A Critical Review of Raymond Brown: Birth of the Messiah Flashcards
What is the title of Raymond Brown’s book mentioned in the text?
Birth of the Messiah
What is “historical criticism”?
- “historical criticism” is “literary” criticism in the light of historical evidence or based on the context in which a work was written, including facts about the author’s life & the historical & social circumstances of the time
- this is in contrast to other types of criticism, such as textual & formal, in which emphasis is placed on on examining the text itself while outside influences on the text are disregarded
What type of research is Brown’s Birth of the Messiah based on?
long & extensive research, cited from historical-critical authors of the last 100 years
What does Brown explain as one of his purposes in analysing the infancy narratives?
he wants to express defence against a certain “rationalistic scoffing” by those who see little value in them because they deny their historical character
What page of Birth of the Messiah does Brown address “rationalistic scoffing”?
page 25
Who is Rudolf Bultmann?
- lived 1884-1976
- “deeply influential” figure in liberal Christian theology whose views shaped the teaching of Christian theology well beyond his own lifetime
- he is significant for being praised by some for ‘rescuing’ Christianity from atheism & condemned by other for practically being an atheist himself
Which method does Brown adapt (knowingly or unknowingly) that is similar to Rudolf Bultmann?
- Bultmann used a method of “de-mythologising” to defend the gospels (in general) against mockery
- this method was used to attempt to separate what was historical in the gospel from what was mythical
What concept does Brown use instead of “de-mythologising”?
the concept of “theologising”
According to Brown, what can we identify in the infancy narratives, even if we cannot be certain of their historical accuracy?
their Christology
What does Brown take for granted about the evangelists?
- that no one of the evangelists was an “eyewitness” (p. 27), therefore disregarding the traditional view that Matthew & John were the final authors of their gospels
- this idea is bolstered (reinforced) by his view (which was standard among many modern critical scholars) that Matthew & Luke were written in the 80s or 90s, which thus allowed a number of years to go by so that traditions could be developed about Christ’s life that would not be dependent on strict history
What is Brown’s main thesis about the infancy
narratives in Matthew & Luke?
that Matthew & Luke were, to a great degree, theologians who wrote their accounts with a post-resurrectional theology of Christ
According to Brown, how did Matthew & Luke view Christ in their infancy narratives?
Christ was the Messiah of the OT & the Son of God, so his conception & childhood had to be marvelous
What does the author find problematic in Brown’s approach?
Brown’s questioning of the historicity of many passages
What example does Brown question the historicity of?
the Annunciation to Mary, due to the stereotypes used (p. 296)
What does Brown acknowledge regarding the description of an angel’s appearance?
there is not much choice but to describe an angel’s appearance in certain ways
