Jesus as a Figure in History - Essay Example

Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 188613 01 November 2007 Jesus as a Figure in History by Mark Allen Powell Bibliography The need to know more aboutthe historical Jesus is becoming intense among non-believer, believers and also the indifferent. The reasons are valid and clear. This is the information age. What, why, where, how, when and whether are questions that the present generation is in no mood to shove under the carpet. Centuries of dissemination of the gospel message, its wide and clarion presentations through TV channels, open grounds and stadia, printed handbills, and house groups have caused enough curiosity among the general populace everywhere. The situation is enough to warrant enquiries on the more rational level. Jesus as a figure in history is undoubtedly a very important and pertinent topic for today. The Difference There is a persistent question about Jesus that defies an easy answer. Which Jesus is easier to accept and believe The Jesus that the gospels proclaim as the Son of God who came to be born of a virgin with his divine attributes and claims, two millennia ago Or the Jesus that history is willing to accept and record to the extent science and circumstances allow us to explain and prove This treatise is intended to explore the aspect of Jesus as an historical figure. For this purpose, it is necessary to go into the various details that denote history. Details such as ancestry, creed, social and religious customs and background of the relevant times, Jesus' personality, occupation, credentials, circle of friend, relatives and acquaintances, political scenario, and so forth. The study of the historical Jesus naturally implies the study of the old and new testaments as well as church history. In order to secure the views of every reliable source, fairness demands that nothing must be seen to be explained away as irrelevant, immaterial and conclusive. As of date, the socio-rhetorical interpretations technique is ideal in getting close to the historical Jesus because of its meticulous approach and openness to scrutiny. It uses insights from sociolinguists, semiotics, rhetoric, ethnography, literary studies, social sciences, and goes on to interrelate ancient, modern and post modern systems and schools of thought.(1) Nothwithstanding the means available to get to the details on the history of Jesus, questions galore. Enigmatic rationalists and cultists crop up ever so often with profound and radical claims relating to the history, personality and even "matrimonial facts" about Jesus. Controversies exist relating to even simple incidents as: Was Jesus really baptized by John Did he really feed the four and five thousand Did he really raise Lazarus from the dead What did Jesus mean when he said the kingdom of God was at hand And so forth and so on. (2) The Present Status Until the Middle Ages, leave alone Jesus, it was difficult to gain access to the scriptures for simple meditation. Those who did encourage study of the scriptures like Martin Luther and William Tyndale, who had to pay for it with his life, were publicly ridiculed and warned to desist by the custodians of faith at the highest levels. Of course, their successors regret it now! Even after the scriptures became accessible to the common man, for a long period of time, a study of Jesus in the historical context was frowned upon as akin to apostasy. As a student of history, questions on Jesus could not be freely discussed which otherwise in theological context could have been considered too provocative and even sacrilegious. For instance, the question on the virgin birth of Christ is bound to figure prominently in the historical context whereas in the theological sense it could mean inviting trouble. Coming to healings, miracles and exorcism, the controversy only generates more heat and dust and very little light. Historically, as of now science is in no position to unearth evidence of events and oral statements recorded as having been made but for which there exist no solid proof except their confirmation by the apostles in the New Testament. Concerning the crucifixion, generally there is no objection to its authenticity in historical circles except on the issue of resurrection on which different scholars share different views. History versus Faith Much of the events recorded in the Bible with regard to the slavery in Egypt, exodus, the proclamation of the ten commandments, annals of the judges, King David, the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah, the minor and major prophets, the history of the church, and the contemporary Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman empires, have hitherto stood the test of archaeological survey and research. (3) The historical view of Jesus is limited in the sense that is concerned only with the veracity of his birth, life and death. His claims, expositions, and supernatural acts of healing the blind, making the lame walk, and his raising of the dead, are only worthy of lip service to a historian, for the simple reason that a historian is essentially a skeptic unless his doubts are cleared for the purpose of authenticating the event by well established principles and parameters. Mark Allen Powell writes about the groundswell of interest in the study of the historical Jesus during the nineteenth century which petered off during the first half of the twentieth century thanks to Albert Schweitzer who thought the exercise futile and irrelevant. This interest revived in the 1960s when the critical movement came to be known as "the new quest." or sometimes as, "the third quest" The third quest appears more acceptable to students of history as well as theology based on the canons of faith because of its all-encompassing approach to interdisciplinary character whereby "scholars draw on resources of archaeology, literary criticism, cultural anthropology, sociological analysis, and even psycho-historical study in ways that were not possible in previous generations."