reader to contemplate the subtleties of an issue while still putting for a conclusion.
An example of Sanders’ ability to fully uncover the subtlety of an issue is in Chapter 11, “The Coming of the Kingdom”. Much discussion has been had as to Jesus’ proclamation of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and what that meant to both Jesus and to those whom he was preaching to. He opens the chapter by citing the verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He then elaborates on the general ambiguity of the saying and expounds on the problems of where and when the Kingdom of heaven is. He suggests there are six categories in which the sayings are categorized in the canonical gospels and he expounds on each to uncover them in turn. Then he discusses the result of some of the conclusions of these sayings, one being that ‘Jesus was wrong’ (p.179). What makes his argument finally persuasive is that he shows first, that this is not novel in and of itself. Paul too, was trying to resolve issues for the early Christians for instance, for those that had died, would they still enter the kingdom? He compares 1 Thess 4.15-17, Matt 24.27f., and Matt 16.27f to show, the similarities of content and context. Finally then, what becomes important is that “[i]t is very probable that the expectation originated with Jesus.” [that is that the kingdom of heaven was now not in the future]. (p.180). This helps the reader understand that the important aspect in looking for the historical Jesus lies most importantly with the theme or content of a message that is likely to be something that Jesus believed himself, rather than the ‘quoted’ words the gospel writers attribute to Jesus.
My experience in reading this book was one primarily of awe and inspiration. I have never before read such a wonderful presentation and analysis of Jesus’ life. Sanders’ writing style is completely engaging. I found myself as interested in his footnotes and appendices as much as the text. Unlike much scholarly material I have read, Sanders’ use of footnotes is far more informative than the traditional noting of a source. This is a book I will reread again and again and I would strongly recommend. One of my favorite aspects was the manner in which Sanders’ recaps the position and conclusion of each chapter. For a general understanding I found it tremendously useful to be able to flip back to the conclusion of a chapter which reminded me of a position and helped reinforce a current topic. Even in the last words of the book he reminds the reader why the historical Jesus conversation is so important: “we know how much he inspired his followers…who where so loyal to him that they changed history.” (p.289).
This book was chosen because of my personal interest in the role of women as church leaders.
The author is a Japanese woman who wrote this text as her Doctoral Dissertation at Harvard University’s Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA in 1996. With encouragement from her mentors and friends it was published in 2002.
The book was written in a readable and accessible format for those who are not immersed in academic, theological pursuit. Yamaguchi is currently the co-director of the Center for Feminist Theology and Ministry in Tokyo, Japan and received the Bible & Archeology prize for her dissertation.
The text is structure in two parts.
Part I Searching For a New Historical Imagination The author uses this first part of the book to introduce her feminist perspective and to set the stage for looking at women’s roles particularly in the Johannine communities of the first century. The experiences of these women are considered by exploring the daily lives of women and men in the first century as well as the deities and religious leadership of the times, the use of prophesy, healing, sign-working, storytelling and tradition. Politics of the time are taken into account, especially the patriarchalization of society along with the Roman persecution of women. These aspects of life in the first century are compared and contrasted by looking at the Greco-Roman world, the Jewish communities and the earliest Christian communities.
The reader is encouraged to develop a “new historical imagination” by considering the nuances of a feminist perspective in order to demonstrate that “The constant denunciation and violence used to suppress women’s leadership and to silence women are strong indicators of how prevalent women’s leadership was and how influential their messages, prophecies, storytelling performances and communal practices were in the earliest centuries.” (p. 109)
Part II Hearing The Story of Martha and Mary With New Ears Here the reader is introduced to a feminist reading of the text of Martha and Mary (Jn 11:1-12:8). Using the perspective developed in Part I, the author examines the story and the characters, including Jesus, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Thomas, Judas, the Judean neighborhood, the crowd and the authorities.
Yamaguchi employs a prodigious bibliography that includes Greek text, historical background, and scholarly research. Her background is taken from anthropological, social, psychological, cultural and political sources
The author’s interpretation is one of feminist scholarly perspective and was inspired by her exposure to women of diversity during her studies at EDS. She was encouraged by many female (and some male) feminist scholars, most particularly Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza.
