The person of Jesus Christ

Question 1

Describe the lessing ditch.

Answer 1

“Lessing ditch”- if the life of Jesus is to be the foundation of someone elses life we need to have a clear distinvtion between what is made up and what jesus might have reasonably done or said.
When when we find that something recorded in the gospel contrasts with our reason, the ugly great ditch of irrationalism shouldnt be crossed - unless we have proof to support a christian claim it should be disregarded.

Question 2

What does Calvin say about the jesus we see with faith vs historical Jesus?

Answer 2

• The purely historical or rational understanding of Jesus would never reveal Jesus the son of God. With faith, we see Jesus as the pure mirror or reflection of the divine which is necessary in order to know God.
  This suggests we need faith to understand Jesus as the son of God

Question 3

What criticism to Calvin does Wright make?

Answer 3

Wright as a criticism to Calvin- history is treated as an icon. It is like a picture which tells a story, but which need not be tested against reason. This can lead to an antihistorical or sentimental presentation of Jesus

Question 4

What does Reimarus argue about Jesus?

Answer 4

Reimarus- Christians had invented Jesus as Gods son when in fact he was a Jewish reformer who then became a political extremist, failed and was executed. His disciples made up the resurrection and hoped God would bring about the end of the world.

Question 5

Explain wrights ideas on the “criterion of similarity”

Answer 5

Wright- “criterion of similarity” – when placed in their Jewish setting, the gospel tells us a great deal about the person of Jesus which is not inconsistent with the Jesus whom Christian’s worship

Question 6

What do Wrede and Schweitzer believe about Jesus?

Answer 6

Wrede and Schweitzer- The gospels stories were almost certainly made up by the gospel writers. The author of Marks gospel made up a messianic secret where Jesus frequently tells people not to say he is the Messiah to give a pseudo historical reason why he was never considered to be a messiah in his lifetime.

Question 7

What does Bultmann say about the jesus of history and the jesus of faith?

Answer 7

Bultmann- Jesus of history is less important than Jesus of faith. Bultmann remains sceptical that we know for certain anything at all about the Jesus of history. He refers to demythogising- metaphors of religious experiences were falsely treated as objective facts. We need to strip away the metaphors to recover the original existential experience.

Question 8

What does Sanders say about the jesus of history and the jesus of faith?

Answer 8

• Jesus of history and Christ of faith are two separate ideas because the world of reason and empirical study is entirely different from the claims of faith.
• “Category error”- he must not move into the world of theology as a historian in the quest to establish the historical Jesus. This would confuse history with faith claims.
• Unlike Butler, Sanders thinks we can have pretty good historical picture of who Jesus was when placed in his Jewish setting, but historical analysis does not suggest he was unique.
• Jesus saw himself as “Gods last messenger before the establishment of the kingdom”
• Jesus considered that the temple would be renewed, and the twelve tributes of Israel would be reassembled
• Jesus was a popular figure among the ordinary people who were attracted to him because of his healings
• Jesus’ vision of society was that there would be major reversal in society where the poor and lowly would have leading places.
• His teachings on violence, miracles, hope for outcasts etc. made him different from people at the time but didn’t make him unique

Question 9

What knowledge does Jesus have of God?

Discuss their relationship

Answer 9

• The relationship between God and Jesus is mysterious. Jesus calls God “father” and a heavenly voice calls Jesus “son” but Jesus does not use the word “son” himself.
• Jesus knowing God is considered to be an ancient puzzle because if Jesus is God and human at the same time, does that mean that two beings are inhabiting one body? - this causes the rise of the question of whether God has full control of Jesus and whether human Jesus has any free will or say at all. – the council of Chalcedon comes to the conclusion that Jesus must be full God and fully human- hypostatic union

Question 10

Discuss how human jesus really was.

Answer 10

• In order to save humanity from sin, Jesus had to be divine as only God can save humans. However, if Jesus was God he couldn’t have suffered on the cross as only humans suffer, which would make his crucifixion and resurrection meaningless.
• If Jesus wasn’t God, he couldn’t overcome evil forces. However, if Jesus wasn’t human, he couldn’t overcome these evil forces for humans by sacrificing his life.
• Jesus being both human and God raises questions. Paul writes that humans have a sinful, corrupting nature so if Jesus is human wouldn’t he become corrupted too?
• Bishop Apollinaris worried that a “human mind- that is a changeable mind… is enslaved to filthy thoughts” and so suggested that the Word replaced the human mind and soul with a divine one without taking on humans fallible (being able to make mistakes) nature.
• This raises a question; how could humanity be fully redeemed if not all of human nature was saved?
• Gregory rejects Apollinaris suggestion because it indicated of a ‘half salvation’.

