Religious Studies 435, Jesus Traditions Class Notes from Fall 1998 Edited by Robert Kraft [[No notes were submitted for class #1, on 10 September 1998]] RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#2) from 17 Sept 1998 by Sarah L. Schwarz Books of Interest: The Nag Hammadi Library (collection of gnostic texts found in a cache in Egypt, mainly in Coptic, the language of the Egyptians). Among these texts are other gospels, in different forms, which present some similar and some strikingly different representations of Jesus. James (Jesus' brother) is important in some of these materials (James=Jacob in ancient texts). Seth (Adam and Eve's 3rd son) is another important figure, seen as a revealer in the messiah's line, possibly a son of God or proto-Christ (Seth is also a biggie for some non-Gnostic and even Jewish groups--Philo mentions Seth in a brief but positive way.). The title "son of man" (applied to Jesus) is important in Gnostic materials and the phrase itself may have had gnostic connotations. Some Gnostic texts talk about a series of revealer figures, and indeed it can be asked whether the bulk of Jesus traditions were plugging into traditions about Joshua (in the Hebrew Bible, the successor to Moses, and in a later period, also a high priest)? In Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho (a Jew vs. Xn debate) Justin knows Jewish scripture and picks out the Joshua-Jesus figures and reads them in light of his Jesus beliefs; this opens the question of whether everyone who knew the Hebrew Bible traditions would have thought about Jesus in that light. Ben Sira=Ecclesiasticus=Sirach, Wisdom of: a book like Proverbs but also contains a section "in praise of famous people" and one of them is Joshua. Ben Sira knows the etymology of Joshua=savior (see Matthew); So, some people may have seen the Joshua traditions as a model for what/who would come, and this might have been swallowed up later by the Jesus traditions (see Kraft paper on the web). The Spread of Xty: Harnack (German Historian of early Xty), created the map of its spread (find this on RAK's course web page). He did this by going back to Eusebius (church historian of the 4th century) who was there at the Council of Nicea (325 CE) and produced a work known as his Ecclesiastical History. Harnack takes Eusebius and compares it to other sources from the period to create the map. Harnack also wrote The Essence of Xty, where he argues that early Xty is surrounded by a husk and that husk has to be stripped away to find the core truth about what really is significant. He was especially interested here in the idea of Jesus as an ethical teacher/model. Another book: Mission and Expansion of Xty, which documents, using all sorts of sources (literary, epigraphic, etc.) where ancient Christian communities were. Opponents and the preservation of texts: sometimes people saved texts in order to dispute them, but usually they did not, so we have a distorted perspective of the varieties that existed (there are gaps in the record). Overview of Chistian Origins: Xty began as a Jewish movement (or movements) which placed central importance on Jesus (as a/the "messiah"). It spread out from Palestine (by Paul's missionary activities, among others) through Greece, Asia Minor, etc. Paul is not too helpful a source on Jesus traditions, however--he doesn't record much on them in his letters. The missionary acitivity is built into Chrisitanity. Probably it spread first through places with Jewish communities in place, and then spread further. "Outsiders" References to Early Xns Josephus (Jewish Historian) refers to Jesus, his brother Jacob (James), and John the Baptist, but these references don't help much. There's a great deal of scholarly debate over whether or how much of these references are authentic. Tacitus (Roman Historian) discusses Nero (emperor)'s persecutions of the Xns (he used them to light his gardens!), but Tactitus is very anti-Nero. Pliny the Younger (governor in Asia Minor) in around 113 has a Xn problem in his district and writes to emperor Trajan for advice on what to do with them. Pliny and Tacitus were friends and may have shared information, but they don't have much that's specific anyway. Suetonius is a gossipy writer who mentions Jews and "a certain Chrestus" which may be a reference to Christians (Chrestus=Christos). In the early 2nd cent., the name "Christians" is out there and so is the execution story. By the mid 2nd cent, Christians are making claims about court records about the death of Jesus (e.g. in Justin Martyr) and much later, documents like the Acts of Pilate (=Gospel of Nicodemus), which is clearly Christian, have been produced. Resurrection Accounts: Mark is thought by most to be the earliest of the extant Gospels. G.Peter has some first person accounts by Peter in it but the lone manuscript is fragmentary and without its original title. Luke is part of a 2 vol. set (Luke-Acts) in which GLk ends with the resurrection and Acts begins at that point. In Lk-Acts Jerusalem is of central significance, and the resurrected Jesus sticks around there (as opposed to [Mark-]Matt when he appears in Galilee) -- this is a possible indication of a rivalry between Galilean and Jerusalem churches. Matthew is the most quoted Synoptic Gospel in early Christianity, and often seems to have influenced the textual copying of Mk and Lk, especially on various details. What do we make of these problems? Most likely, a multiplicity of early sources were brought together in different ways. Working with these materials shows how these traditions may have developed. We don't have to dismiss any of them as evidence of early Christian developments, even though none of them may have historical value for studying Jesus himself. //end class notes #2// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#3) from 24 Sept 1998 by Amira Quraishi "Hellenic" = "classical" Greek world "Hellenistic"= that which imitates the "Hellenic" world, an extension of the classical, Greek world into other parts of the world, normally associated with the programs of Alexander the Great and his successors. Judaism from 300 BCE - 200 CE: Alexander the Great (d.323 BCE), without a successor, the empire gets split up: Seleukos (Seleucid Empire) : Northeastern Mediteranean & into India; Capital = Antioch in western Syria (Orontes river) Ptolemy (Ptolemaic Empire): Egypt; Capital= Alexandria. Result: Jerusalem and Palestine are caught between these two powers. 175 BCE: Antiochus IV ("the villain of Jewish history" in this period) takes over from his father and expands the borders of the Selucid empire and (re)annexes Jerusalem and Palestine. He is devoted to Dionysos, a Greco-Roman god associated especially with fertility, and attempts to use religious allegiance to help homogenize his subjects and their traditions. He mandates that the Jewish Temple of YHWH in Jerusalem be rededicated to serve "God" by whatever name (e.g. Zeus for the Greek tradition) based on the idea that the concept/function is of prime importance, not the specific name. Among the results: civil war between those who are willing to consider some compromise on such a matter and those who want to maintain their ancestral tradition at all costs. The Revolts: 168 BCE. Maccabean Revolt. "Judah the Maccabee" in Greek sources, "the Hasmonean" in Semitic sources, takes the lead. During the civil unrest, some Jewish Temple leaders seek permission to build a temple in Egypt (Heliopolis, also called Leontopolis), and establish a "Temple in exile" there. Result: rebellious Jewish conservatives win, and and independant Jewish state is established on the border area between the Seleucid & Ptolemaic Empires. From 165-63 BCE, it survives the break-up of the Seleucid Empire. 30 BCE Herod the Great is appointed "King of the Jews" under the newly established Roman Emperor "Augustus," who himself is seen as a "savior" who brings peace to the Roman world (sort of a secular "messiah king"). Herod is a successful ruler, but suspicious and ruthless; he kills off some of his heirs & a wife of Maccabean descent on suspicion that they were plotting against him. At his death in 4 BCE, he divides his kingdom, leaving his son Archaleaus to rule in Judea, Antipas in Galilee and Perea, and Philip in the northernmost areas. 6CE. There are petitions to the Roman Emperor Augustus to get rid of Archaleus. The Romans send a "prefect" (emperor's appointment) to rule over Jerusalem & its region. (Pilate holds this position from 26-36 CE.) Herod Agrippa I briefly regained the ethnic rule (37-44 CE), before a further period of direct Roman rule was instituted (44-66). 