“In this text (Jn 11:1-12:10), Jesus is mentioned first in reference to his having been anointed by a woman (11:2). In the middle of the story another woman verbally names him as messiah (11:27), and, then, toward the end of the story, he is presented again as the recipient of a woman’s anointing (12:3). So Jesus, the protagonist, is first and foremost a messiah, the anointed one, and this designation has been made by both the words and action of women.” (p. 115)
By examining the story of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the Johannine gospel from a feminist perspective, we see that “Martha appears as a trusting disciple and friend who engages both in the service of the word (to proclaim the communal faith) and in the service of the table (to preside the communal table at the Bethany dinner). In her actions of service (ministry) she plays the role of community representative. In an echoing and contrasting way to Martha’s discipleship, Mary plays the role of trusting disciple and friend with prophetic perception whose performance is later imitated by Jesus as a model of discipleship for the community.
Lazarus…is a brother of the sisters Martha and Mary, and a disciple and friend of Jesus. In all of these roles Lazarus is a passive recipient of help and love, the role typically assigned to women characters in Greco-Roman stories.” (p. 128)
Yamaguchi wants to show that women were a strong and vivid presence during and after the discipleship of Jesus and that he supported them as prophets, healers, ministers of the word and presiders at the table. She argues that the Johannine gospel presents an “extraordinarily strong support for women’s commitment”. (p. 126)
Mary & Martha was rather easily read and provides a wealth of information about life in the first century communities. As a newcomer to theological academics, it was the perfect book for me to read and from that perspective I liked it. It seemed, however, that Yamaguchi used a lot of conjecture, implication and supposition to develop her “new historical imagination” with which to hear the “female voices in the male texts”. (p. 87)
I like the point she is making and want to believe it. I’m just not sure the evidence is presented clearly or strongly enough for me.
It was suggested / assigned on the book list.
On February 9 and 10, 1996, six internationally known Jesus scholars participated in the first national symposium to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. Talking about the historical, religious, and cultural significance of Jesus, these scholars drew mass media attention and inspired a phenomenally successful follow-up discussion group on the Internet. Jesus at 2000 makes the symposium available to those seeking an introduction to the controversial historical study of Jesus and Christian origins and to those wishing to examine the intricacies of this New Testament scholarship more carefully. In addition to the papers presented by Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Huston Smith, Harvey Cox, Karen Jo Torjesen, and Alan F. Segal, this book includes questions from the symposium as well as a concluding chapter introducing the historical study of Jesus and Christian origins to the newly curious. Readers will appreciate the wide range of perspectives offered, from historical Jesus scholarship to Jewish studies, early Christian history, world religions, and religion and culture. Written for a general audience, the book will be useful in both academic and church settings for those wanting to know what the academy is saying about Jesus.
The questions above are meant for a different sort of book, I think, though one could say the various talks/essays address scholarly research or perspective, at least.
For my example, I have chosen an excerpt from Huston Smith, perhaps the best known religious scholar in North America.... As both a historian of religions and a philosopher, he is known for his empathetic interpretation of the great religions and for his critique of the intellectual assumptions of modernity. (p 107)
....The world stands to God’s total reality as a postcard of Everest stands to Mount Everest itself, or, in Plato’s image, as the shadow of a flower stands to the flower casting that shadow. As less real than God, the world has no claims on God save those that God has lovingly endowed it with. As for our minds, being situated in this half-real, half-unreal world, they are positioned to the way things actually are in something of the way a dog’s mind is positioned toward Albert Einstein’s. It follows that we will never understand who Jesus really was or what God accomplished through him....(p 113)
This book offers sufficiently different viewpoints that the above citation is sufficient. Each essay would have to be quoted to come close giving the full picture.
I liked this book. It addressed several issues of interest to me as a seminarian and church pastor. It was also a good introduction to Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, whose names I have heard many times without having benefit of direct knowledge of their work.
