person of christ Flashcards
contradicting social norms
reached out to the oppressed
Jesus asked a female Samaritan by asking her for a drink (the view was that the Samaritans were unclean and lower class)
- reuthers golden thread
challenge prejudice and discriminatory culture of the time - both gender and ethnic inequality
parable of the good samaritan - Jesus used marginalised people as examples in his teaching - the message is to not have prejudice or bias against someone because of their group, social
status, etc.
Arrupe
preferential option for the poor is a term first used by Father Pedro Arrupe which refers to the way Jesus showed a preference for poor people
Jesus seemed to say the poor and less fortunate were blessed (in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount)
Cone - solidarity with the oppressed and His teachings as a model for the struggle against injustice and racism.
Kloppenburg
Gerald Collins - Jesus’ actions provoked religious authority
kloppenburg, a Catholic Brazilian bishop, makes the point that fusing theology and political action diminishes the spiritual message of Christianity
+ strive to see him as Zealot while dismissing pacifism
BUT he argued with Pharisees, was arrested by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, and was handed over to Pontius Pilate to be executed
- at the time of jesus Religious authorities were often political authorities
- “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34)
Demonstrates desire to liberate from laws of oppresions
‘neither slave nor free’ ‘man nor woman’ Galatians 3:28
- clearly promoting social liberation of earth + political message
Also, if all individuals followed Jesus’ teachings, the poor would be liberated by destroying structural causes of economic injustice and inequality
religious significance
The early church believed in the hypostatic Union which states that Christ is both fully god and fully human as two indivisible natures in one person - spiritual element
Jesus being the son of God is central to his authority.
Novation - ‘Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’ - connection with divinity, desire to be associated
‘I and the Father are one’ - awareness of divine presence, transcendent nature
john 14 - no one comes to the father except for me
Karl Rahner suggests that Jesus’ consciousness is like an onion with layers - with his human self-consciousness close to the surface and his divine self-consciousness deep within.
Wright - His authority as the Son of God, His role in inaugurating God’s kingdom on earth, and His wisdom teachings as central to understanding His identity and mission.
Resurrection
Resurrection seperates him from prophets and political figues - pivotal role in Christianity
For Paul, a Christian faith without resurrection is impossible as if Jesus was not resurrected then all preaching would be in vain as our sins wouldn’t have been cleansed
Saunders - suggest resurrection cannot be historically analysed as it relies on faith
- cannot be proven, changed relationship between humanity + God
Some believe that surely his miracles can only prove him as a prophet, like Moses when he parted the Red Sea. it was Jesus’ unique control over his miracles which differentiated him. Moses only parted the Red Sea under God’s instruction, however Jesus’ power to do miracles seems to be totally under his control.
- significance and implications on Christianity makes validity of resurection insignificant + seperates from political identity
moral + spiritual lessons
One of the primary aims of Jesus’s role as a Teacher of Wisdom was to guide his followers back to God, by encouraging them to lead virtuous lives and love God above others
Dawkins - great moral teacher
Sermon on the Mount - laid out the ground rules for a life of moral righteousness
‘turn to them the other cheek also.’ - by resisting anger, sinful actions are avoided
parable of the lost son shows practical wisdom of forgiveness and repentance
- rather than teaching fantastical ideas, Jesus
grounded his preaching in observation and wisdom.
Nietzsche argued that the impact of Jesus’s teaching is made so profound by the fact that it is based on empirical observation and real-world experience, rather than revelation from a somewhat distant and unprovable God.
Hick
profound effects of his teachings - ‘gifts to the world’ - profoundly shrewd teacher through which God could channel his own voice.
- teachings promoted transformation of society (Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for Sabbath) - desire for change within wider social constructs
- he compromised his own authority for the welfare of another - Jesus cured a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years on the Sabbath Day.
- teachings not only for morality, but also for political messages
Bauckham + his divine authority allows him to be a teacher of wisdom