66-73 CE. Open revolt breaks out in Judea. In 70 CE the Romans burn the Temple, effectively ending the role of the priesthood and sacrificial system (although many later Christian writers continue to criticize these practices). The Heliopolis/Leontopolis Temple in Egypt is closed soon after. And a special Jewish tax is levied by the Romans as reparations for the revolt. 132 CE. (Second Jewish Revolt, led by Simon bar Kochba). Rome suppresses the rebellion and changes the face of Jerusalem. The surviving Judaism has two centers for collection and commentary of traditions: 1) Palestine 2) Babylon (Persian gulf region). As a result there are two compilations of tradition and law: the Babylonian Talmud and the Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud. The Roman Emperor Hadrian (end of reign: 135 CE) turned Jerusalem into a Roman city, changing its name to Aelia Capitolina, and plowed the Jewish Temple area under to re-establish it as a Temple dedicated to Jupiter (the chief Roman God). Throughout it all, Palestinian Judaism is still a part of the hellenistic world ("Palestinian" and "hellenistic" is a misleading dichotomy). By the year 200 CE, there are clear indications of the development of "Rabbinic Judaism," which has survived as Jewish "orthodoxy." //end class notes #3// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#4) for 1 Oct 1998 by Joshua Ewing Opening discussion: Aphrodite picture at following web address: http://www-lib.haifa.ac.il/www/art/mythology_westart_aphrodite.html Book Review Assignment: -Choose 1 work to review from list to be sent out by Dr. Kraft (appended at bottom of these minutes) -Find 2-3 reviews concerning that book -Read those reviews to get an idea of what type of questions the author is raising and what methodology he/she is using -Give a brief (5min) report to class about what you’ve learned about the book and what type of ?s it generates The Jesus Quests: 1) The Old Quest -Started by figures like Albert Schweitzer, Bultmann, Wrede (Mesianic Secret book about the structure of the book of Mark) etc. -Movement was critical of religious non-historical approach yet it was to some extent also religiously motivated 2) The New Quest -Quite critical in approach, featured Gunter Bornkamm and the Jesus Seminar -Used methodology like the “criterion of dissimilarity” which says that t only things we can know about Jesus historically speaking are those characteristics that could not be found elsewhere in Greco-Roman-Jewish religion and culture or in early Christianity. 3) The Third Quest -Current group of scholars e.g.; NT Wright, Dom Crossan -New arguments like Wright'’s “multiple account” hypothesis -Jesus said the same type of things at many different times in slightly different ways -Accounts such as the feeding of the 5000-4000 likely represent different events not different versions of one event Crossan'’s Methodology -3 Vector Aproach -cross-cultural anthropology -Greco-Roman, Jewish history -literary/textual Textual Discussion: "Sermon on the Mount" materials (Mt 5-7 and parr) For Next Class: Read feeding of 5000-4000 accounts ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Here is the promised list of books from which you each should pick (at least) one, to check (at least a major one of) the reviews, for a brief (aim at 5 minutes) oral report in class. I've thrown in a few of the classics as well, although finding reviews of them may be more tricky -- except that virtually everyone who deals with this subject does something by way of summarizing Schweitzer and/or Wrede! Places to look for reviews electronically include the TELA/Scholars Press (Society of Biblical Literature = SBL) page, Bryn Mawr Classical Reviews (maybe), IOUDAIOS-Reviews, and the like. All these can be found through the links on my home page, or the library links. Also check the ATLA databank through the library links. To use more traditional means, check New Testament Abstracts for the next couple of years after a publication date; NTA will list reviews with the book title. There are other similar tools, but this should suffice to get you started. Please let me know when you have chosen a book to research, since I'd like to avoid duplication, if possible. Sarah has already spoken for Schu%ssler-Fiorenza. Others are fair game, first come first served. Class lurkers are also welcome to participate, if they like. The aim is to share information and thus open different areas for exploration. --- RelSt 435: Early Jesus Traditions Books for which review reports are approved R.A.Kraft October 1998 Arnal, William E. and Michel Desjardins (eds.) 1997 Whose Historical Jesus? Studies in Christianity and Judaism / E/tudes sur le christianisme et le judaisme, 7. Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Bammel, E. & Moule, C.F.D. 1984 Jesus and the Politics of his Day. Cambridge. Bockmuehl, Markus 1994 This Jesus: Martyr, Lord, Messiah. T & T Clark. Borg, Marcus 1987 Jesus: A New Vision. San Francisco: Harper & Row. 1994 Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus & the Heart of Contemporary Faith. San Francisco: Harper & Row. Bornkamm, Gu%nther 1960 Jesus of Nazareth. Hodder & Stoughton/Harper Bowden, John 1988 Jesus: The Unanswered Questions. SCM. Brandon, S. G. F. 1967 Jesus and the Zealots. Manchester University. Brown, Raymond E. 1994 The Death of the Messiah. Doubleday. Bultmann, Rudolf 1934 Jesus and the Word. Scribner's Crossan, J. Dominic 1991 The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant. San Francisco: HarperCollins. Dahl, Nils 1974 The Crucified Messiah and Other Essays. Minneapolis: Augsburg. de Jonge, Marinus 1991 Jesus, the Servant Messiah. Yale University Press. Evans, Craig A. 1992 Jesus. Baker. Funk, Robert W and Roy W Hoover 1993 The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New York: Macmillan. Harvey, Anthony E. 1982 Jesus and the Constraints of History. Duckworth. Horsley, Richard A. and John S. Hanson 1985 Bandits, Prophets and Messiahs: Popular Movements at the Time of Jesus. Minneapolis: Winston Press. Jeremias, Joichim 1971 The Proclamation of Jesus. SCM. Ka%hler, Martin [1896] The So-Called Historical Jesus and the Historic Biblical Christ. English translation 1964, Fortress. Kaylor, R. David 1994 Jesus the Prophet: His Vision of the Kingdom on Earth. Westminster/John Knox. Mack, Burton 1988 A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. Meier, John P 1991 & 1994 A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. 2 Vols. New York: Doubleday. Meyer, Ben F. 1979 The Aims of Jesus. London: SCM. 1989 Critical Realism and the New Testament. Pittsburgh Theological Monograph Series 17. Allison Park, PA: Pickwick Publications. Powell, Evan 1994 The Unfinished Gospel: Notes on the Quest for the Historical Jesus. Symposium Books. Robinson, James M. 1959 A New Quest for the Historical Jesus. Allenson. Sanders, E. P. 1987 Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress. 1993 The Historical Figure of Jesus. Penguin. Schu%ssler Fiorenza, Elizabeth 1994 Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet: Critical Issues in Feminist Christology. London: SCM. Schweitzer, Albert 1906 The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Critical Study of its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede. Macmillan revised ed, 1968. Stuhlmacher, Peter 1993 Jesus of Nazareth -- Christ of Faith. Hendrickson. Theissen, Gerd 1987 The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. Fortress. Vermes, Geza 1973, 1983\2 Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospel. Collins. 1993 The Religion of Jesus the Jew. Augsburg Fortress. Webb, Robert L. 1991 John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-Historical Study. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplements, 62. Sheffield: JSOT Press. Witherington, Ben 1995 The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth. Dowers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press. Wrede, William [1901] The Messianic Secret. English translation, Clarke 1971. Wright, N. T. 1992 Who Was Jesus? SPCK/Eerdmans 1996 Jesus and the Victory of God //end class notes #4// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#5) for 8 October 1998 by Bernard Aubert Book review report by Sean McCandless on Robert L. Webb, John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-Historical Study (Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplements, 62. