The person of Jesus Christ

Question 1

Zeffirelli

Answer 1

‘Christians have no problem accepting Christ as holy, as God. But they always have problems accepting him as a human being’.

Question 2

When was Jesus described as the son of God?

Answer 2

New Testament and by early church.

Question 3

What does Jesus as the son of God link to?

Answer 3

Trinity and Incarnation- God becomes human.

Question 4

What leads us to think Jesus is the son of God?

Answer 4

He calls God ‘Abba’ (Greek for Father).
Heavenly voices call Jesus ‘my son’.
But Jesus never explicitly says that Jesus is the ‘son’ in himself.

Question 5

What is a problem with Jesus being human?

Answer 5

Paul wrote humans have a sinful corrupting nature.
St Augustine ‘Doctrine of Original Sin’.
We are ‘seminally present’ in Adam and Eve.

Question 6

Argument for Jesus being Divine:

Answer 6

Jesus has to be Divine as only God has this redemptive power.

Question 7

Argument against Jesus being Divine:

Answer 7

Did Jesus really suffer on the cross? God is perfect, he cannot suffer.
Was it simply performative? A guilt trip? An attempt to instil fear?

Question 8

What do Church’s say about the nature of God?

Answer 8

The Church of Chalcedon, ‘Truly God and truly man’.

Question 9

Karl Rahner:

Answer 9

For Jesus to be genuinely human, he cannot know the future.
If Jesus had his Father’s awareness of all time, would not know the future.

Rahner’s solution: onion.
Jesus’ outside layers were human, but deep down is his Divine consciousness.

Question 10

What does Rahner’s onion link?

Answer 10

Freud’s Id, Ego, Superego.
Deep layers we have a conscious we do not know about.

Question 11

Who challenges Rahner’s idea?

Answer 11

Gerald O Collins.
Understanding God is difficult because he left no writings.

Question 12

Hick criticism to Jesus being the son of God:

Answer 12

• Jesus may not have been the only one.
  Muhammed, Guru Nanak.
  BUT, Incarnation is different to other religions and Christ IS Christianity, whereas Islam is not BASED on Islam. So, Christ must have a unique relationship with God.

Question 13

CS Lewis on Jesus as the son of God:

Answer 13

Describes Jesus as a ‘lunatic’.
You cannot accept each thing as separate, he has to be all three.

Question 14

Importance of miracles:

Answer 14

Could walk on water, cure the blind man.

Question 15

Who criticised miracles?

Answer 15

Hume’s ‘Essays on Miracles’ says there are no miracles in present day. So not possible to say that Jesus walked on water?
But surely that is because we are getting more immoral? Augustine believes our punishment is being distanced from God.

Question 16

Support FOR miracles:

Answer 16

Arguably still happening today, just with us becoming more secular, we do not recognise them as miracles anymore, but merely coincidences.
William James says this secularism in ‘The Varieties of Religious Experiences’ calls us ‘sick souls’.

Question 17

Miracles as metaphorical:

Answer 17

Surely the story of Genesis is metaphorical, incoherent to punish all humans.

Also St. Paul being blind for three days can be metaphorical for the trinity and also reincarnation.
Bible cleverly constructed.

We have to trust that the Gospel writers were being truthful.

Question 18

Who did Jesus focus on helping?

Answer 18

Those excluded from society. The blind man eg. Bartimaeus.
Reunites the socially excluded with God.
(NT Wright)

Question 19

Examples of miracles:

Answer 19

• Bleeding woman
• Healing the blind
• Resurrection

Question 20

Bleeding woman:

Answer 20

• Overturned social norms by having women as followers. (Mary Magdalene)
• Heals a woman through touch, radical at this time as women were viewed as ‘temptresses’.
• Shows that he was seen as a ‘different case’.

Question 21

The Blind Man:

Answer 21

Not initially believed.
Pharisees investigated and found it was actually true.
But it was still rejected.

Question 22

Resurrection:

Answer 22

• Women supposedly found him.
• Doubting Thomas.
• Leads to the new religion, Christianity.
• Christianity is based ON CHRIST.

Question 23

Jesus as a teacher of wisdom:

Answer 23

• Advocated for repentance, healing of sick and idea of Good Samaritan.
• Agape, like Fletcher’s situation ethics.

Question 24

Dawkins seeing Jesus as a moral teacher:

Answer 24

‘Jesus was a great moral teacher’.

Question 25

Evidence for Jesus as a moral teacher:

Answer 25

Described as a Rabbi (term for educated teachers).
Preached in synagogues, you needed to be literate to do so.

Question 26

____ on the ____

Answer 26

Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew’s gospel that withholds most of Jesus’ main teachings

Question 27

What is in the Sermon on the Mount:

Answer 27

Beatitudes:
The blessed are
- The poor in spirit
- Those who mourn
- The peacemakers
- Those who are persecuted for righteousness.
- Pure in heart

Doesn’t this highlight a political activist?

‘Pure in heart’- Aquinas’ apparent and real goods.

Question 28

Are Jesus’ teachings teleological or deontological?

Answer 28

Intentions more important than outcomes- deontological.

Question 29

What is Jesus’ golden rule?

Answer 29

‘Do unto others’ as you would want to be treated.
Kantian idea of universalisability.

Just show agape.

Question 30

Jesus’ key teachings:

Answer 30

• Agape
• Service and humility,
  ‘now that I have washed your feet…you should also wash one another’s feet’- serving one another. Jesus washes the servants feet- equality.
• Honesty and integrity.
• Spirituality rather than materialism. ‘The Rich Young Ruler’ doesn’t give away riches.

Question 31

Jesus as a liberator/political activist:

Answer 31

• Radical ideas for the time, such as touching the bleeding woman.
• He had arguments with Pharisees and scribes over religious laws, arrested by Supreme Court of Justice (Sanhedrin).
• Handed to Pontius Pilate for execution.
• ‘Religious revolutionary’.
• Wanted to liberate the people of Israel from Roman occupation.
• Followers had suspicious names like Judas Iscariot, with iscarri meaning ‘dagger man’.
• Matthew 21-12, overturned tables.

Question 32

What was Jesus labelled as upon his execution?

Answer 32

King of the Jews, was not put to death for religious reasons, it was for treason.

Question 33

Was Jesus a pacifist?

Answer 33

Yes- refused to take up arms in Luke 4:5.
No- crucified next to bandits.