(4) Logical evaluations and circumstantial evidence do much to ratify the super natural acts and claims of Jesus during his lifetime in the flesh, that otherwise have the prospects of getting sidestepped by the stiff and unrelenting standards of history. Thus Jesus as the figure of history is at best, liable to be consigned with other historical figures, notwithstanding their order of prominence or importance. Conservative theological perspectives that are more open to logical interpretations finds equal favor with the historical and the theological scholars. Traditional, radical and even orthodox beliefs not only perplex the historical observer but at times are at loggerheads with the conservative and liberal theologians. For instance, let me quote the incidence when Jesus drove out the moneylenders and those selling oxen, sheep and pigeons. Did Jesus' action amount to violence If the answer has to be limited to only "yes" "no" or "no comment," only the individual studying Jesus as the figure of history or the liberal theology is likely to come up with the more appropriate answer that Jesus' action had to get close to an amount of toughness that bordered on violence; while a conservative theologian is most likely not to comment, and the radical follower in all probability will accept the action of driving out intact but discard the slightest notion of violence lock, stock and barrel. Historical and Captivating One aspect where Jesus is acknowledged both as figure of history as well as what he claimed he was, is his captivating expressions in words and deeds. Use of parables, thought provoking questions, disarming answers, and unusual claims sets him apart from rest of the historical figures of similar category. (5) Exegetically, opinions vary and it is difficult to pin down conclusively the observations of Jesus to any one set or school of thought. It was not easy for Nicodemus to understand what Jesus was getting at when he used the now oft-repeated phrase, "you must be born again," or when he unobtrusively addressed Herod as "the fox." History is hard put to explain the courage of someone who could address a ruler as "the fox" without facing the consequence. Even today, the thoughts and observations of Jesus have moral and ethical implications and for this very purpose it has become imperative for those involved in biblical studies to examine and address the historical aspects of Jesus if only to quench the thirst of those seeking moral rearmament and restraints in a society groping for solutions to problems that the Bible declares in no uncertain terms are consequences of ungodliness and disobedience. The quest for the historical Jesus will continue to rage unabated because it pits the positivist against the skeptics, and atheists. The positivist accepts the claims of Jesus in its totality along with his historical persona, and the onus is on the skeptic or the atheist to disprove the authenticity of Jesus' claims and historical existence. The skeptic may not totally go along with all the claims and have valid unsolved queries on various issues, yet accept the claims so as to be on the safer side. The atheist may be the hardest put to disprove much of the claims as recorded and attributed to the historical Jesus. It is not enough to simply disprove a claim without going through the standard procedures of providing valid reasons for the disproof. Lastly, solutions to some questions about the historical Jesus have the potential to become complex due to the fact that for centuries the scriptures were taken as the complete, authoritative and indisputable source of facts and enlightenment. Now in the age of information and technology when material both from canonical documents as well as bona-fide secular sources are available, the urgency and importance in focusing on the historical issues of Jesus cannot be undermined. Sources: 1. Vernon K Robbins, Recent Developments in Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation, www.religion.emory.edu/faculty/robbins/Pdfs/SRIBegDevRRA.pdf, 31 October 2007. 2. Mark Allen Powell, A History of Preaching, interpretation.org/online_journal/pdfs/Interpretation-January2006.pdf, 31 October 2007. 3. Mark Allen Powell, Issues in Jesus Research and Scholarship, www.bibleinterp.com/articles/jesusresearch.htm, 31 October 2007. 4. Biblical Archaeology Society Online Archive Search, members.bib-arch.org/nph-proxy.pl/000000A/...&ArticleID=3d4&UserID=3d0, 31 October 2007. 5. Dale C Allison Jr. and John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus in Context, Princeton University Press, moses.creighton.edu/harmless/.../New_Testament_4.htm, 31 October 2007. Read More