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1991). Questions to consider for the book review reports: Who is the author of the book? When did the book first come out? Who is/are the reviewer(s)? This author is not an established scholar in biblical studies. He is criticized in the review for not using enough sociological studies. One main point of the book is that John is not an apocalyptic preacher, but a prophet; because he promotes a reformation within time. The book tries to discover the distinctiveness of John's ministry. Association with the location of the "wilderness" (desert). This could be viewed in connection with events in the history of Israel (Kraft). Comments on John the Baptist. Summary of his picture and role in the NT. Luke 1-2 (// 1 Samuel 1-2). Is he a "Messianic figure" for his followers (and/or enemies)? Importance at Jesus' baptism. Schweitzer sees him as a preacher of End Time (contra Webb). Cf Luke 11.1ff.; Mark 6.14 (and//); Acts 19.1ff. John the Baptist is an important figure for the Mandeans ('knowers'). Cf. E. S. Drower, The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandeans (Leiden, 1959) and her other publications on this surviving group. Book review report by Joshua Ewing on Anthony E. Harvey, Jesus and the Constraints of History (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987, first published in 1982). Three book reviews -- Christian Century (popular, not too helpful); Biblical Archeologist reviewer liked the book and the methodology. The author's historical method: trying to have events which are attested by several sources and an examination of what he calls the 'constraints of history.' The author tries to see how Jesus fits within the historical characteristics of the first century. For example he tries to see how the terms 'son of man' and 'son of God' fit within Jewish monotheism and the the Greco-Roman religions. The conclusion is that Jesus is a prophet who has God with him; but not God incarnate. The Journal of Biblical Literature reviewer is more critical. The method is not sound, it limits too much what we can know about Jesus. Discussion: The context of this book is the debate whether one should start historical reconstruction with specific items of evidence (JBL, Kraft) or whether one can build an abstraction from which to evaluate the details. A helpful book raising theological issues in the historical context is Larry W. Hurtado, One God, One Lord: Early Christian Devotion and Ancient Jewish Monotheism (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988). The text/tradition for the day: Feeding of 5000 and 4000. General comments. Importance of paying attention to the overall context. Those texts are found after the mission of the 12 and the 70 / 72 and before the confession of Peter. Luke-Acts and his sources. Matthew seems to stick closer to Mark, sometimes Luke seems closer to John! !! There is a great deal of selectivity in the material that we find in the gospels. This story is one of the few that is found in all four canonical gospels (cf. Jesus walking on the water, the crucifixion, the cleansing of the temple) Feeding of 4000 is easier to consider first (only in Mk 8.1-13 and Mt 15.29-39) Geographical setting: Tyre-Sidon-> Decapolis: Gentile territory. Term 'apostle.' Matthew: on a Mountain, time is vague, the crowd comes with the sick. The disciples wonder how they will feed the crowd, it is a possible clue to the view that this second story is a literary doublet (that is the two stories of feeding of the 4000 and 5000 would be related to the same event). In Matt 15.39 and Mark 8.10; we have two different places, but note that some manuscripts of Mark 8.10 read the same place as in Matt, which textual scholars usually think is a harmonizing reading. Since the two accounts (feeding of 4000 and 5000) are told in a similar way, it provides another clue that there might be one tradition behind these two accounts. What do the redactors of the gospels want to communicate by these accounts? Maybe that Jesus is a 'divine man.' Feeding of 5000. Prelude: Mark 6.30-38; Matthew 14.13-17; Luke 9.10-14a; John 6.1-9. Mark: Jesus is teaching, unlike in the 4000 setting. Matt.: shorter than Mark, there is healing, but no teaching! (usually in Matt Jesus is more a teacher, and in Mark a healer). No discussion about money. Luke: rather different, healing is there. John: healing, on the mountain (// 4000 in Matt). Passover is at hand, in John three passovers -> ministry of Jesus=three years (contrast w. synoptic gospels). Specific mention of Philip. Money issue (// Mark). The miracle itself: Mark 6.39-44 ; Matthew 14.18-21 ; Luke 9.14b-17 ; John 6.10-14. Mark: significance of the dividing? Matt.: a bit shorter; same language as the eucharist; v. 21 mention of women and children. Luke: fairly short. John: more specific about the participants (Andrew). Questions: background of these texts. Manna, but there was no left over! Or // w. Elisha, cf. 2 Kings 4.42-44. Is there already a reference to the Eucharist. Eucharist roots in Jewish sacrifices? Discussion on different confessional positions on the Eucharist -- importance of Aristotle to understand the Catholic doctrine of "transubstantiation" (essence/ accidents). Postlude: Mark 6.45ff. ; Matt 14.22ff. ; John 6.15-24. Mark: Other side of Bethsaida (contra Luke, already there before). Still bread theme linked with the walking on the water. Matt.: v. 30 'Lord, save me' is a traditional formula. John: the miracle is not the walking on water, but that they are getting to their destination. Interpretation-application: John 6.25-59. John has a long interpretation and Luke does not have any application. You can think of the passage and further development in Christianity about (eucharistic) bread. Assignment for next week: look at the accounts of Jesus' baptism and of the transfiguration (note the various heavenly voices/messages). For the baptism some developments in the apocryphal gospels are also interesting to consider. //end of class notes #5// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#6) from 15 October 1998 by Amira Quraishi 1. Note: new file on website "Baptism, including the transfiguration" 2. For class on 10/22/98: read the Gospel of Thomas and the transfiguration (Mark 9 & Parallels): *might this have been a resurrection account? Does the voice relate to the baptism accounts? Could it have been talking of resurrected Jesus (whereas now it is associated with pre-resurrected Jesus? What is the voice saying? 3. Send location information of your reviews to Dr. Kraft, via e-mail, and he will make it available to others -- name of reviewer, place of publication, etc. Book Review Reports: Johannes Hartopo presented reviews by Richard Hays & Jeffrey Gibbs of Robert W Funk and Roy W Hoover's 1993 The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New York: Macmillan. Johannes will send his report via e-mail. This book from "the Jesus Seminar" attempts to update the progress of their investigations and make all discourse public record. It creates a color coded system for determining the authenticity of attributed sayings of Jesus: Red: definitely authentic Pink: Probably authentic Grey: Not authentic, but similar in content to authentic sayings Black: Not authentic and represents thoughts of later editors. Gibb reports that this critique of authenticity is the only innovative aspect about the book. Gibb & Hays conclude that this book is merely an anthology of the Jesus Seminar's favorite sayings of Jesus. Some members of the Jesus Seminar seem to have a theological interest in Jesus being relevant today. Therefore, they look for timeless relevant teachings of Jesus. Funk considers the contemporary media uninformed with regard to historical religious issues and wants the media to see and hear the work of the seminar as an outlet to the rest of the world. One criticism of this book is the exclusion of some scholars from the Jesus seminar; however, many scholars not involved in the Jesus Seminar were invited and declined for various reasons. It is important to find out where a criticism is coming from and other circumstances that could explain the criticism. For example, British scholars in general are not sympathetic to the Bultmannian approach, which undergirds much of the work of the seminar. *If interested in this sort of approach to the development of early Christianity, look at Introduction To The Nag Hammadi Library by Jim Robinson. Regarding early Christian editing of Jesus traditions, note that around 150 CE Marcion, a Christian author condemned as a heretic for viewing Jesus as the agent of the superGod (as distinct from the creator god), among other issues, accused his early Christians opponents of editing the traditions from a pro-Jewish point of view. His enemies, in turn, claimed that Marcion had "mutilated" the Gospel materials (and Paul's letters). The discovery of the sayings Gospel of Thomas strengthened the Q hypothesis, although Dr. Kraft considers "Q" to be a stratum of various types of collected sayings materials and not a concrete written document, as is sometimes implied in modern discussions. Q is more an ideal type (a platonic image) than an actual source. Bill Fowler presented a review of John P Meier's 1991 & 1994 A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. 