Question 11

How did the chrches resolve the question of jesus’ humanity and divinity?

Answer 11

• Most Christian Churches including eastern orthodox, catholic and most protestant Churches follow the agreement by the major ecumenical councils. These resolved that Jesus was of the same substance as the Father (homoousios). They also agree that Jesus is acknowledged in two natures which come together in one person and hypostasis. He isn’t a mix or blend.
• “Our Lord Jesus Christ is to u One and the same Son, the self- same perfect in godhead, he self-same perfect in manhood, truly god and truly man” – Bindley

Question 12

Medieval theology responded with three kinds of knowledge that jesus might have.
Give each and define what it is.

Answer 12

1. Knowledge of the divine reality of God, face-to-face, and all the created realities
2. An infused knowledge
3. Knowledge of life in the normal way of human life

Question 13

What does Rahner say about human consciousness

How does he solve the problem of Jesus having two consciousnesses?

Answer 13

• Rahner suggests a genuinely human consciousness must have an unknown future in front of it. If Jesus was conscious of the Fathers awareness all the time, he can hardly be called human.
• His solution is to think of an onion. Psychologists tend to describe human’s self-awareness as layered, like an onion. We have deep within us better understandings of our self which are not always on the surface of our consciousness. Jesus’ emotions on the cross would be real if his human self-consciousness was close to the surface and his divine self-consciousness was deep within.

Question 14

What does O’collins say about the difficulties of answering questions about Jesus’ self knowledge?

Answer 14

• O’Collins challenges the possibility of answering these kinds of questions:
  1. It is very difficult to undertake any study of the inner world of any being so trying to make sense of Jesus inner life experiences might be very challenging, especially since he left no writing of his own.
  2. Before anyone can say “yes, Jesus knew he was the saviour” a person must first understand the complexity of knowledge and the multi layered structure of how we experience reality (incl. thoughts, emotions etc.). Therefore, it is easier to say that Jesus knew what he was, than for Jesus to actually know what that he was the saviour.
  3. Consciousness is not the same as knowledge of a separate object. Knowledge of a separate object takes place without reflection, but consciousness always involved a degree of reflection.
• O’Collins concludes that one answer is possible given all these factors: Jesus knew he was in a unique relationship to the Father. He knew his mission was to salivate for all of humanity- these were facts of his consciousness. His awareness of sonship was a self-consciousness and self-presence in which he was aware of his divine reality. He couldn’t observe the presence of God.

Question 15

Describe what miracle work jesus did.

Answer 15

• In the New Testament, Jesus is shown as being a miracle worker healing the sick and driving out demons (Mark), proving that he is the son of God. An example this is when Jesus disciples were in a fishing boat struggling I the storm and he walked over the water and into the boat. Then, the storm died down.
• Many people today believe that miracles happen today too and are evident of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that they have witnessed healing miracles.

Question 16

How does Hume interpret Jesus’ miracles?

Answer 16

• Hume’s essay on miracles argued that because we have no present-day experiences of miracles ourselves it isn’t possible to trust the accounts of Jesus walking on water or any other miracle given in the New Testament.

Question 17

How does - Schillebeechx interpret Jesus’ miracles?

Answer 17

• Schillebeechx states that Jesus’ miracles could be interpreted as having a spiritual or metaphorical meaning today rather than having a literal one for the past. Perhaps Jesus is a source of calmness in people’s lives and his miracles spread the message that people should let Jesus enter their lives and not to fear the troubles they face.

Question 18

How does Wright interpret Jesus’ miracles?

Answer 18

• Wright focuses on Jesus’ healing works and states that Jesus healed all kinds of people including people that were excluded from society such as the ritually unclean by bringing them back into a relationship with God. He suggests that this shows us that we should care for people who experience problems or exclusion in their lives.
• He states that Jesus’ miracles mean something greater than simply a power that can change the way the world works.

Question 19

What Biblical evidence of a miracle is there in the Bible that support the claims made by Wright?

