The Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith Represent the One Jesus Christ - Research Paper Example

The Jesus of history and the Christ of faith represent the one Jesus Christ Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission Abstract Over that two centuries, there has been continuous attack on the exactitude of the Bible from both within and without the faith which brings forth an apparent reality of the existence of antagonistic perspectivesin regard to the actual existence of Jesus from a historical viewpoint and whether the Christ of faith and the Jesus depicted by diverse historians represent one Jesus Christ1. This fact is supported by in the work ‘The Historical Jesus’ by Braidic and Fischer (2000, p. 1) who attempted to probe the question on whether the Jesus of Nazareth as described in the bible is a real historical personage. These authors further posed the questions on whether the accounts about Jesus’ life are true as recorded in the gospels or even worse, the entire account about Jesus ‘ life is an enormous overstatement or complete fabrication. These questions are bound to generate frenzied debates both in the wider realm of academia and in the public domain2. On the other hand, in regard to issues related to Christian faith, majority of the people are taught in schools and churches that Jesus Christ was a real historical figure and that the sole ideological dispute regarding him is founded on the fact that some people assent that he is the son of God and the prophesied Messiah while others refute this3. Thus, it is evident that debate on whether Jesus in history and the Christ of faith represent Jesus Christ has been ongoing. In this regard, this paper is a profound effort to explore this maze and generate robust inferences on this often impassioned discourse. The Jesus of history and the Christ of faith represent the one Jesus Christ The New Testament is a historical evidence It is worth noting that much of the accounts about the life of Jesus Christ is in the New Testament which has been subjected to immense misunderstanding by critics and even its authenticity as historical evidence being brought into question. Nonetheless, one of the most common misunderstandingsabout the Bible is the mere belief that it is simply one book. This hypothetical presumption is founded on wrong premises since the New Testament alone entails twenty-seven books which have an authorship of diverse persons2. In addition, it is evident that the authors in the New Testament came from diverse set-ups and experiences, an actuality which is epitomized by the fact that one was a physician while another was a tax collector, at least two were fishermen and other two were brought up by carpenter and most likely acquired this craftsmanship. Lastly, it is prudent to note that the writing of the New Testament extended over half a century, with the last book of revelation being written at the very apex of the first century2. Based on the above facts, it is problematic to forge an imagination that there existed any conscious collaborative efforts in the creation of the books in the New Testament, most notably those which give account about the life of Jesus. In addition, determined that interestingly enough, ancient history and modern archeology have created substantial validity of the historical display of the Gospels1. From a generic perspective, the rudimentary comprehension of these facts generates inherent objectivity in linking the conception of Jesus from a historical viewpoint and the more profound Christ of faith as depicted in the religious realms, most predominantly in Christianity as analyzed in the subsequent section. Christ of faith in a historical perspective As previously mentioned, much about the birth, work, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus is evidenced in the Gospels. In the work ‘Jesus: The Evidence’ McIntyre (2010, p. 6) revealed an overview of what most of the contemporary historians agree upon in regard to the historical Jesus as depicted in the Bible4. Some of these points of convergence are outlined below. Verification of his place of birth Jesus was born in Circa at 4BCE, just in the last days of the life of Herod the Great and spent his childhood and better part of his early adulthood in Nazareth, a Galilean village. However, there was scarcely if no mention of Nazareth in the wider Old Testament, for instance, in Joshua 19: 10-151. In addition, Josephus who was a Jewish aristocrat and historian credited for writing two renowned works in history; ‘The Jewish War’ and ‘Jewish Antiquities’ and headed the Jewish rebellion campaign against the Romans in Galilee in the course of the First Jewish Revolt (66-73 A.D) mentioned the names of 45 villages and towns in Galilee but Nazareth is not among the names in this list. This phenomenon is similar in the Jewish Talmud where 63 villages and towns in the same locality are described but Nazareth is not mentioned in this extensive list1. Nonetheless, excavations which were undertaken in 1955 by BellarminoBagattirevealed the existence of agricultural settlements in the site which is primarily identified as Nazareth in the New Testament. The dating of this site extends as far as 900 years before Christ. Moreover, after successful excavations in 1962 by Michael Avi-Yonah at Caesarea, a tablet which had the name ‘Nazareth’ inscribed on it was unearthed which demonstrated this village of Nazareth truly existed most probably as early as the 1st A.D1. This brings a convergence between the historical findings and the biblical facts about the