2 Vols. New York: Doubleday. Meier is a catholic priest and a professor of the New Testament. He is a critic of the Jesus Seminar. He is concerned with Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom of God and what Jesus did and said. Jesus was not a cynic, not a magician or Jewish holy man but an eschatalogical prophet. There is a danger in domesticating Jesus because "No intellectual person can believe in miracles." The reviewer says Meier is a sound scholar because he disagrees with the Jesus Seminar. Justin O'Connell presented a report of Greene's review of Raymond Brown's 1994 The Death of the Messiah. Doubleday. The review praises Brown's book, saying this is the book for which he will be best known. It is a commentary on the passion narratives (Jesus' suffering and his last days in Jerusalem). The goal of the book is to explain the intent of the evangelists. He does a horizontal analysis of the narratives and provides an introduction to the outlooks of each Gospel. The apocryphal accounts offer nothing more than revealing what other people thought/interpreted (they have no historical value for knowledge about Jesus). The last review, by Steve Wind, was of E.P. Sanders' 1993 The Historical Figure of Jesus. Penguin. This book is a response to those who think it is impossible to see the Gospels as anything but theological. Sanders says that the kingdom of God is a future kingdom and the miracles are not what convinced Jesus' followers. He rejects the view that Jesus was the son of God, but views him as only a viceroy. And Pilate executed him because he was a threat to power. The reviewer, Ben Wright, points out that there is too much reliance by Sanders on the synoptic Gospels. Of these writers, we see that Jesus is seen as an eschatalogical figure by Meier and Brown (Catholic) and Sanders (Protestant). And he is seen as a non-eschatalogical figure by the Jesus Seminar. Baptism Narratives: Question: What is the Gospel editor trying to do/convey with this narrative? In John: John the Baptist is a witness to Jesus and the Baptism story fits in with the framework of witnessing and "belief" throughout the Gospel. The Voice doesn't say the same thing in all the traditions; e.g. the best texts of Mark and John say "you are" while Matthew says "this is my beloved son." This suggests the interpretation that the voice was private in one tradition, but more public in another. Note also how the "dove" apparition is described (descending "into" him, or "on" him?!). The textual footnotes to Mark and Matthew show some "crossfertilization" of texts in that some copyists used "you" in Matt and "this" in Mark, thereby creating added confusion in the traditions. Similarly in Luke, some texts have "you are my beloved son, today I have begotten you" (reflecting a passage from the Psalms). Other texts avoid this suggestion of "adoptionist Christology" -- an early Christian view that Jesus was a normal man until God adopted him as messiah at the point of baptism. Other manuscripts have "you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased," which avoids the adoptionist problem. Is it more likely that the theologically difficult reading was introduced in place of the "well pleased" phraseology, or vice versa? The oldest recoverable text of Luke may well have had an adoptionist flavor, whether intended or not. The Gospel of the Ebionites didn't survive, but we know of it through quotations in other writings. This gospel has a passage with regard to John the Baptist. Epiphanius (400CE), a church father, collected materials and criticized theologians like Origen (200-250 CE) for some of their ideas. Epiphanius thought the Ebionites changed the word for "locust" into the word for "cake." These two words in Greek are very similar. Thus John Baptist's diet may have been seen as more in accord with Ebionite ideals (vegetarian, of sorts). Josephus has a passage in Antiquities about John Baptist and ritual washing. It is not clear if Antiquities 18.116 refers to washing for the purification of the body or from sins (see the Gospel accounts). GJohn contains no eschatalogical dimension, which is generally consistent with the rest of that Gospel, and Matthew's version of the Baptist's message is more elaborate with an eschatalogical view of judgement: repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Some problems: A) Jesus (as sinless) and baptism for forgiveness of sins? B) Jesus as a follower of John's eschatalogical message/ministry. The apparitions and verses: The dove. Real or figurative? Illuminated water. Fire on the water or an apparition in the water? The (lost) Diatesseron is a "harmony" by Tatian the Assyrian (a student of Justin Martyr, late 2nd century) who collected gospels from which he compiled one long account. It has a more glorious account of the baptism with clouds, perfumes, and a great light. Gospel of Hebrews: also fragmentary materials. Popular in Jewish Christian contexts (Nazarenes, Ebionites, & Hebrews). This gospel no longer exists but was quoted by Clement of Alexandria (ca 200 CE), among others. GHebrews may have played a role in the developement of Christianity in Egypt. In this account, the Holy Spirit is a fountain as opposed to a dove and it reads "you are my rest, my first begotten son...who reigns forever" It presents a tradition of divine glory (Shechinah) descending on Jesus: a way of talking about God in contact with humans. "He that marvels shall reign and he that reigns shall rest" (see also GThomas). This doesn't need to be eschatalogical, it could be mystical union of spirit(s). //end class notes #6// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#7) for 22 October 1998 by Sara Gault Reports on Reviews, by Sean-Michael Green and Alex Rodriguez: Review of Horsely and Hansen’s Bandits, Prophets and Messiah; by TL Donalson in the Journal for the Study of Judaism This book is primarily a socio-scientific study of the role of zealots at the time of Jesus. By using parallel materials from known material, the authors attempt to discover Jesus’ role at the time. ‘Zeal’ wat first used as a description for a favorable trait in Judaism. It later becomes ‘zealot’ meaning rebel, revolutionary or fanatic and ialso connected with social banditry. Groups of 10- 20 zealots formed in the countryside to avoid punishment by the law for their crimes. Donalson criticizes the writers for ignoring the involvement of urban rebels in this popular movement of the masses. Review by David Rhodes The two reasons for the Roman-Jewish war were 1) dual taxation by the temple and landholders and 2) the Jewish tradition of oppression and goal of egalitarian society, as constructed by biblical leaders such as David. Rhodes liked the book, but thought that the authors accepted Josephus' view of all bandits as revolutionaries too readily. He also believed that Horsley downplayed the religious motives for the rebellion. Discussion: This book examines the popular anti-Roman and anti-Herodian sentiments at the time of Jesus, comparing and contrasting Jesus’ outlook and teachings with the other movements at the time. Jesus is a spokesperson for the peasants, who teaches the ethics of the Bible. His teachings are not seen to be unique, but instead are part of this larger socio-cultural and political movement of the time. In 6 CE, Judah/Judas of Galilee lead his followers into the desert (possible allusion to eschatological hopes). Josephus later identifies Judah/Judas as the founder of the Fourth Philosophy, which he does not name, allowing the possibility for it to be zealotry. The 4th Philosophy, according to Josephus, agrees with the Pharisaic notions, views God as the only ruler, is not intimidated by death and is associated with violence. John of Gishala, a rebel leader in Galilee and an opponent of Josephus, is also associated with the word zealous in Josephus. The Sicarii are present at the time of Nero (54-68) and are named for the dagger hidden beneath their robes, with which they stab their opponents. They are found in Jerusalem, and are therefore urban. They accept God as their only ruler and try to eliminate all others who obstruct the establishment of their program. It is possible that the Sacarii, the Zealots and the followers of Judas/Judah are parallel groups with similar goals, who do not consider themselves to be one movement, but are strikingly similar from an outsider’s view. Josephus describes himself as being on the compromising side, but he is supported by a Romanized Jewish group at the time he is writing, so