Borg's first chapter examines different perspectives of Jesus in relation to Easter; his concluding chapter introduces a basic overview of concepts and viewpoints familiar to scholars and seminarians, but perhaps new to less experienced students of biblical studies. Crossan's chapter raises the question of what sort of tensions may have existed between traveling disciples and the settled folk they would have been addressing as they shared the gospel.
Alan Segal invites us to think about Jesus' context as a Jew, and the time that he lived in. He raises questions and makes observations about passages from Psalms and Daniel which were appropriated to serve as prophecy after the crucifixion. Apocalypticism, and how it fits into the Jesus movement is another matter Segal wants us to consider.
Karen Jo Torjesen presents Jesus as seen in other roles, specifically as Divine Wisdom/Sophia, Victor over Death and Powers, Divine Teacher, Cosmic Reason/Logos, and World Ruler/Pantocrator. Her work presents insights from various early Christian communities which shared with their contemporaries common notions of the divine and used them as a framework within which to fashion their particular Christologies.
Harvey Cox shared his experiences with, and insights gained from, students at Harvard. In these pages, he describes the most striking qualities of the twenty-somethings who took the (his) course (their suspicion of institutions, religious pluralism, and selective eclecticism) and shows how these qualities shape students’ responses to Jesus. He then discusses the theological issues raised by this process and argues that despite all, the questions of the religious significance of Jesus remains. (p 89)
I think anyone seeking a broader perspective for their theological understanding can profit from this book. It can serve as a springboard to additional study for anyone with the time and inclination to stretch their spiritual horizon.
This particular book was assigned to me. It was an apt selection, however, in view of the fact that I am a psychiatrist by profession, as the book is an attempt to analyze Jesus from a psychological point of view.
The information in the preface states that the author had been involved in Biblical studies, then left the field (reasons undisclosed) and worked for 10 years in psychiatric rehabilitation. He then returned to the field of Biblical studies, and has used his experiences from both areas to writing the present book. The author’s academic credentials and background are not given. He had been working on this manuscript for a period of time, and then in 1996 he submitted it for publication at the urging of reviewers. We do not know where the book was written. The target audience would be any persons with an interest in the human psychological aspects of Jesus Christ.
This is a short book, only about 100 pages excluding notes and bibliography. The book begins with a discussion of Jesus’ apparent estrangement from his family, and two later chapters discuss respectively his relationships with his human “father” and his mother. A chapter is devoted to Jesus’ baptism and what may have really happened at that time. A chapter on sexuality discusses various speculations as to whether Jesus had been married and what his sexual orientation may have been. A review of earlier authors’ formulations on the psychology of Jesus is given in a detailed appendix.
As evidence, the author uses examples drawn from the gospels. The evidence is interpreted in the light of several influential psychological and psychoanalytical theories.
Chapter 7 of the book includes a discussion about whether Jesus was homosexual or heterosexual. Gospel citations are given to support each possibility. Evidence for homosexuality would include the lack of any documented marital relationship and the frequent references to the “beloved” disciple, who was a male. Evidence for heterosexuality would be Jesus’ emphatic statements in favor of male-female marriage (such as Mt. 19:4-6). The author believes that the evidence favors the latter interpretation, pointing out that there are many reasons why a man might not marry and that “beloved” is not necessarily a sexualized term.
One’s conclusions are pre-determined by one’s a priori assumptions. Miller assumes that Jesus had the psychological makeup of a more or less normal human being, at least until receiving baptism from John the Baptist, at which point he had some sort of mystical experience of “Sonship” with God. He makes the a priori assumption that the orthodox Christian view of Jesus Christ, i.e., that he was born God incarnate, is incorrect. Miller’s assumption is arguable.
Psychoanalytic theorists, including Freud himself, are frequently willing to construct elaborate theories on the basis of minimal and/or ambiguous data. They are also frequently reluctant to challenge their favored theories by confronting them with potentially disconfirming data. This author, to his credit, is relatively even-handed in discussing opposing viewpoints.