Answer 19

• A miracle story takes place in John. This story consists of a blind man being healed by Jesus. During this biblical event, Jesus is asked what possible sin could have led to blindness at birth (since people believed sin caused illness). In this case, people were questioning whether any sin committed BEFORE birth could be so bad that an individual is born blind. Jesus answered, “this happened so the works of God may be displayed in him, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. This miracle was then questioned, including Pharisees questioning whether the man was truly blind and- after finding out he was truly blind- kicking the previously blind man out.
• Some would state that this proves Wrights point that Jesus miracles are linked to his wider purpose rather than just being a miracle.

Question 20

What does Paul argue about Jesus resurrection?

Answer 20

• Paul argues that if Jesus was not resurrected then all preaching would be in vain, and humanities sins wouldn’t have been forgiven.

Question 21

What does Wright say about Jesus’ resurrection?

Answer 21

• Wright states that the belief that Jesus had been raised from the dead was the reason why Jesus disciples regrouped and rapidly changed their traditional worship practices to focus on Jesus. The discipled had been shattered by Jesus’ death and without the resurrection the Christian Church would have not been developed.
• Salvation is dependant on Jesus being raised from the dead

Question 22

Give the 5 - different Christian meanings attached to the resurrection.

Answer 22

1. The resurrection of Jesus discloses God in a new way, through suffering, new life and unconditional love. McGrath states that this shows God’s victory over death, and it gives Christians hope of eternal life after death.
2. The resurrection vindicates his certainty in the future Kingdom of God. O’Collins argues this. This means that since Jesus’ miracles were not accepted by some, his resurrection will act as proof that he is truly the Son of God and has authority.
3. The resurrection is the full and final revelation of Jesus. It finalises Jesus’ purpose on earth.
4. The resurrection reveals the glorified transformed being as it reveals Jesus in a new and finally transfigured way. It is also a fulfilment of the promise Jesus made to Sanhedrin “and you will see the Son of Man sitting in the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven”
5. Realisation that the weak can intervene in God’s revelation. O’Collins states that in the resurrection there is a realisation that “the weak, the despised, and the suffering can serve as special mediators of revelation”.

Question 23

What does Dawkins believe about Jesus as a person?

Answer 23

• “Jesus was a great moral teacher”- Dawkins

Question 24

Why was Jesus sometimes called a rabbi and what does this mean?

Answer 24

• Jesus was sometimes described as being a rabbi. This term described him as an educated teacher who interpreted the law, surrounded by followers.
• Jesus could reach and taught others. Many were surprised by how educated he was.
• Jesus spoke on moral issues and ideas such as the importance of love and self-sacrifice.
• He used moral teaching techniques with controversial or surprising stories. These often took unexpected turns and seemed designed to get his listeners to think about preconceptions (an idea you have about something before you really know it).

Question 25

What moral teachings did Jesus display?

Answer 25

• Jesus’ wisdom is a message of repentance and forgiveness- repent and believe the good news.
• He continuously speaks about the forgiveness of sins and much of his work included healing the sick (incl. people who were outcasted). This indicates there is hope for those thrown out of society.
• The direct moral messages of Jesus’s teachings are concerned with love. This love ranges far beyond family alone.
• This love is self-sacrificial and overwhelming of other things. People should act out of pure love for one another not because of their status, family or social connections.
• Love, forgiveness and the orientation towards those most in need seem to be the beatitudes of the sermon on the mount.
• They are also found in Matthew where Jesus states that whatever you do for his brothers is what you do for him. The hungry should be fed, the naked clothed etc.
• The purity that we should seek, Jesus states, is measured by inner intentions. It is what comes out of your mouth that makes you unclean, not what you put in.
• Jesus’ wisdom sometimes even went against social norms. He had women as followers and even healed women by touching them. This was seen as being scandalous at the patriarchal time he lived in.
• He also talks about power and wealth. He warns followers not to see people as less important than power. When asked who is the greatest, he answers little children.
• He sees power as acting as blocking closeness with God, saying that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.