the validity of this statement is questionable. He may be attempting to present his picture of what happened in a more amicable way then actually occurred. Tangent: Xylophory (mentioned by Josephus) could possibly be the Wood Festival, which is also mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Two different Jewish festival calendars existed, a solar one well attested in the DSS and a lunar one, adjusted to solar cycles every third year, which became the traditional Jewish calendar. For further details, see the "calendars" entry on the RelSt 135 course page. A key figure in the Second Revolt was Simon Bar Kochba, some of whose letters and documents have been found in a cave. He is a rebel in the "second revolt" who also made use of caves in the desert (*wilderness). The Romans would wait in siege of a cave and starve the rebels to death, and for this reason, one of the caves has been given the name the Cave of Horrors. Graves have been found in the back, but very few possessions have been discovered as the Romans burnt anything that was left there. One woman hid her possessions, which were recently found and allow insight into the lives of women at the time. Josephus and his soldiers also were trapped in a cave and drew straws to decide who would commit suicide until the two who remained decided they should surrender instead. Today's Text: The Gospel of Thomas- Stevan Davies homepage -The Patterson and Meyer translation- Jesus Seminar -Thomas Lambdin'’s translation- Nag Hammad Library; be aware of the fact that the 2nd edition does not include the index. Thomas becomes a Saint- The Western Catholic process of naming saints is an elaborate, legalistic process involving the acquisition of sufficient evidence that the individual has reached heaven, such as miracles. But in the Eastern tradition, it is based more on virtue and fame. The Greek word for saint, hagios, means "holy (one)". -Book of Thomas the Contender- Nag Hammadi -The Acts of Thomas-most clearly talks about twinship of Thomas with Jesus Manichean- Gnostic-like religion, dualism of mind and body, deal with the body to bring out the mind. Mani (ca 230 CE) attempted to create a syncretism of Persian, Judean, Christian, and other religions by extracting their ‘best’ parts, thus becoming a that as a World Religion. -Infancy Gospel of Thomas- Thomas the Philosopher identified with India Nag Hammadi is the site where a Christian collection was found in Egypt dating to the late 300s and the 400s. Because they are translations, the actual date of the traditions and material could be much earlier. A large amount is clearly Gnostic related to overcoming opposites and diversity for salvation. There are fifty-two different pieces of writing, most of which were unknown before, although some of the titles were known through references to them. -Gospel of the Egyptians- not a traditional Gospel -Gospel of Philip- some references to Jesus and the Jesus traditions -Gospel of Truth- theological treatise- the true news ‘Gnosis’ is a Greek word originally meaning knowledge, which was seen as a virtue. It came to be a self-designation within early Christian groups, especially in Alexandria. Clement and Origen use the word Gnostic to describe their own Christian positions. It gained a negative connotation, as groups used it to describe their opponents. Gnosticism involves gradations or stages of the quality of experience; a hierarchy with the top being the overcoming of this life. It is a recognized process with an end result. Fragmentation or division is seen as the main problem and reunification is the goal. * “God as a warm beer mug overflowing” *- Dr. Kraft The creator God is to be overcome. This relates to Plato’s demiurge, who makes the physical world, but is not the ultimate. The Gnostics were sometimes accused of taking ideas from Neo-Platonism by their opponents. Plotinus did not like the Gnostics because of their mythology. The Gnostics should not be understood as a single, homogeneous group. These are only the principles behind many of the Gnostic groups. - ‘Gnosis falsely so-called’- from thPauline "pastoral epistle" of First Timothy. First Timothy is one of three works written to pastors, supposedly by Paul. They may have been written in Paul's name to rescue him from the Gnostics, who loved his writings. Of all the texts found at Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas best serves the present discussions. It pertains to the study of Q, as it is a collection of sayings (114 attributed to Jesus). It does not necessarily have to be perceived as Gnostic in origin. The Gospels of John and some letters of Paul could have originally tended towards Gnostic views, but the other gospels oppose it. The Gospel of Thomas does not have to be viewed as Gnostic. Sample sayings -- the beginning: P. “Secret sayings” which the living Jesus spoke- exhorted to find the truth. 2. “Rule over the All/entirety”- the totality of all existence. According to the Gnostic view this would mean being reabsorbed into the All, becoming both It and over It. 6. Sounds like the Sermon on the Mount. It could be a parallel tradition or a reflection. It is not identical because it mentions diet in addition to alms, prayer and fasting. 9. The parable of the sower. This is also found in Mk 4:10. The dating of Thomas. The complete Coptic copy was written later than the three different Greek fragments, each of which was written in a different hand. Presumably a single work lies behind all of these witnesses, and it must be dated considerably earlier than the date of the earliest fragments, around 300. Fathers around the year 200 use quotations which appear to be from the same tradition, but it is unclear whether they are from the same document. And from the end (112-114): The dividing line between men and women is to be overcome by women becoming men (the unification of opposite and divided parts). In Paul this is also described in less male-oriented language, as it is said that there is neither male nor female in the Kingdom. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT CLASS: The Gospel of Philip (and other texts relating to the Jesus traditions) from Nag Hammadi -- and the transfiguration traditions. //end class notes #7// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#8) for 29 October 1998 by Krista Baker Topic: Nag Hammadi Gospels The Nag Hammadi Gospels include a wide variety of beliefs and ideas. For Dr. Kraft's review of the NH Library by James Robinson (ed), see gopher://ccat.sas.upenn.edu:70/00/journals/kraftpub/Christianity/nhl The NHL texts have been assigned numbers for easy identification. For example, the number III,5 (or 3/5) would mean the fifth document in the third codex. Canon/Bible - the traditional scriptural collection passed down by the surviving groups -- see the summary sheet on the RelSt 135 home page. Jewish Apocrypha (Deuterocanonical writings) - a collection of 14-17 books or supplements to existing books of Jewish material including Tobit, the Wisdom of Solomon, 1&2 Macabees, Psalms of Solomon, Sirach, and additions to Daniel and Esther, etc. Most of these books have been included in Catholic Bibles, although Protestants don't recognize them as "Bible." Early Christians composed writings that are now found in the Bible/NT, and others that comprise the "NT apocrypha." These apocryphal books consist of Bible-like writings such as the G. Thomas, the Acts of Paul, the Epistle of the Apostles, etc. (see the standard collections). Since the NHL was found, scholars have been trying to incorporate these new writings into the classifications already established, but have found the task difficult. Many of the NHL writings don't fit neatly. For example, the "Gospel" of the Egyptians doesn't focus on Jesus (as we expect a "gospel" to do) but talks of how the world was created. Also, the G. Truth says little about Jesus. These are quite different in format from the gospels presented in the NT. Many other texts don't call themselves gospels but present teachings and sayings of Jesus. A transition period is now taking place in attempting to recreate the perspectives and the communities of the NHL users. The 52 NH texts themselves had been bound together into 13 books/codices and appear to have constituted a "library" of some sort, but can an accurate description of a community be made just by looking at the books contained in its library? Did the texts come from the frame of mind of one community? Could the library have been collected by opponents in order to write treatises against them? Nag Hammadi is located on the west bank of the Nile, in Upper Egypt. It was not near any major cities of the time, and was the site of a Pachomian monastic community around the