Reason for this selection:
One reason for selecting this book lies in my desire to know more about the times and life of Jesus and the first few centuries thereafter, during the formative years of the early Church. In theological study gaining a broad historical, social, and religious perspective of the times is important. Such breadth can be substantially achieved through the reading of as many germane sources as possible. Another (and related) reason for this choice is to become more aware of the extra-biblical sources used in scholarly research, especially as they relate to the so-called “Third Quest” for the historical Jesus.
Author:
Robert E Van Voorst is professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. His book presents a treatment of extracanonical evidence of Jesus as a figure of history, as well as the Christian movement as witnessed in Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian sources. The work is an introduction to the sources; however, the analyses are lucid, scholarly and insightful. The work serves as a valuable starting point for individuals with an interest in the “quest for the historical Jesus,” and is part of a series of contributions called Studying the Historical Jesus (editors Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans).
Structure:
The text contains five main sections. In the first section, Van Voorst presents a brief history of research on the historical Jesus. He begins by stating that, until about 100 years ago, scholarly research was largely confined to the New Testament. He next states how the situation today has changed dramatically, especially with the major mid-twentieth century discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library, which, along with other significant discoveries (Gospel of Thomas, Egerton Papyrus, Gospel of Peter, as examples), give us more extracanonical gospel material than canonical.
Van Voorst next summarizes the history of scholarship about the life and teachings of Jesus via the three “Quests for the Historical Jesus.” The Third Quest presently occurring places much more emphasis on extracanonical Christian literature, as well as on significant Jewish writings on Jesus and Christianity and attention to Classical writings in that same vein.
In the next four sections of the book, Van Voorst presents evidence of Jesus outside the canon from the sources cited above. In the Greco-Roman accounts he discusses writings from, among others, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius. Among the Jewish sources he discusses Josephus and writings from the Rabbinic Tradition. Within the extracanonical Christian writings, Van Voorst addresses two sources. Those sources are 1) Jesus as portrayed in the canonical gospels (“Q”, Special Luke and Special Matthew) and 2) Jesus as portrayed in Christians writings after the New Testament (including Agrapha, Nag Hammadi codices, and New Testament Apocrypha).
Evidence:
Van Voorst predominantly uses primary evidence in his study, rarely using secondary sources. All the sources shed light on either the person who was Jesus or on the Christian movement, as either of the two is situated and discussed in a variety of contexts: social, historical, political, or religious. Literary and text-critical scrutiny is also integral to Van Voorst’s work.
Van Voorst also presents arguments on both sides of a source with respect to its authenticity and integrity, listing at times in penetrating detail the numerous pros and cons for the issues in a source he treats, and then drawing balanced conclusions. For the most part, the sources portray Jesus as a historical person. Some of the evidence he presents, however, may be less than reliable, and he explains -- in some detail usually -- why that is so. Nevertheless, even in these writings, there is usually a presumption of the historical existence of Jesus.
The non-Christian sources are more inclined to see Jesus through the Christian movement the writers knew and as that movement impacted their society. Those sources also support details of New Testament traditions of the life of Jesus and the history of the early Church and its traditions. The Greco-Roman and Jewish literature have rather settled conclusions, while with the extracanonical Christian sources the research is quite unsettled, given the relatively recent discoveries such as those mentioned above. For many scholars, that literature holds great promise for gaining a clearer picture of the origins of the early Church and, perhaps, even of the historical Jesus.
Interestingly, Van Voorst concludes that for both the non-Christian and Christian extracanonical sources, and for all the knowledge and insights these offer, the sources ultimately are grounded in the details of the life and teachings of Jesus in the New Testament canon. His last sentence in the text is quite significant on that point: “Our study of Jesus outside the New Testament points at the end of the day to Jesus inside the New Testament.”
Example:
In his Annals, the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus discusses the Roman events from 14 - 68 CE. The text is considered by historians and scholars alike to be one of the finest sources on that period of time.