birthplace of Jesus. Jesus’ baptism and participants revealed in history In regard to his baptism, Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22 are the specific sections in the Bible where the real occurrences during this event are recorded and determined that the baptism of Jesus was conducted by John the Baptist and later called his disciples1. The authenticity and significance of this event is supported by the fact that there is a high unlikelihood of the invention of some things like the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at River Jordan5. This is supported in the work by Josephus who cited that John used water to baptize people, a ceremony which was aimed sins remission, and he was later executed by Herod (Antipas). Both of these facts are biblically supported in Matt 3: 6 and Luke 9:91. Perhaps the most authentic historical recollection of the participants in this event, namely, John the Baptist and Jesus are recorded in the works by Josephus whereby Christ, John the Baptist, and James the Just (brother of Jesus), are all stated in the work entitled "Jewish Antiquities". Jesus is particularly cited twice in this work, in one in relation to James the Just who was his brother and headed the Jerusalem branch of the Christian church. As quoted in Jones (1997, p. 13), Josephus cited about “…..Jesus who was known as the Christ” and “…brother of Jesus…whose name was James” (Josephus identified James his brother who was more renowned) and lastly, …(James who was denunciated by the Sanhedrin and brought forth for stoning” (Jewish Antiquities 20.9.1, 1). All these reveal the historical recollection about Jesus, his brother James and John the Baptist which validates some of the events in the life of Christ of faith, for instance, baptism as recorded in the Gospels. This can be perceived as the genesis of the firm entrenchment of the baptism ceremony in the Christian functions in the contemporary despite the existence of some contradictions in regard to the most novel way of conducting the ceremony and the significance. Concurrence between biblical records on Jesus’ work and historical recollection The deeds of Jesus during his ministry are clearly recorded in the in the prophetic books as well as in the gospels. In this sense, Jesus is depicted as a great teacher and a miracle worker and his work in the gospels is a fulfillment of what had been initially been prophesied by many prophets in the Old Testament. This is best epitomized in Isaiah 42: 1-7 talks of the “Elect one in whom my soul delights (vs. 1) and verse seven talks of this Elect one who would be sent “To open the blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house…”. Similarly, Isaiah 61: 1 says, “…..For the Lord has anointed me to preach nice tiding to the poor; I have been sent to heal those who are brokenhearted, to declare freedom to the captives, and unlocking prisoners who are compelled6. Recent writer have cited that Jesus performed 36 recorded miracles which includes but not limited to healing, raising the dead, walking on water, feeding more than five thousand people using five loaves of bread and two fish and changing water into wine among others. The fact that Jesus performed diverse miracles is documented in the Gospels, not forgetting that these miracles were perceived as witchcraft by the leaders in the Jewish society as depicted in Mark 3:22, Matt 9:34, John 11:47 among other verses. In regard to his teachings, Jesus chief message was founded on the redemption from sins, salvation through believing in God and he also decreed that God’s Kingdom was near1. From a historical perspective, these facts are recorded in Josephus’ ‘Jewish Antiquities’ where the author clearly wrote that ‘…now there was about this time Jesus who was a knowledgeable man; for he did astonishing works, a teacher of such men as obtain the truth with pleasure….’1. Some critics have even concurred with these facts and cited that given the world-view diversity among the pagans and the Jews, it is highly appropriate to focus on the Jewish history and miracle claims. Despite the fact that an enormous number of people believe that there was widespread claims of miracle workers during the times of Jesus, Jesus and his miracles hold a unique niche in the history of his people and time7 This historical recollection is parallel with the accounts of Christ of Faith as described in the Gospels as well as being recounted in the Acts of Apostles among other books in the New Testament. This brings a strong link between the Christ of Faith as portrayed in the biblical books, most notably in the Gospels, the witnesses like Peter who is also an author in the New Testament and among converted skeptics and the historical records previously mentioned in this analysis. Follower of Christ of faith from a historical perspective There are also diverse recordings of Christ of Faith having a massive following from both the Jews and the Gentiles. One of the contemporary scholars, Paula Fredriksen noted that Jesus attracted a large following in the course of his ministry as testified in the New Testament source materials and Josephus. Majority of the sources attribute this massive following to the fact that Jesus performed miracle which provides a robust explanatory power in regard to his imperative niche as a religious figure in the first century8. This inference about the followers of Christ of Faith is recounted among ancient historical figures like Josephus who cited that ‘…..he attracted to his, both the Gentiles and the Jews 1. Majority of these followers were key in