Post 16 - Biblical Scholarship New Testament

The historical Jesus that John Dominic Crossan presents a Jewish peasant who was more historically accurate than the picture painted by most Christians. Jesus was a real man, who lived in Israel during the time of Roman Occupation and brought a message of healing and compassion to people like himself, peasants from local villages and settlements. The historical Jesus was a social revolutionary telling those he healed to go forth and heal with others. The message preached by the historical Jesus included the disregard for class or gender or any other distinction. Unlike the Jewish society in which he lived, Jesus wasn’t preoccupied with these distinctions. This is evident in his willingness to visit the home of even a fallen woman. The reading states that Jesus was creating a grass roots movement based off “religious and economic egalitarianism.”

I do not think the historical Jesus presented by Crossan should at all affect ones religious view. The New Testament is a story about a man who cared more about others than himself, and who taught one to be kind, compassionate and to love one’s neighbor and enemy. I don’t see this as much different than the historical Jesus.  Perhaps Christians take issue with the concept that Jesus was simply a man who taught and spread goodwill and not a divine incarnation of God? In my opinion, Crossan doesn’t deny Jesus as part of the trinity of God, but instead seeks to verify and record who the real Jesus was in accordance with ancient culture and customs, along with verifiable evidence and scholarly accounts. If a religion is true, how can the truth harm or destroy people’s faith? I believe that if one takes into account the fact that the religious scriptures of Christianity have been modified over the years by human beings, we can understand how Jesus grew from a Jewish peasant into a divine being sent to save the world.

I like the historical Jesus. I feel that I can relate more to a historical person than a being of divine legend. Looking at Jesus and Christianity from a historical perspective actually increases my appreciation for the religion and for their core values. If Jesus was a poor, illiterate peasant who taught others to give freely, to be kind and to love everyone isn’t that more remarkable than a being sent here specifically for that purpose? Isn’t more admirable for a man to have these thoughts of social and economic equality, and to live his deeds and teachings each and every day? I am more impressed by Jesus’ wisdom and compassion when looking at him as man who faced sorrow and temptation just like an ordinary person. The historical Jesus makes his message far more accessible to people of all cultures and religious belief.