In chapter 44, which comprises part of the description of the great fire in Rome in 64 CE and the emperor Nero, Tacitus writes of Nero’s blaming the “Chrestians” for the fire. (“Chrestians” was in some ancient sources a misspelling for “Christians.”) He then writes: “The founder of this name, Christ, had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate ... Suppressed for a time, the deadly superstition erupted again not only in Judea, the origin of this evil, but also in the city [Rome] ....” (Pages 41 - 42) Van Voorst makes the point that Tacitus is vehement toward the “Chrestians” but neutral toward Christ, with his “execution” being strictly a Roman matter. The focus, therefore, is on the Christian movement, but with a direct link to Christ, who is seen as the founder of the movement that bears his name and that became well known in Rome. The references to Jesus corroborate New Testament accounts of his “execution” under Pontius Pilate.
The major weakness that evidence holds, however, is that of Tacitus’ sources. If they come from non-Christian sources, the account is much stronger. The sources, however, remain unknown. Van Voorst comes down on the side of Christian sources for the account, but nevertheless concludes that Tacitus presents very strong evidence outside the New Testament to corroborate the death of Jesus. Clearly, Tacitus presumed that Jesus had lived and that the “Chrestians” were named after him.
Reader Response:
This book is informative and extremely well written. Van Voorst writes in a clear style, presents the evidence in a balanced and dispassionate manner, and leaves the reader with a lucid and comprehensive picture for the case for the historical existence of Jesus based on the writings outside the New Testament. Van Voorst bases his conclusions on evidence, and although it is clear that the nature of the evidence is not irrefutable, he offers a compelling argument that Jesus was a historical person.
Through his explanation of the Classical literature, the Jewish Writings, and the extracanonical Christian sources, one cannot help but come away more enlightened and enriched by Van Voorst’s contribution. His work is bound to excite and stimulate one’s interest in the search for the historical Jesus.
Satoko Yamaguchi has taught at the New York Theological School, and is the co-director of The Center for Feminist Theology and Ministry in Tokyo Japan. Yamaguchi was a mathematics professor in Japan where she, with a number of other Christian women started an ecumenical gathering to challenge patriarchal practices in the church, and interpretations of the Bible. During the course of this she came across In Memory of Her, by Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza. This book moved her deeply and led to her changing her life completely. She wound up coming to America and studying at The Episcopal Divinity School for what she thought would be a year and turned out to be much longer. She studied with such notable feminist scholars as Fiorenza, Carter Hayward, Elaine Wainwright, and Kwok Pui-lan among others. After graduating Yamaguchi taught in New York while working on her book which started out in life as her dissertation.
Yamaguchi proposes in this book to lead people in new ways to read the Bible, “to look at our Christian history, and to re-vision our Christian identities”.(xi) In her introduction the author points out that Feminist biblical scholarship has shown that there were many different versions of biblical stories coexisting in the oral world. Examining and hearing these possible stories, especially women’s stories that have been either left out or undervalued, is important because they can give us a broader understanding of the world from which they originate, which in turn will broaden our own understanding of our faith tradition and the identity we take from it.
In this book Yamaguchi looks specifically at the stories of Martha and Mary in the Johannine gospel, bringing to it a feminist outlook. Her goal is to bring a new perspective to these stories in an accessible way particularly to those not in academic theological settings.
The first half of this book is spent delving into the cultural embeddedness of the Johannine gospel. The author first calls for a new historical imagination, and then explains what that means to her, and to the readers. She then goes on to examine the lives of first century women and men in the Roman colonial world. She surveys family life and work environments, deities and religious leadership of the Greco Roman world in both Jewish and the earliest christian communities. Yamaguchi moves further into the historical time and place of that world by scrutinizing the prophetic movements and “I Am” revelations from Sophia, to Isis, to Jesus. She looks at the importance of healing and sign making, story telling and tradition making, and persecution and patriarchalization. All of these areas of examination are done from an historical viewpoint and ask the question what has not been told?. The author attempts to show the reader what life really was like in