Lecture 13: The Quests for Jesus Flashcards
What did Schweitzer believe the important part of Jesus’s message was?
That we should prepare for the coming of God by repenting.
Who believed Jesus was a failed messianic prophet who failed to change history?
Albert Schweitzer
Describe form criticism.
It seeks to get behind the written sources of the Bible to discover the original oral forms that were eventually written down.
Who developed the criteria of dissimilarity and coherence, and in which movement?
Norman Perrin in the Second Quest
What did Bultmann believe was the significance of the cross and resurrection?
We should believe the cross allows us to die to the false security of the world by being crucified in the present and radically align ourselves with God.
The Jesus Seminar believed these passages were spoken by Jesus or added by an editor?
- Turn the other cheek
- Love your enemies
- The good Samaritan
Spoken by Jesus
What did scholars realize by the Third Quest?
We must understand Jesus in his Jewish context.
What did Bultmann believe with regard to the resurrection’s historicity?
There was no resurrection. It is not possible scientifically nor something we can know as historical fact.
What methodology did the Jesus Seminar use?
It assumed all statements attributed to Jesus were inauthentic until proven otherwise. It also followed methodological naturalism.
The Jesus Seminar believed any claims of divinity were spoken by Jesus or added by an editor?
Added by an editor
Give five criticisms of the Jesus Seminar.
- Rejections a priori
- Jesus would not have been crucified
- Gospel of Thomas
- Only liberal scholars on the project
- Jesus not Jewish enough
What does redaction criticism believe about the gospel accounts?
They give information about the theology of the early church rather than the teaching of Jesus.
Who first came up of the idea of the New Testament as myth?
D. F. Strauss
The Jesus Seminar used what questionable source?
The Gospel of Thomas, a Gnostic work written in Coptic
Before Strauss, what two options existed for interpreting miracles in the New Testament?
They either happened as described or could be rationally explained.
Which Jesus discovery movement did not strictly separate the ‘Jesus of history’ versus the ‘Christ of faith’?
The Second Quest
According to Bultmann, what can and cannot the New Testament tell us?
At best, that there was a Jesus of Nazareth who lived and was crucified. However, the gospels cannot tell us the ‘what’ of his story.
What two points make it unlike the New Testament writers intended to embellish the accounts, and undercut the “Jesus of history” versus “Christ of faith” distinction?
- Luke attempted to give an accurate record in Luke and Acts.
- Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 15 discusses eyewitness accounts
What does form criticism believe the gospel accounts can teach us?
They show what the church believed and preached about Jesus rather than what Jesus actually said and did.
Describe redaction criticism.
It believes the people who eventually wrote down the oral units added their own perspective and theology. These must be stripped away to find the original meanings.
Which Jesus discovery moment was Bultmann part of?
The Old Quest
What two things is the Jesus Seminar criticized for rejecting a priori?
- Any longer speeches without context
- Jesus quoting Scripture or suggesting he is the Messiah
What does form criticism believe about the parables?
The explanations of the parables do not belong with the parables.
What did Strauss believe about Jesus?
He was a human man whose disciples added messianic teachings to his legend after the fact. Still, Jesus embodies the truth of the unity of God and mankind, infinite and finite.
The Jesus Seminar believed the gospel of John was spoken by Jesus or added by an editor?
Mostly added by an editor
What is the strongest argument for rejecting the Jesus Seminar conclusions?
The Jesus they depict would not have been upset the Jews and Romans enough to be crucified.
What process did Bultmann want to apply to the New Testament?
demythologization
Define demythologization.
As defended by Bultmann, it meant discerning the significance of New Testament events by understanding them subjectively and existentially. He wanted to find the significance of the kerygma without accepting the pre-scientific worldview of the early church.
What did Strauss believe about miracles?
The miracle stories were myths, meaning a legend. Even if not historically true, the idea of the story is what matters.
