jesus Flashcards
Son of god and trinity
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons (hypostases)
Each Person is fully God; the three are coexistent, coeternal and coequal.
John 10:30. Jesus said, “The Father and I are one”. This quote seems to suggest that The Father and The Son are one being which would entail co-equal and co-eternal.
jesus miracles
He walked on water, turned water into wine, raised people from the dead. A mere human would not have the power to do such things
Old testament prophets also did miracles. Couldn’t Jesus’ miracles at most show that he was a prophet, as is thought in the Islamic religion? Moses parted the red sea to help the Jews escape from slavery in Egypt.
Jesus had unique control over miracles. Moses parted the red sea, but only under God’s instruction, God telling Moses to raise his staff. Jesus’ power to do miracles seems to be totally under his control. This is most clearly seen in the turning of water into wine miracle because he was reluctant to do it at first before then deciding to do it. This makes it seem that the power to do miracles is completely under Jesus’ control in a unique way.
arguments against the divinity of jesus 1) jesus never claimed he was god, 2) son of god was a common title jn judaism, 3)divinity of god is not mentioned in the old gospels
hick argues against the biblical evidence for the divinity of jesus- according to him he neither believed he was god, the son of god or part of the trinity
Hick points out that the label ‘son of God’ was a common title in Judaism when referring to a very special human chosen by God, not a truly unique divine person. For example, Adam was called the son of God.
MOREOVER, many scholars agree with the development argument regarding Jesus’ divinity. John was the latest Gospel written and clear statements of Jesus’ divinity do not exist in the earlier Gospels, which casts doubt on the authenticity of John. The earliest gospel is thought to be Mark, which begins with Jesus’ baptism making no mention of a divine birth and Jesus is depicted as a prophet.
Matthew 27:46 “my god my god why have you forsaken me?”
Teacher of wisdom (matthew and luke)- suggests his divinity as he is overturning mosaic laws
The sermon on the mount, including the beatitudes. Matthew 5:16-41.
The fulfilment of the old Law
Murder
Adultery
Divorce
Oaths
Eye for an Eye
Although Jesus gave moral teachings, they are not the teachings that a mere human teacher of wisdom would have the right to give. For example, Jesus said “You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39). To take the teachings of Moses and then say ‘But I tell you’ and then give a teaching that completely contradicts those of Moses implies that Jesus thinks of himself as having greater authority than Moses.
BUT, instead this could be interpreted as Jesus, as a prophet forming laws to tailor for the unique needs and circumstances for the communities he addressed.
moreover, the rejection of mosaic laws are merely an update of divine command, since jesus appeared in a time where the mosaic laws were corrupt.
Thus jesus is a teacher of wisdom, not divine but connected to the divine as his messenger.
Hick and bultmann demythologisation
Hick believer jesus was not the son of god in a literal sense, but rather a human role model. we are not to take miracles in a literal sense to avoid mythologising jesus.
Bultmann argued the bible has become harder for people to understand because of the historical and scientific advances of the enlightenment period.
The literalist approach was to believe the myths literally by denying the modern advances in knowledge that contradict them. Bultmann rejected this sort of blind faith as spiritually empty.
The liberal approach ignores the myths and focusing only on the moral teachings found in the Bible. Bultmann rejected this approach because it reduces Christianity to a mere moral philosophy
bultmann rejected both and argued we should see them as a record of human spiritual experience which had been put into words fitting ancient culture. Take the teaching and tailor it to current society
The liberator view
Luke 10:25-37 – The parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus, illustrates the importance of compassion and transcending social boundaries. In the story, a Samaritan, traditionally despised by Jews, helps a wounded man ignored by others. This parable challenges social prejudices and highlights the revolutionary idea of love for one’s neighbor, aligning with Jesus as a spiritual and moral liberator, rather than a political one.
liberator- preferential option for the poor
Jesus also seemed to say the poor and less fortunate were blessed, especially in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.
“it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’ – Matthew 19:24.
so he is a liberator of the poor
BUT, marx would argue this is evidence of christian teachings placating the poor masses, benefitting the rich in a fruitless promise of salvation.