spreading the Gospel even after the death of Jesus, with most of them suffering violent deaths. Pliny the Younger Governed Bithynia in Asia Minor and sent a letter to the Emperor Trajan in 112 A.D concerning the Christians who resided in his province verified the fact that Christians who existed during his reign both adulated Christ ‘as to a god’ and has the willingness to be executed because of their stout belief in Christ1. This fact is also confirmed in Matt 14: 33 and also in Acts 7: 45-8:2. This is a paramount link between the Christ of Faith as portrayed in the biblical reference and the diverse historical evidence that has been cited pointing at the massive following of Jesus and the eventual influence of this following after the death of their teacher. It has also been pointed out that these followers, both among the Gentiles as well as the Jewish society were chief in the spread of Christianity in the larger Roman Empire and the entire world in subsequent decades and their eventual fate is well documented both in the Bible and also among prominent historical writers as will be explored later in this analysis. Fulfillment of the prophesy; Jesus enters Jerusalem and eventual betrayal Around the year 30 A.D, Jesus went to Jerusalem for Passover, creating much commotion in the temple area and then proceeded to take a final meal with his disciples, what has become commonly known as the last supper4. This was succeeded by betrayal which is attributed to Judas Iscariot in the course of visiting Jerusalem for the purposes of Passover celebrations1. This act of betrayal of Jesus has long been connected with the Davis’s prophesy in Psalms 41:9 that ‘…..my close ally in whom I entrusted, who ate of my bread, has raisedup his heel in my opposition’. The fulfillment of this prophesy is depicted in Mark 14: 10-11 where it is recorded that ‘…Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, proceeded to the Chief Priest with a sole aim of delivering him to them. And after understanding this, they were pleased and they assured to give him some money. And he requested the most convenient way of betraying him’. It is also worth noting that the price of betrayal and what would be done with the money had been prophesied in the book of Zechariah. The value of his betrayal was also prophesied by Zechariah. ‘…..And I spoke to them, “If it is suitable, give me my value; and let it go if not”. So, they considered my value – silver amounting to thirty pieces’ (Zech. 11: 12). This came to be fulfilled as depicted in Matt. 26:15 that ‘….and said, “What are you ready to offer me, and I will bring him up to you?” And they presented him with thirty pieces of silver’. Lastly, Zechariah had also foretold what would be the fate of the money after betrayal. It is noted in Zech. 11:13 that‘….And the LORD said to me, “cast it to the potter’- the princely value at which I was priced by them. And I grasped the 30 pieces of silver and flung them to the potter in the Lord’s house. The fulfillment of this prophesy is recorded in the Gospels, for instance in Matt. 27:3-7. From a historical perspective, the context of betrayal is evident despite conflicting tenets in regard to the context of betrayal. This is exemplified in the work by Josephus ‘The Jewish War’ where it is recorded that ‘the leaders of the Jews, headed by the high priest, betrayed him to Pilate….the leaders of the Jews crucify Jesus, after inducing Pilate with thirty talents for this right’1. The eventual arrest, trial and crucifixion are also well recorded in the prophetic books as well as in the Gospels. But perhaps the most documented event in the historical works as recorded in the Bible is the crucifixion and the subsequent events that occurred. Crucifixion of the Christ of faith; historical viewpoint It has been pointed out that accounts of crucifixion are recorded among ancient civilizations, with majority of the historians attributing the origin of this form of execution from the Persians before spreading to the Assyrians, Carthaginians, Scythians, Celts, Britons and Germans. This form of brutal execution was primarily reserved for the slaves, captive enemies, traitors and criminals. It is worth noting that the Jewish people did not practice the Roman form of crucifixion in the Old Testament. This verity is founded on the fact that they perceived crucifixion as one of the most horrible, cursed forms of death (Deut. 21:23)9. Archaeological evidence has pointed to the existence of crucifixion in the ancient times which is best epitomized by an archaeological undertaking in Palestine which found some evidence of a nail piercing an actual foot bone which was dated to the first century A.D. This bone was found in a Jewish tomb which was chief in solving the maze in regard to the fate of Jewish crucifixion victims. According to the historians and archaeologists, this verified the fact that the Romans permitted the Jewish crucifixion victims to be buried in accordance with the Jewish traditions and customs. This validates what is recorded in the Gospels that Jesus was buried in a tomb4. Going back to the crucifixion of Jesus, historical evidence has pointed to the fact that Pontius Pilate was credited for ordering the execution of Jesus. Based on the fact that the Jews were not endowed with a law which gave them the permission to execute a man, they took Jesus to Judea’s Roman Governor who was called Pontius Pilate. Pilate later diverged the case to Herod Antipas who was Galilee’s ruler who later reverted Jesus to Pilate culminating in his eventual sentencing1. Cornelius Tacitus who was