time the NHL was produced. Pachomius was one of the early Christian monks around the early to mid fourth century who began the monastic community lifestyle. Before this time, monks would usually live alone as hermits ("monachos" = solitary one). Besides "gnostic" groups, another "heresy" of the 4th century is identified with Arius, a Church leader in Alexandria who taught that the Son of God was the first of God's creations, through whom all else was created. The teaching of Arius was opposed by Athanasius, and was debated at the Council of Nicaea in 325. Athanasius was one of the first Church leaders to define the NT canonical collection as we know it in his Easter Letter in 369. Irenaeus wrote 5 volumes called "Against Heresies" about 180. In these works, he mentions the Apocryphon of John and the G. Truth. This is one of the earliest references to works now found in the NHL. His source may have been Justin the Martyr, whose anti-gnostic writings didn't survive. The word "saint" in Greek (hagios) means "holy one" and in Latin means "sanctified one." In Classical Christianity is believed that in some instances God has given humans enough indications (miracles, etc.) to know whether a deceased person has achieved salvation (entered God's presence), and such persons are called "saints." The person must have performed a specific number of miraculous events, and they cannot have claimed to be a saint during their life. "Sacraments" (in Greek, "mysteries") are acts, rituals, or rites that have specific value to help people attain salvation, such as baptism. Valentinus is recognized as the founder of a gnostic sect (150-170 AD). He was known to and opposed by Justin and Irenaeus. Some of the NHL texts are Valentinian in outlook. From a Gnostic perspective, Jesus didn't suffer and die, but that doesn't mean that no Gnostics talked about Jesus' passion and resurrection -- some of the NHL texts make surprising reference to those events. Most of the NHL reflects the conceptual world(s) of Gnosticism, and almost all of it describes an "ascetic" lifestyle. The exceptions to this include the sections from Plato, Asclepius, and the Teachings of Silvanus. Gnosticism also doesn't develop the idea of original sin, but deals more with knowing vs. ignorance. There is also a gnostic idea that each person has a spiritual twin in the heavens that acts for him there. Also, much of gnostic thought can be traced back to the first 3 chapters of Genesis. The Teachings of Silvanus is a Christian wisdom text that is non-Gnostic and non-dualistic. It does not describe Jesus as "docetic" -- rather, he is a real human, not just a spiritual being who was sent into the world. There is no concept of gnostic predestination, and it states that God the Father is the creator of all things. The G. Philip (II,3) uses some Semitic terminology and tells of the Jewish stories of Adam and Paradise, which is unusual for gnostic texts. Gnosticism is usually not very positive towards Judaism overall. G. Philip claims that Mary couldn't conceive by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is feminine (as in semitic languages), whereas it is neutral in Greek. It talks about the tradition that Joseph (as carpenter) made the cross from which Jesus hung. Passage 73 also makes reference to the Tree of Life (possibly an olive tree) and a chrism (annointing with olive oil). This may be referring to a baptism tradition. The G. Philip makes reference to a list of sacraments: "The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber." It also mentions the term "Christians" (see Acts 11.26), which isn't usually found in early literature. Other significant features of G. Philip are that it uses opposites such as life/death and light/dark, it makes uses the trinitarian language of the father, son, and holy spirit, it mentions the pearl being cast down into mud (62; see the "hymn of the pearl" tradition in the Acts of Thomas), it says that everything is united in Christ (see also Paul), and it uses resurrection terminology (56-57). The G. Thomas (II,2) presents sayings of Jesus but not Jesus' deeds. Judas Didymos Thomas ("the twin" of Jesus?) has special preference insofar as Jesus talks to him in private to reveal specific knowledge that he can't tell the other apostles. G. Thomas also has Jesus saying that the world was created for James the Just/Righteous (saying 12), another "brother" of Jesus who was not one of the 12. The Book of Thomas the Contender (II,7) speaks of the secret words that are put into a much more historic setting. It presents Jesus' teachings in a peripatetic style. Jesus says to Thomas, "you are my twin and true companion" which could either mean Thomas is Jesus' brother or that Jesus is just referring to Thomas as an "exemplary Christian." Jesus teaches that you must know yourself and your true essence, how you got caught in this world, how you must become perfect, and how you can escape this world ("gnostic" themes). The book also uses eschatological terminology by talking about tombs, fires, and the physical world coming to an end. It also mentions Hades and Tartaros, which are not common in gnostic texts. Hymn of the Pearl (see above) tells that the redeemer (Jesus) was sent into the world to rescue a pearl (divine spark). He had to assume a human form to deceive the worldly rulers and recover the pearl. The pearl is then able to ascend with him and attain salvation. Next: Kraft's Review of the NHL 1 Apoc James/Jacob Apoc Peter Apocr. of James/Jacob G. Mary (Berlin Gnostic Manuscript) "mountain texts" (place of revelation) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Krista Baker //end class notes #8// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#9) for 5 November 1998 by Stephen Wind Reviews Report: Bernard Aubert reported on Martin Ka%hler's book "The So-called Historical Jesus and the Historical Biblical Christ," written in 1892 in German but translated into English over 70 years later. Ka%hler's emphasis was on Luther's "justification by faith" for all areas of theology, and he cares about Jesus' meaning as a timeless figure. The two reviews presented were from Luke Anderson, 1965, who thought very highly of the book, and from William Baird, 1969, who had reservations about the work. The themes presented in Ka%hler's book were: (1) One has to have faith in order to understand the reports of the historical Jesus. (2) Much of the research on Jesus from the 19th century is not valid. (3) The Quest conceals the real living Jesus. (4) The gospels are not biographies, but rather preachings on the message of Jesus' life. Ka%hler was not a "literalist," but focused too much on "faith" to be considered a "liberal," so he was classified as a conservative. He maintained that history and faith (regarding the life of Jesus) are separable but that one can accept both approaches simultaneously. The question was raised: How would Schweitzer/Ka%hler view modern scholarship on Jesus? Text Focus: We looked at other NHL tractates that mention Jesus' crucifixion, including "The Second Treatise of the Great Seth" (7/2, col. 55f) online at www.gnosis.org, an electronic collection of some of the Nag Hammadi texts (written in Coptic around 350-400 CE). We also read from the "Apocalypse of Peter" (7/3 col. 81) and "Melchizedek" (9/1 col. 5). A "Gnostic" view of Jesus is presented in these passages, as he is shown to have two separate dominant natures: a physical/material character and a heavenly one. Also the docetic view of Jesus, which claims that Jesus had no physical nature/characteristics, can be seen in the texts. The implication of the docetic view is that Jesus did not really die nor suffer nor do any shameful human actions which are described literally in the texts, but rather these events only appeared or seemed to be real. Accordingly, Jesus only appeared to be born and to die, but he did in reality teach. He stood by "laughing" at the crucifixion in some texts. Examples of a focus on the physicality of Jesus were noted in John 1.14 ("the Logos became flesh") and Luke 24.36 (the resurrected Jesus eats a meal), and the question was discussed whether physicality was viewed as a positive or negative trait of Jesus, if indeed it really was considered one of his characteristics. Dr. Kraft then read from the introduction to the Seth Treatise (7/2) on the Gnostic heresiarch (heretical leader) Basilides and his view of Jesus' crucifixion (see the NHL volume). From there we looked at the Tripartite Tractate (1/5), with its Valentinian cast, and the work of another Valentinian, Heracleon (the first known commentator on the 4th Gospel!). We also mentioned Tertullian, an early Christian author (flourished 191-210) from North Africa who wrote in Latin and hated