Jesus Christ Flashcards
Jesus of History VS Jesus of Faith
‘The Founder of this group, whom they call ‘CHRISTUS’ had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by Pontius Pilate’ - TACITUS
Josephus ‘Around this time lived Jesus, a wise man’
The Christ of Faith refers to the Jesus of Christian belief rather than the Jesus of history
Jesus as the Son of God in Scripture (x4)
‘A voice came from Heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’ - Mark
‘He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva and put it on the man’s eyes […] The man went and washed and came home seeing’ - John
‘Shortly before dawn he went out with them, walking on the lake’ - Mark
Resurrection in Luke and age 12 teaching in the synagogue suggest that Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus as the Son of God (x3)
The Chalcedonian Definition puts that ‘our Lord Jesus Christ is […] at once truly God and truly man’
The Hypostatic Union puts that Jesus’ nature was simultaneously human and divine
Pope John Paul II wrote that Jesus was ‘God with a human face’ and that miracles were indicative of Jesus’ divine nature but his capacity to feel suffering was indicative of his human nature
Against Jesus as the Son of God (x3)
‘I no more believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary than I believe that Krishna was born of the virgin Devaka […] parthenogenesis would in any case not be proof of divine paternity’ - Christopher Hitchens
Jesus never explicitly states he is the Son of God and Ebionites see him as selected by God’s holy spirit
Hick interprets miracles such as healing and turning water into wine as metaphors, rather examples of Jesus’ divinity
Jesus’ Awareness of Himself as the Son of God (x4)
‘Are you the Christ, Son of the most Blessed? and Jesus replied ‘I am’ - Mark (Christ means messiah which means messenger)
‘I am the alpha and the omega; the beginning and the end’ - Revelation
Jesus fulfilled a prophecy into riding into Jerusalem as a donkey in John
Jesus acted like he had authority in the Sermon on the Mount and his capacity to perform miracles would surely make him aware of himself
Jesus as a Political Liberator (x2)
Liberation theologian such as Leonardo Boff saw Jesus as a liberator of poor as he had a ‘PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR’ as in Matthew he states ‘Whatever you did for the least of these people, you did for one’
Reza Aslan argued that Jesus deliberately chose to enter Jerusalem during Passover on a donkey (John) to fulfil a prediction in Zechariah and that the ‘King of the Jews’ had arrived
Against Jesus as a Political Liberator (x4)
In Mark, Jesus explicitly refuses to accept the title of the ‘King of the Jews’ weakening Aslan’s argument
During the Beatitudes (Matthew), Jesus states ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ suggesting he sought peace rather than stirring up social conflict
In Mark, Jesus states ‘give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s’ acting submissive to the authorities
After Peters cuts of MALCHUS’ ear in Luke, Jesus heals it
Jesus’ Authority (x3)
Karl Barth thought that, as Jesus was God Incarnate that he had authority, as did his teachings
Leonardo Boff (liberation theologian) thought that Jesus got authority being a political liberator
Wittgenstein thought that Jesus got authority from being a teacher of wisdom and because he was the ultimate example of how to live our lives as he spoke out against hypocrisy even when it was to his DETRIMENT
Jesus as a Teacher of Wisdom in Scripture
Jesus is referred to as a Rabbi in John and instance such as Jesus teaching in the synagogue at age 12 (Luke) or the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew) show Jesus as a teacher
Jesus promoted METANOIA and FORGIVENSS in parables such as The Lost Son in LUKE
Jesus promotes Inner Moral Purity in the Good Samaritan and in Matthew he states ‘WHAT GOES INTO SOMEONE’S MOUTH DOES NOT DEFILE THEM, BUT WHAT COMES OUT OF THEIR MOUTH’
Jesus as a Teacher of Wisdom (x3)
‘Jesus was clearly a great teacher […] an extraordinarily charismatic leader with the ability to excite people into following him’ - Richard Dawkins
Ludwig Wittgenstein thought that Jesus got authority to be a teacher of wisdom as he was the ultimate example of how to live our lives as he speak and against hypocrisy even to his DETRIMENT
Hick thought that Jesus’ miracles were metaphors and he was more like Moses and Guru Nanak as he was a famous moral teacher. This relativises Christianity
Against Jesus as a Teacher of Wisdom (x4)
‘A man who was merely a man and did the sorts of things Jesus did, would not be a great moral teacher, he would be a lunatic’ - CS LEWIS
If Jesus were a merely a great moral teacher he would be held in the same regard as Mother Teresa
Christianity becomes relativized (except Jesus had a UNIQUE other-centred policy)
Jesus loses authority to revise Jewish teaching such as in the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke)
Jesus as a Political Liberator in Scripture (x3)
Jesus could be seen as a liberator of the marginalised due to hit Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke) and associated with Mary Magdalene and making Matthew, a tax collector as disciple
Jesus heals a Bleeding Woman in Mark, challenging attitudes of the time
In Matthew Jesus states ‘I did not come to bring peace, but a sword’ and he condemns the Pharisees stating ‘You hypocrites! You ack the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people’s face,, but you yourselves will not go in’