Question 26

What does Hick say about Jesus being one of many inspiring holy people? Discuss Hicks believes on Jesus as a moral teacher

Answer 26

• Hick published a series of essays in which he notes that the way in which Jesus is aware of Gods will and God’s willingness to act is not unique to Jesus but is found in Moses, Jeremiah, Muhammad etc. in this interpretation, Jesus is not a unique figure with a unique role in salvation.
• Hicks concludes that Christianity without incarnation is the same as all other religions that perceive God in different ways. Each help people to change from self-centredness to other centredness and love centredness. This transformation is the real meaning of salvation. Jesus is a role model of this kind of salvation.
• Hicks encourages adopting a metaphorical interpretation rather than a logical interpretation of the incarnation. This means setting aside the traditional Christian doctrine that Jesus had a divine nature. However, it continues to provide a great message of Jesus as a wise and loyal moral teacher. In this metaphorical interpretation, Jesus remains close to God and acts as a role model, inspiring the world today on how to live a moral life.

Question 27

How do people respond to Hicks beliefs about jesus being a moral teacher?

Answer 27

• Hicks understanding of Jesus can be seen as an attempt to keep Jesus and Christianity whilst also removing the beliefs about Jesus that Hick sees as being contentious. Therefore, Hick tries to provide a universally acceptable understanding of Jesus which remains the ethical message of Christianity.
• However, his solution creates some new problems. His belief in other centredness and love centredness seem to be in favour of Christianity and therefore differ from religions that emphasise detachment such as Buddhism.
• Hick’s interpretations of salvation as a personal change is very different from salvation from sin and death and seems to lack the gospels message of political and social change. If salvation was simply personal change, phrases like eternal life stop being meaningful.
• Christians reject the idea that Jesus moral guidance can be separated from his divine nature.

Question 28

How does Lewis respond to Hicks beliefs about jesus being a moral teacher?

Answer 28

• Lewis criticises those who accepted Jesus as a moral teacher but not as the Son of God. He says “a man who is merely a man and says those sorts of things would either be considered a lunatic or a devil of hell. Either this man was, and is, the son of God or he is a lunatic, but you cannot say he was a great moral teacher but not the son of God”.

Question 29

How would Bonhoeffer respond to Hicks beliefs about jesus being a moral teacher?

Answer 29

• Bonhoeffer links the incarnation to both human salvation and an understanding that we meet God in human beings- in the oppressed, the struggle for justice etc. Without the incarnation, a connection is lost with the idea of encountering God in human life and human lives. Bonhoeffer says, “When gods son took on flesh… he took on our being, our nature, ourselves… we belong to him because we are him”.

Question 30

How does Hicthens critique Hicks beliefs on Jesus being a moral teacher?

Answer 30

• Some prominent atheists are also critical of Jesus being a moral teacher. Hitchens argues against several of Jesus teachings. For example, he argues that “if only the non-sinners have the right to punish, then how could an imperfect society ever determine how to prostitute offenders?”

Question 31

What biblical evidence is there to prove that jesus was a challenge to authority?

Answer 31

• At the time of Jesus, the Jewish people lived under roman occupation. There were unpopular roman taxes and mixed feelings from people about their government. This led to crimes such as assassinations, murders and rebellions taking place. The final great revolt led to thousands of people being enslaved, over a million killed and the Jerusalem temple being burned down.
• One of the groups that led conflict against the government were the zealots.
• The story of Exodus when God saved Jews from slavery through Moses gave Jews (in Jesus’ time) hope that God will once again save them by sending a deliverer- as prophesised in Isaiah: 11 “he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked”.
• Many Jews hoped that God will send a military Messiah to lead a rebellion against roman rule. Could Jesus have been this messiah?

Question 32

Why may Jesus be seen as being a political revolutionary?

Answer 32

• Jesus being a political revolutionary clashes with the idea that he was a loving and caring person. However, it is possible that the way Jesus was understood by his followers changed over time.
• Perhaps the early church hid Jesus revolutionary tendencies to avoid being persecuted by the authorities.
• There are links between Jesus and the Zealots’ cause. Jesus did suggest a coming revolution or conflict when he states “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”- Matthew
• Jesus followers also had weapons which they used to defend themselves in Gethsemane against the arresting authorities.
• Furthermore, Jesus followers also have suspicious names. There was a follower called Simon the Zealot and a follower called judas Iscariot (which means dagger men, another name for Zealots)
• In the Bible Jesus title links, him to revolution and a bringing of Gods justice: Jesus was hailed as coming in the nature of lord. When he was arrested, he was labelled king of the Jews and put to death for a civic crime, not a religious one. This indicates that romans may have executed him as a possible revolutionary.
• Jesus went to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem with his followers. As the city had violent revolution in the air at that time, the population of the city was filled with people coming to celebrate Passover. This meant the Romans doubled their troops, expecting trouble. Therefore, Jesus choosing to go to Jerusalem meant that he chose to confront the romans himself.
• Aslan identifies Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as an important moment. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, people were singing, shouting, spreading cloaks on the floor as well as waving palm branches into the air. Aslan believes that this sends a message that the long-awaited Messiah and king of the Jews had come to free Israel from bondage.