born c. 52-55 A.D and worked in the senate under the command of Vespasian, and eventually (112-113 A.D) Governing Asia verified the particulars of the death of Christ which was under Pontius Pilate’s orders ‘Annals’ (c. 116 A.D). He cited that ‘…..Christus, the originator of the name (Christian), has suffered the penalty to die in the reign Tiberius, by verdict of Pontius Pilate who prosecuted him, and the malignant delusion was examined for moment, only to begin once more, not just in Judea, the residence of the malady, but also in the capital, where all things atrocious or disgraceful in the world gather and realize a vogue1. Similarly, Mara Bar-Serapion who originated from Syria while he wrote a letter addressed to his son from prison sometimes after the slump of Jerusalem (70 A.D) noted on the execution of Jesus by pointing out that ‘….what benefit did the Jews get from putting their wise king to death? It was afterwards that their kingdom faced abolition...nor did the wise king die forever; he existed on in his teaching which he had imparted1. This historical evidence about the execution of Jesus is concurrent with what is documented about the Christ of Faith in the Gospels, for instance in Mark 15:15 where it is recorded ‘…with the aim of giving the crowd some satisfaction, Barabbas was released by Pilate. He had Jesus whipped, and delivered him over for crucifixion. Crucifixion aftermath; Juxtaposing Biblical records and historical evidence The aftermath of the crucifixion of the Christ of faith is also well documented in the historical perspective of Jesus. Despite the existence of some anomalies in regard to the cause of some of the events among the historians as depicted in the prophetic books and in the Bible, there is a point of convergence whereby the historians concur on the occurrence of some unusual events after this undertaking. From the biblical records, Jesus was crucified on the hill commonly referred to as Golgotha (Calvary). After his death, a massive darkness befell Jerusalem, and several other extraordinary occurrences transpired. This is documented in Luke 23:44/45 ‘…it was now about noon, and darkness befell the entire land until three in the afternoon….for the sun ceased shining. And the curtain of the temple was split into two…’ It has been pointed out that there were six miracle which happened after the death of Christ of faith at Calvary, some in heaven and even other under the earth, but there is a generic agreement that all of them established a peculiar class of miracles. It is imperative to highlight these miracles as recorded in the Gospels and then juxtapose them with the historical recollection in regard to the aftermath of Jesus’ death. The midday darkness is the first of these six miracles at Calvary. Next was the supernatural tearing of the curtain at the temple which was followed by a violent earthquake and splitting of the rocks. This was succeeded by the opening of the graves and then the miraculous condition of the empty tomb. The last miracle was the resurrection of many saints who had died10. Some of these occurrences have been recorded by the historians, mostly those which are subject to human physical experience, for instance, darkness and earthquake. This is best exemplified by Thallus who was a 1st Century historian (most likely as early as 52 A.D) and widely quoted by early fathers of the church. This renowned historian cited that after Christ died, the entire world was surged in a most dreadful darkness; and an earthquake ripped the rocks which culminated in majority of places in Judea and many other districts being brought down1. There is similarity between the above and the historical recollection by Phlegon, who wrote the ‘Chronicles’ around c. 140 (which has since got lost) and cited by Julius Africanus, Origen. Nonetheless, just similar to Thallus who attempted to credit the darkness to the sun eclipse, Phlegon manifested a clear acceptance in regard to the existence of Jesus but proceeds to make efforts to get a natural explanation for these specific events after the crucifixion of Jesus as described in the Bible as having divine inspiration1. In this regard, Phlegon made a profound record that in the time of Tiberius Caesar, there was a full sun eclipse from the sixth to the ninth hour at full moon. This is also cited by Origen who cited that regarding the eclipse in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, under whose administration Jesus might have faced his crucifixion, there was a violent earthquake which took place, which is parallel to what Phlegonwrote in the 13th and 14th book of his Chronicles1. However, despite the inconsistency in the historical evidence in regard to the cause of the darkness after the crucifixion of Jesus, it is apparent that indeed there was darkness and an earthquake, both of which are recorded in the Bible. The discourse on whether all these miracles at Calvary, most notably the physical ones like the darkness were divinely inspired or subject to natural explanations is debatable. In addition, the paradox of the coincidence of these events and the death of Christ of faith is subject to further enquiry both using a holistic approach in the wider field of academia and also in the religious grounds. Nonetheless, there is a concurrence among historians that these events occurred and a robust concomitance with what is recorded in Matt 27:51/54 as well as in Luke 23: 44/45 in the Bible. Resurrection and beyond There are diverse schools of thought on whether the Christ of faith actually resurrected as depicted in the New Testament