Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
What did Paul — or any of the earliest Christians — mean when they called Jesus “Christ”? I mean before the Gospels were written. If the idea of Christ for earliest Christians and Jews of their day meant a conquering Davidic king, how do we explain why early Christians referred to Jesus as “Christ” and … Continue reading “Christ among the Messiahs — Part 1”
In the next chapter of this series we read the view that John the Baptist was a key figure in sparking the movement that became Christianity. Couchoud takes the date for John from Josephus — that is, towards the end of Pilate’s office in 36 c.e. Couchoud believes strongly that there was a fervent expectation … Continue reading “John the Baptist and the Foundations of Christianity (Couchoud)”
Continuing the series that is archived here. Here is my understanding of Walter Schmithals’ argument so far. (Others who have read ‘Gnosticism in Corinth‘ — Roger? — please do chime in with corrections. I have not found reading S easy and am quite open to being shown that I have forgotten or overlooked some significant … Continue reading “Pre-Christian Christ Gnosticism 5 — The Christ Title (2)”
This continues the series on an introductory chapter from Walter Schmithals’ Gnosticism in Corinth. The full series is archived here. Now it is no longer a very long step to the identification of this system as “pre-Christian Christ Gnosticism.” When Simon identifies himself as the “Great Power,” he therewith makes the claim, not to be … Continue reading “Pre-Christian Christ Gnosticism 4 — The Christ Title (1)”
Posted 6pm. Updated 8:30 pm with note on Thompson’s argument that baptism is a reiteration of OT narratives Every so often scholars stumble over evidence that what they are reading in the Gospels is based not on historical events but on theological creativity but they never seem to mind. They nearly always pick themselves up, … Continue reading “The “Legend” of the Baptism of Jesus (Bultmann flashback)”
Géza Vermes is not a mythicist. He believes in the historical reality of Jesus to be found beneath the Gospels. But in the context of any mythicist debate what he writes in The Changing Faces of Jesus about the “myth” of Christ Jesus in Paul’s writings is noteworthy. It shouldn’t be. What he writes is … Continue reading “Paul’s “Mystical-Mythical” Christ the real — or rival? — foundation of Christianity”
Professor Bruce J. Malina, a leading scholar in the Context Group, has written a book on the genre and message of the book of Revelation in which he interprets it as an astral prophecy. This is from the dust jacket blurb of On The Genre And Message Of Revelation: Star Visions and Sky Journeys (1995): … Continue reading “Born of a woman in heaven: cosmic origin of the Messiah”
It is interesting to read in a short section of Paul the Convert Alan F. Segal’s case for Christianity originating in an easter-type of experience of disciples of a historically crucified Jesus. Having run across so many references to Segal’s book when I was reading about the heavenly ascent mystical experiences among Second Temple Jews … Continue reading “Does the notion of a crucified messiah need a historical easter experience?”
There are two accounts in Mark’s Gospel of restoring the sight of blind men. The first one, two-staged healing that took place at Bethsaida, was discussed here. Much of the following is owed to the discussion by Vernon K. Robbins in that linked post, even at points where I do not explicitly state this. In … Continue reading “Bartimaeus continued: If the disciples be fictional, what be their leader?”
Though most scholars of the gospels appear to regard the gospels as a form of ancient biographies of Jesus, there are a number who continue to doubt that “biography” really does describe their genre. One of these is Michael E. Vines, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Lees-McRae College, North Carolina, who wrote The Problem … Continue reading “The First Gospel was a Jewish Novel?”
One resolution I made to myself after leaving my experience with religion was never to embrace any argument or account of the world without checking out and testing the evidence for it. One detail I regularly read as if it were an established fact was that around the time of Jesus there was a general … Continue reading “The meaning of “Anointed-Messiah-Christ” in the time of Jesus”
The baptism of Jesus by John in the Gospel of Mark is stitched together with images from Old Testament passages, and serves the particular theological agenda of Mark that was challenged by later evangelists So, if a passage in the Gospels can be shown to serve a theological agenda of an evangelist, then according to … Continue reading “Baptism of Jesus is not bedrock fact. It is entirely creative literature.”
The metaphor of the messiah . . . is used neither as a direct reference to any contemporary, historical king nor to any known historical expectations before Bar Kochba (c. 135 CE). (Messiah Myth, Thompson, p.291; SJOT, 15.1 2001, p.58.) Those scholars who repeat that there was popular Jewish anticipation of a Messiah to emerge … Continue reading “What might a Davidic Messiah have meant to early Christians?”
Perhaps the more mystery or inexplicable circumstances there are surrounding Christian origins the healthier it is for the faith business. Not that those of the faith are the only “beneficiaries”. Jesus is, after all, a central icon in the constellations of our broader cultural identities. The inexplicable is his defining asset. The most improbable “stubborn … Continue reading “The most improbable history of Christian origins”