Question 33

How can the idea of Jesus being a political revolutionary be critiqued?

Answer 33

Aslan’s book “Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth” is controversial. Some argue it is both selective and misrepresentative. This is because there are any instances in the Bible where Jesus seems to have rejected violent revolution:

1. He stops his disciples from defending him with violence
2. He is ambivalent about the traditional messianic titles, not confirming the “King of Jews” title that Pilate accused him of
3. If Judas was liked to violent revolutionaries, then his decision to hand Jesus over might be because Jesus was simply not politically radical enough
4. When asked about his views on roman rule, Jesus sidestepped the question
5. Jesus emphasised peace: “blessed are the peacemakers”
6. Jesus spoke of a kingdom that was not of this world. He seemed less interested in political and military change in this world

Question 34

Why may Jesus be considered a social revoulutionary? Include the points made by Webb and Horsley

Answer 34

• Webb suggests at the time of Jess there was a movement of “social banditry” which was supposed to save the poor peasants from a life of poverty.
• Horsley described social banditry as robin hood-style resistance. By this he means that Rome was holding people of Israel in servitude through their military occupation and heavy taxation.
• Although Jesus referred to banditry in a negative light during the Good Samaritan story where bandits do wrong to an innocent traveller, there is biblical evidence of Jesus actively engaging in challenging negative impacts of the oppression.
• For example, he spends time both with those who were oppressed and with the text collectors who maintained the system.
• He was also prepared to act confrontationally with authorities.
• He was also executed alongside bandits on the cross so it could be possible that romans considered him one too.
• The idea that Jesus was a social revolutionary influenced some Christian movements such as social justice movement and the liberation theology movement.
• Revisionist historians remain convinced that the early church has hidden Jesus revolutionary actions and that he was executed for crimes against Rome.

Question 35

Give examples in the Bible that suggested Jesus was on good terms with religious authority.
How can this be critiqued?

Answer 35

An example of this was when he was entertained by a leading Pharisee. However, the Pharisees sough to transform Israel through a drive for religious purity and so Jesus’ teachings on handwashing, tithing and the Sabbath went against the religious purity demanded by the Pharisees.

Question 36

What did Jesus do that may show that he was disliked by the authority figures of his time?

Answer 36

• Jesus criticised the temple and expressed the idea that it should be replaced by something better. He challenged the fact that people had to spend money to buying a suitable animal
  to sacrifice at the temple. This acted as an economic challenge for the poor.
  Jesus opposition led to conflict with the supreme court of justice in Jerusalem. The rules and systems that religious leaders made to keep a holy separation of people from God, seemed to be at the heart of critical challenges for Jesus.
• O`Collins writes: “in general there was much to Jesus’ activity to provoke them (the religious authority): his initiatives towards sinners, reinterpretation of the Sabbath obligations…”

Question 37

What do Sanders and Vermes argue about Jesus being a Jew?

Answer 37

• Sanders and Vermes think Jesus was more a Jew than Christian tradition admits. Their views include concerns that:
  1. The gospel writers added in stories to suggest tension between Jesus and Judaism
  2. Jesus lived his life as a Jew with Jews. References to non-Jews like Samaritans could be later additions
  3. Jesus did not reject or replace the Jewish law. He disagreed with its applications sometimes but didn’t seriously break Jewish Laws.
  4. Jesus never described himself as the Son of God.
  5. Jesus rejected becoming the Messiah that his disciples wanted. They wanted to resist his arrest by force, he forbade this.

Question 38

How does Wright support the ideas presented by Sanders and Vermes?

Answer 38

• Wright “Jesus offered a fresh interpretation of the scriptural tradition which he shared with his Jewish contemporaries. His was a critique from within.”