Search Results for: Messiah

“An important piece of non-Christian evidence” for the historicity of Jesus

This post raises reasons to challenge “the usual scholarly view” most recently asserted by Maurice Casey in his new book, Jesus of Nazareth, that Josephus wrote a short passage about Jesus. I show that contrary to “the usual scholarly view” in general, and contrary to Casey’s assertions in particular, there is evidence to justify the … Continue reading ““An important piece of non-Christian evidence” for the historicity of Jesus”

Two Adams – and never the twain did meet

Continuing from my post Divine human-like figures in Hellenistic Judaism . . . . During the period that saw the early evolution of Christianity (or Christianities — a range of beliefs that eventually coalesced into what we would recognize as Christianity today) there was a rich diversity of Jewish sectarian beliefs. Most of these vanished … Continue reading “Two Adams – and never the twain did meet”

Melchizedek, the Saviour of Israel

Continuing from my earlier post, Divine human-like figures in Hellenistic Judaism, based on notes from Alan F. Segal’s Two Powers in Heaven. Segal discusses several divine mediators and archangels that once formed part of the kaleidoscope of Jewish sectarian belief systems. Some Jews even believed there were two Adams in Eden at creation. Segal wrote … Continue reading “Melchizedek, the Saviour of Israel”

Israel (Jacob/James), an archangel created before all other creation

If Christianity mutated out of Jewish beliefs it is good to understand just how different many Jewish beliefs were before rabbinic Judaism came to dominate. (This post follows on from Divine human-like figures in Hellenistic Judaism.) Origen preserves for us a Jewish text that offers us a glimpse of beliefs about angels and the nature … Continue reading “Israel (Jacob/James), an archangel created before all other creation”

The Tactics of Conservative Scholarship (according to J. Barr & N-P. Lemche)

In 2003 Niels-Peter Lemche posted a blunt article addressing the unscholarly tactics of conservative scholars. He noted how even historical-critical scholars had come to resort to the same polemics as conservatives in their efforts to “crush so-called ‘radical’ critical scholarship.” There may be a number of explanations for this strange fact. One may be that … Continue reading “The Tactics of Conservative Scholarship (according to J. Barr & N-P. Lemche)”

The things Jesus could foresee: history versus story

Understanding how the Gospels came to be written, understanding what they are as literature, is surely a critical part of understanding the origin of Christianity. Surely one of the most central images of Christianity is that of Jesus knowingly traveling voluntarily to his death in Jerusalem. What I find strange is the extent of scholarly … Continue reading “The things Jesus could foresee: history versus story”

Games Historical Jesus Scholars Play

A review of Dale Allison’s forthcoming book, Constructing Jesus: Memory, Imagination, and History, illustrates both in its post details and subsequent comments how far removed Historical Jesus studies are from the way history is practiced in other (nonbiblical) fields. These comments of mine on this review address starting assumptions of the reviewer problems left hanging … Continue reading “Games Historical Jesus Scholars Play”

Jesus Christ: Maybe BOTH names are titular? (Dunn on Price, again, too)

Christ, meaning Messiah, is, of course, not a proper name but a title, like King or High Priest. Yet Paul’s letters use Christ as if it is a proper name for Jesus. Dunn writes in response to Price (The Historical Jesus: Five Views) what is well known to all scholars: As often noted, the fact … Continue reading “Jesus Christ: Maybe BOTH names are titular? (Dunn on Price, again, too)”

The baptism, the dove and the transfiguration . . . continued

Continuing from the previous post . . . . Two of three ways Greek gods visited earthlings Jean-Pierre Vernant in Mortals and Immortals: Collected Essays (1991) notes three forms in which gods appeared when they visited earth. But dammit, Dixon cites only two of these: They simply come “to” the mortal to give that mortal … Continue reading “The baptism, the dove and the transfiguration . . . continued”

Comparing the baptism of Jesus with Greek gods descending like birds and appearing as humans

Descending Spirit and Descending Gods: A “Greek” Interpretation of the Spirit’s “Descent as a Dove” in Mark 1:10 by Edward P. Dixon was published last year (2009) in the Journal of Biblical Literature (128, no. 4). It is a welcome breeze of fresh sanity into the so many contorted attempts to explain Gospel themes and … Continue reading “Comparing the baptism of Jesus with Greek gods descending like birds and appearing as humans”

A Creationist Method of Argument (and exposing the lie of those who compare mythicism to creationism)

A good friend who is a creationist recently offered me a creationist article to read (“or refute”). The article’s arguments against evolution are based on: a misstatement of, or failure to understand, the arguments for evolution itself a glossing over of arguments for evolution by misleading oversimplifications a failure to address the counter-evidence for evolution … Continue reading “A Creationist Method of Argument (and exposing the lie of those who compare mythicism to creationism)”

More nonsense from biblical archaeologists: turning a Taliban text into a proclamation of human rights and dignity!

Two archaeologists, one Israeli (Israel Finkelstein) and one American (Neil Asher Silberman), have bizarrely managed to repackage a Taliban-like ancient biblical legal code into a modern enlightened expression of human rights, human liberation and social equality. Presumably this is done in order to preserve some (mythical) legitimacy for traditional claims among certain Jewish quarters that … Continue reading “More nonsense from biblical archaeologists: turning a Taliban text into a proclamation of human rights and dignity!”

Brodie (almost) versus McGrath on historical methodology in NT studies

Thomas L. Brodie has a chapter (“Towards Tracing the Gospels’ Literary Indebtedness to the Epistles” in Mimesis and Intertextuality) discussing the possibility of the Gospel authors using the NT epistles among their sources, but what I found of most interest was his discussion on methodology and criteria. The difference between Brodie’s discussion of historical methodology … Continue reading “Brodie (almost) versus McGrath on historical methodology in NT studies”

Why Christianity spread so rapidly to become the main religion of the Roman empire

Why did the number of Christians go from zero in the year zero to become the numerical majority of persons in the Roman world by about the year 350? How does one account for its dramatic success? Many Christians themselves like to answer that question by appealing to the way Christian martyrdoms inspired the admiration … Continue reading “Why Christianity spread so rapidly to become the main religion of the Roman empire”