Gnostics (wrote a detailed work against Marcion). That led to a discussion of the response of Origin to Heracleon (Valentinian) on interpreting G.John. The class tried desperately, courageously yet unsuccessfully to understand what an "archon" (spiritual "ruler") was for gnostic thought, though the fact that there were good and bad archons seemed to make plenty of sense. We finished the class by looking at a couple of other NHL passages that were decisively not docetic in their uses of historical Jesus terminology. -Anonymous //end class notes #9// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#10) from 12 October 1998 by Kira Mattison "Jewish Christian" Jesus Traditions According to Papias ("apostolic father," around 130 CE), Matthew collected the "logia" of the Lord in Hebrew, and everyone interpreted them as they were able. "Logia" is an oracle prophetic-type of saying. Logia might mean excerpts from Jewish scripture (divine oracles) or perhaps Q-type sayings (Jesus' words). Rendel Harris thought that collections of scriptural proof-texts ("testimonies") might have been the "logia" that provided the basic framework of traditions about Jesus in G.Matt. The G. of Ebionites (also referred to as the G. of Nazarenes & G. of Hebrews): Epiphanius, a church father in the late 4th century, claims to have known of a Hebrew version of the G. of John. Another gospel to which Epiphanius refers to is the G. of Ebionites, which is only known to us through quotations (no manuscripts have survived). One of the passages in this gospel deals with the choosing of the 12 disciples as witnesses to (the 12 tribes of) Israel. In this gospel, it is noted that John & James are named first and Matthew is named last, however, in the canonical Gospels Peter is named first. John Baptist is described as a priestly descendant of Aaron and a vegetarian. Ebionites believe that Jesus was adopted by God to be Messiah, and Messiah was created as an angelic being who inhabited the human body of Jesus. Jesus has the mandate to stop the era of sacrifice, thus he refuses to eat the lamb at the passover. Ebionites are vegetarians. We also know about the G. of the Hebrews through various quotations. Clement of Alexandria quotes that gospel saying that "he that wonders will reign and he who reigns shall rest," which we now know is found in the G. of Thomas. Jerome also quotes the G. of Hebrews several times, and claims to have translated it into Latin. In the gospel, James (the brother of Jesus) promises not to eat bread again until Jesus arises, then the resurrected Jesus takes bread, breaks it and gives it to James. However, there is no reference to James as a witness to the resurrection in the canonical gospels -- but see Paul in 1 Corinthians 15! There are several traditions about visual representations of Jesus. There is a medieval claim that an image of Jesus was mysteriously impregnated into a piece of cloth in which his body was wrapped after crucifixion -- the "shroud of Turin." Recently, experts have subjected this cloth to tests that identify it as a mid-medieval cloth (not ancient). In the G. of John (20.7), there are references to a cloth that had been on Jesus face lying inside the tomb by itself, apart from the other wrappings. In the story of Veronica, she wipes Jesus' brow with a handkerchief, on the way to the crucifixion, which produces a representation of Jesus' appearance that allegedly was preserved in Syria. Another fragment of G.Hebrews is supposedly cited by Ignatius (Smyrneans 3.1), who quotes Jesus as saying "feel me and see that I am not a bodiless spirit." Ignatius thus claims to know and believe that Jesus was "in the flesh." No actual manuscripts of these "Jewish Christian" writings have survived; we only know them from their opponents' (and sometimes more neutral reporters) quotations. In general, Jewish Christians seem to have viewed Jesus as a righteous person whom God choose for special purposes. There were probably variations on this approach -- whether Jesus was viewed as being Messiah in his lifetime, or would be Messiah in the future events is not clear from the surviving sources. Further references to Jewish attitudes to Jesus were explored from the web page created by Alan Humm From the developing rabbinic Jewish perspective, we find some interesting traditions about Jesus. "Toledoth Yeshu" ("Jesus' genealogy") is a version of Jesus' life written in Syriac around the 6th century in response to Christian claims. There is no scholarly evidence as to the relationship of this material to early gospels, although H. J. Schonfield suggests that it is closely connected to the G. of Hebrews. Schonfield tried to reconstruct the G. of Hebrews. He also wrote a popular book called "the passover plot," claiming that Jesus planned to appear to die on the cross, but be rescued; he wrote another book on early Christian history from a Jewish perspective. A late 2nd century critic of Christianity named Celsus, against whom Origen writes, reports some claims about Jesus that resemble items in the Toledot Yeshu. We know of Celsus' work only through Origen's refutation. Tertullian, a Christian "patristic" author, summarizes the Jewish response to the gospel accounts. His account mocks the Jews and makes accusations against the Jewish claims about Jesus. He also seems to know some similar materials to what later appears in the Toledot Yeshu. Yeshu & Joshua b. Perachiah: This account has no direct connection to the life of Jesus, since it exist 100 years before his birth. Old traditions in the time of King Jannai were discussed. It becomes connected with Yeshu/Jesus tradition in the early medieval period. Assignments for the following week Read the Infancy Gospel & the Proto-Gospel of James //end class notes #10// Religious Studies 436: Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#11) from 19 November 1998 by Onyi Onuoha Today's Theme: Traditions of Jesus' Birth and Youth 1. Infancy Gospels of James (internet translation by Andrew Bernhard) The infancy gospel of James tells especially about the birth of Mary, her link with Joseph and the birth of Jesus. It claims to have been written by Jesus' brother around 4 BCE. It has also survivied in a lot of manuscripts and versions. An overview of the stories of the infant Jesus can be accessed on the web. A few important points and analogies however, can be drawn from the story of Jesus -Criticisms and confusion exists concerning the birth of Mary. The text does not clearly state that Mary was born by way of a virgin birth, or that she was "immaculately conceived" (without original sin). Nevertheless, a natural birth doesn't seem to be the case here since Joseph wasn't present at the time of conception (initial swelling). It leaves this issue as an open-ended idea. -A few months later, Joseph compares his case (Mary getting pregnant) to that of Adam and Eve. -The high priest puts Joseph and Mary through a test them when he finds out that Mary is pregnant. He does this by giving them the water of the Lord to drink, and by sending both of them out into the desert. In Numbers 5.11ff, a law uses this similar procedure to test whether a woman was unfaithful to her husband. Notice that the Infancy Gospel of James features both the woman and the man going through the procedure/process. The biblical passage/law refers only to the woman. -A relationship may exist between the story of Anna, Mary's mother, and that of Hannah, Samuel's mother, in 1 Samuel 1-2. Both Anna and Hannah promised to offer/give up their children for the service of the Lord when they reached a certain age. Hence Mary and Samuel become instruments for the service of God in the main place of worship (tabernacle/temple). -There is a distinct difference in the account recorded in most of the canonical gospels and that in the Infancy Gospel of James concerning the place where Jesus was born. In the James text, they find a cave and give birth there. Luke, on the other hand doesn't talk specifically of a cave but of a place with a "manger" associated with an "inn." Matthew's magi visit a "house." -Another difference that exists between the James text and the canonical gospels is the idea that John's father Zachariah was murdered and Herod was searching for John. In the canonical gospel of Matthew, Herod presumably has only Jesus in view in ordering every child 2 years and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be killed. There are other birth-related narratives; of special note is Ascension of Isaiah - This is a phenomenon of no real birth. Jesus' mother (Mary) is going through the signs of pregnancy but these signs diasppear at the time when the child appears (with no actual birth). 