or not. However, it is a given fact that the death of Jesus has been recorded in history as prompting extensive spread of the gospel with the proponents of the doctrine mostly suffering expulsion from Rome, persecution and worse, violent executions. This is noted by Seutonius, a historian from Rome who writing was primarily in c. A.D 120 and cited that ‘….as the Jews were creating continuous disorders at the provocation of Chrestus, he (Claudius) banished them from Rome. The above historical recollection is parallel with what is recorded in Acts 18: 2 that ‘…there, he (Paul) met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tent maker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Despite the ideological diversity in regard to the resurrection of Jesus Christ among the contemporary religious thinkers and ancient historians, the works of early fathers of the church give a profound reflection into the context of resurrection of Christ and its impact on the growth and expansion of the Christian faith. How the early fathers of the church viewed the historical Christ is an interesting analysis, since these historical writers are renowned historians as well as being the pillar founders of the early church. In addition, during the epochs in which they were writing, there was not New Testament or canon1. In Chapter 24 of the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome (30-100 A.D) who was the Bishop of Rome 92 A.D to 101 A.D (possible mentioned in Phil. 4:3) wrote that ‘…Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us that there shall be a future resurrection, of which he has rendered the Lord Jesus Christ the first-fruits by raising him from the dead’1. This depicts a robust historical belief which strongly embedded in the Bible that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and this fact ought to be the pillar of faith among all the Christians worldwide. This was a chief foundation of the stout belief by the early fathers of the Christian church who willingly laid down their lives for their belief in Christianity and the faith that just like Jesus Christ, there was victorious and glorious resurrection after their persecution and death. Perhaps this fact is best exemplified by Ignatius who was martyred in A.D 117 by being thrown to the lion in the coliseum in Rome who wrote that ‘….he (Christ) was persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and (truly) died, in the sight of being in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was truly raised from the dead….’1 The example of these two fathers of the early church depict that Jesus Christ had indeed resurrected from the dead, which ought to be the faith of all the Christians in the world. Conclusion From the above discourse, the authenticity of the biblical records in regard to the Christ of faith, most notably in the gospels has been ascertained. In this regard, the hypotheses by some critics that there was collaborative efforts between the authors of the New Testament aimed at creating a positive recollection about the life of Christ of faith has been falsified after profound reflections. On the other hand, it is apparent that a robust link exists between what is written about the Christ of Faith both in the Old and New Testaments, most predominantly in the Gospels and what diverse historians have written about Jesus, or from a general perception, Jesus in history. Right from the place of birth, baptism, miraculous works and deeds, betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion and the eventual resurrection of the Christ of faith, extensive historical evidence has been proposed supporting these facts which results to a robust deduction in this analysis that the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith represent one Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, it is prudent to be cognizant of the fact that there is opposing historical evidence in regard to some of events as recorded in the Bible, which necessitates further holistic investigation and enquiry. This will entail collaborative efforts from diverse fields of academia, for instance, theology, history, archaeology, geography among other in order to gain precise, feasible and accurate facts the connection between these two variables in contemporary scholarship. Bibliography ARCHAYA, S AND MURDOCK, D.M, The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ (Seattle, WA: Steller House Publishing, LLC, 2011). BRAIDIC, A AND FISCHER, D, The Historical Jesus (Billings, MT: The Eternal Church of God, 2000) FAIRCHILD, M, ‘Crucifixion History: Brief Overview of the History of Crucifixion’, (Web document), , Accessed 08 June, 2012. FREDRIKSEN, P,Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish life and the Emergence of Christianity (New York: Vintage Press, 2000). JONES, R, Historical Evidence for the GospelAccounts of Jesus Christ (Acworth, Georgia: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997). LOADER, W.R.G, ‘The Historical Jesus Puzzle’, Colloquium, 29/2 (1997), 131-150. MCINTYRE, D, Jesus: The Evidence, (Glasgow: Cathcart Trinity Church, 2010). NICHOLSON, W.R, The Six Miracles of Calvary; Unveiling the Story of the Resurrection (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2001). PRICE, C, ‘The Miracles of Jesus: A Historical Enquiry’, [Web document] (2004), < http://www.christianorigins.com/miracles.html>, Accessed 08 June, 2012. TAYLOR, G, Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Series of Sermons on the Miracles of Jesus (Tallahassee, Florida: Centerville Church of Christ, 2000). Read More