2. The Infancy Gospels of Thomas -These are stories attributed to Thomas, the Israelite, the Philosopher -It is written concerning the works of the childhood of Jesus -It was called Gospel of Thomas for a long time but since 1948, the Infancy was placed before it to differentiate it from the Gospel of Thomas (discovered at Nag Hammadi) that consists of sayings -There are lots of manuscripts available in different languages -Note that it doesn't start off with the birth stories of Jesus, instead it starts with Jesus being about 5 years old. -The story portrays Jesus as an unforgiving child who spoke words that automatically became actions. This is perhaps in character with the Jesus who curses the barren fig tree (Mk 11.12-14 and parallels), but in general seems at odds with Jesus as traditionally characterized. This period of his life is not addressed in the canonical gospels, except for the brief episode at about 12 years old in Luke 2.41ff. //end class notes #11// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#12) for 03 December 1998 by Kimberly Klimczuk Report by Krista Baker on reviews of Bornkamm's Jesus of Nazareth reviews by: Leander Keck, Neil Hamilton Bornkamm was a student of Bultmann, who was skeptical about the possibility of writing the sort of book that Bornkamm attempted to write. Bultmann took an "existentialist" approach to the Jesus materials, in the sense that he says the value of the Jesus tradition is trying to alert us to the crisis of who we are and what God wants for us (the "human predicament"). Bultmann held that in every transmitted piece about Jesus the "kerygma" (proclamation or message) is present to address the listener's "existential" problem. Early Christian preaching is the vehicle that collects and transmits the traditions ("in the beginning was the proclamation" -- M.Dibelius). Bornkamm is more optimistic than Bultmann about drawing some historical information from these materials. Main criticisms: Bornkamm contradicts himself in the way he presents his arguments -- first in a negative way as if the argument is a bad one, and then arguing for it positively. Keck didn't think that Bornkamm did a very good job of distinguishing Jesus from John the Baptist and his apocalyptic views. Bornkamm seemed to portray Jesus as saying that one could live the kingdom of God now, while John the Baptist saw living the kingdom of God as something that could/would happen in the future. Bornkamm had an "evangelical" way of presenting his ideas, and seemed to want to tie church traditions to history. Keck was a bit skeptical of this, wondering if what Bornkamm wrote was what Jesus actually believed about himself, or what Bornkamm believed about Jesus. Hamilton felt that Jesus of Nazareth was a breakthrough book, but was disappointing because it wasn't historical enough. Report by Amira Quraishi on reviews of Pelikan's Jesus Through the CenturiesJ The book isn't about the history of Jesus, or his thought or doctrine -- it is about Jesus' place in culture. There are eighteen chapters, each devoted to a different time with its presentational focus (ex: Jesus as rabbi, Prince of Peace, etc). All the reviews gave the book a grade of "A," except The New Yorker, which gave a grade of "B." First reviewer (I missed his name): was surprised that "the Lutheran Pelikan" would write such a book (read: such a good book). A minor criticism was that each chapter was like an essay; the book didn't flow together as a whole. Stephanie Martin said that the book was good for the general reader, but that it didn't have a concluding point. Daniel Pals noted that the images that Pelikan used were from a culturally elite background (literature and art). Class notes: Section on Ascension of Isaiah - birth tradition passage (left over from previous class mention) -- Isaiah is presented as prophesying the coming of Jesus: Ch. 11: "I saw of the family of David..." Both Mary and Joseph are explicitly identified as from the family of David. There is a birth story, but not of an actual birth. Jesus appears, and Mary's birth signs disappear, as if it were a false pregnancy. The marks of pregnancy are gone, but there are no labor pains, and no midwife, etc. The vision idea is underlied. Gospel of John: There is no birth story, but there is the story before the story of Jesus, which very symbolic language -- called the Prologue ("In the beginning there was the word (logos)..." Idea of speaking the word in creation. The text is much revered by gnostics and anti-gnostics. There is the idea of things taking place through the "word." Origen is talked into writing a refutation of the gnostic Heracleon, who produced the first known commentary on the 4th Gospel. Some early Christians did not consider G.John to be an acceptable source, but ultimately it was included in the canonical collection that emerges in the 4th century. "Alogoi" -- an early group that came to be listed as "heretical," but apparently opposed to the gospel of John and its "logos" teachings. John the baptizer in the prologue is portrayed as one who testifies to Jesus, in conformity with the focus on "witness" (Greek "martyr") and "witnessing" found throughout the Gospel. Presentation of Jesus In G.John, the term "Jews" refers to the main antagonists of Jesus. In 1.19 they ask about Jesus relationship to expected eschatological figures: Who are you? Messiah? Elijah? The prophet? In Jewish scriptures, a "prophet" like Moses is anticipated (Deut 18.15ff). The Samaritans expect an eschatological "Taheb" (restorer) to be a "new Moses" or the return of Moses ("Moses redivivus"). At the end of the last book in what later came to be the Jewish scriptural canon collection, Malachi, is the promise: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet.." before the judgement day. ("Prophet" -- basically one who speaks forth [for God], also picks up the meaning of "foreteller," which tends to become the popular sense). John baptist calls Jesus by the title "Lamb of God" (1.29) -- Jesus is like the passover sacrifice, and in G.John he dies around the time of the slaughter of the passover lambs (19.14, etc.). The idea of witness is played out, followers are gathered together, there is also the theme of belief, and of what kind of evidence contributes to belief (see G.John 20.30f for a concluding summary!). First two events ("signs"): changing water to wine, and saving the ill boy from death - the rest of the signs that are mentioned are not numbered. The signs are usually accompanied by teaching. Jesus' mode of speaking is different in style from the synoptics -- in G.John his discourses are relatively long and thematic, unlike most of the synoptic materials. Chapter 6 originally may have preceeded chapter 5 (issue of crossing the Sea of Galilee). There is no textual evidence for this; just the break in geographical sequence between the chapters. Three passovers are mentioned, which implies a three-year ministry. The feeding of the 5000 and walking on water are signs that are common to all gospels (except G.Luke strangely does not have the walking on water); in John there is again the theme of believing because of witnesses. Chapter 21 (appendix) presents one further episode of the resurrected Jesus, this time in Galilee! In G.John 20, Jesus appears in Jerusalem over the course of at least a week. There is an interest in cohesive teaching, but the language is metaphoric -- more symbol-laden than the other canonical gospels. John never uses the word miracle -- always uses the term "sign." Raising of Lazarus -- beginning of the end. John 12 -- the 6 days before Passover, Jesus' fame has spread outside of Jerusaem and Judea. In the last days of Jesus story, Jesus has a meal, but it is not presented as a passover meal. Jesus washes the feet of the apostles. When Jesus is put on the cross, it is described as occurring on the "day of preparation" for passover, which would thus begin that evening. In the 2nd century, there is a "quartodeciman controversy" among some Christians -- the question of how the Easter celebration relates to the Jewish reckoning that passover begins on the fourteenth night of the lunar month of Nisan (no matter what day of the week that would be). The resolution was that Easter must be on a Sunday -- the "quartodeciman" ("14-ers") position lost out. Egerton Papyrus 2 (http://www.teleport.com/~cabern/andrew/translations/egerton.html) Egerton has parallels to some things in G.John, but also to some other traditions resembling the synoptic gospels more. Johannean message -- could not lay hands on Jesus because his hour had not yet come. //end class notes #12// RelSt 435 Jesus Traditions Class Notes (#13) for 10 December 1998 [[mostly reports on book reviews: forthcoming]] //end of Fall 1998 Class Notes for RelSt 435//