JESUS (moodle version)

JESUSTHEO 201
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015
LECTURER: SAMUEL FARRUGIA

Jesus & the West
 Emperor Constantine I (272 –
337)
 312: conversion of
Constantine to Christianity
 313: Edict of Milan
 Emperor Theodosius I (347 –
395)
 380: Edict of Thessalonica

This lecture…
 This lecture will seek to develop the following points regarding Jesus:
1. Where our information about Jesus comes from.
2. The Gospel message of Jesus as demonstrating both confrontation
with Roman imperial propaganda as well as continuity with the
story of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
3. How the 4 Evangelists seek to tell the story of Jesus as the fulfillment
of Jewish hopes for the coming of the kingdom of God.
4. The role that the resurrection of Jesus played in the faith of the first
Christians.
5. The way in which Jesus was worshipped as divine by the first
Christians.

Where does our
information
about Jesus
come from?

The “Gospel”
Εὐαγγελίοv (euangelion) = “good
news”
An “evangelist” = someone who tells
good news
The “Gospel” according to Mark =
Mark’s rendition of the good news
“the gospel” = the good news about
Jesus

“The beginning of the good
news of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.”
(Gospel according to Mark 1.1)
IT BEGINS...

The 4 “Gospels”
of the New Testament
 The main source of
our information about
Jesus
 Other sources:
 Archeology (ruins,
inscriptions, etc.)
 Jewish and Greco-
Roman texts (Flavius
Josephus, Tacitus, etc.)

The Gospels: 4 “testimonies”
 Our knowledge of Jesus
is based on the
experiences and/or the
research of 4 first-century
Jewish men
 (Matthew, Mark, Luke
[might have been
Greek] & John)
 4 “biographies”

The 4 Gospels
 All four “evangelists” assume certain things about Jesus
1. He is the Messiah of Israel (Messiah = Christos: “anointed One”;
rightful King)
2. He is “the Son of God” (see Ps. 2; 2 Samuel 7, etc.)
3. Jesus’ death on the cross is the fulfillment of the Jewish hope for the
establishment of the kingdom of God
4. Jesus “rose” from the dead on the third day after his death
 Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the :
 Legitimation of his messianic claim
 The beginning of a “new creation”
 The guarantee of the future hope of Jesus’ followers (i.e. Christians)
5. Jesus is Yahweh (YHWH: the god of Israel) in person

What do these words mean?
« gospel »
« Christ »
« son of God »

Confrontation & continuity
 The evangelists’ language about Jesus is
both confrontational (regarding roman
imperial propaganda about the emperor)
and demonstrates continuity between the
story of Jesus and the larger story of God’s
people, Israel (which we read about in the
Old Testament).

Confrontation: son of which god?
 Julius Caesar (100 – 44 BC), proconsul of the
Republic of Rome, adopted his nephew Octavian
as his son and heir.
 2 years after Caesar’s assassination, the Roman
senate accorded him “apotheosis”, i.e. they
declared that Caesar had been elevated to
divine status as a member of the “pantheon” of
Roman gods.
 After a period of civil war with Mark-Antony,
Octavian, Caesar’s adopted son, became the
first emperor of Rome in 27 BC and took the title
of “Augustus” as well as his uncle’s name, Caesar.
 Augustus also took the title “son of the divine
Julius Caesar” (= son of a god) as well as kurios
(“Lord”) and soter (“Saviour”).
 Augustus was emperor at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Confrontation: Son of which god?
 “The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be
holy; he will be called Son of God.”
(Luke 1.35)
 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid; for see—I am bringing you good
news of great joy for all the people: 11 to
you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
(Luke 2.10-11)

Confrontation: Son of which god?
The gods of the
Romans
• Are to be found within the
universe (e.g. Mt.
Olympus)
• The result of celestial
warfare between gods
and titans and heroes,
etc.
• Are basically idealized
human virtues and vices
• Honoured with statues,
shrines and temples
• Numerous and their
number was always
growing (e.g. through the
deification of emperors)
The God of the
Jews (YHWH)
• Transcendent (over
and above the
universe)
• Immanent (present
to the universe)
• Self-existent
• Totally other
• Worshipped in a
Temple, but no
statues
• Unique (“Singular”?)
the God of
Christians
• Transcendent and immanent
• Self-existent
• (originally) worshipped in small
gatherings of Christians in private
homes
• Worshipped Jesus as divine together
with Yahweh and therefore eventually
developed the doctrine of the :
• Trinity (Tri + Unity) of 3 divine persons
sharing 1 divine essence; 1 God in 3
persons; 3 persons who are 1 God
• Father, Son (Jesus) & Holy Spirit

The name of (the) God (of Israel)
 YHWH = the tetragrammaton (4 letters)
 Out of respect for the 3rd commandment: « You shall not make
wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not
acquit anyone who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20.7), Jews at the
time of Jesus refused to pronounce the divine name, and when
reading the text of Scripture aloud, they would simply say “the
name” (“ha Shem”) when they encountered the name of God in
the text.
 Many English translations of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture)
translate the divine name as « LORD », following the example of the
2nd-century BC Greek translation (Septuagint: « LXX »), which
translated the divine name by the word kurios (« Lord »).
 Most scholars today are agreed that we should pronounce the
tetragrammaton as « Yahweh ».

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came
to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of
God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God has come
near; repent, and believe in the good
news.”
(Mark 1.14-15)
The “good news”
according to Jesus

Continuity:
good news about what?
 YHWH’s kingdom
 At the time of Jesus, the term “kingdom of Yahweh” summed up the
Jewish hope that their God would deliver them from pagan
oppression, fulfill the promises he had made to Abraham and David
and “reign” through Israel over the entire world in justice and
peace.
 During the Second-Temple period, different groups developed
within Judaism, each group having different expectations as to how
the kingdom of God was going to come and what they should be
doing in the meantime (Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes & Zealots).

Continuity:
3 fundamental Jewish beliefs
1. MONOTHEISM
2. ELECTION
(COVENANT)
3. ESCHATOLOGY (i.e.
the hope for a
happy “ending” to
the story of YHWH
and his people)
1. ONE GOD
2. ONE PEOPLE OF
GOD
3. ONE FUTURE FOR
ISRAEL AND THE
WORLD (“THE
NATIONS”)

ELECTION (COVENANT)
the call of Abraham
“Now the LORD said to Abram,
“Go from your country and your
kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you. 2 I
will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you, and make
your name great, so that you will
be a blessing. 3 I will bless those
who bless you, and the one who
curses you I will curse; and in you
all the families of the earth shall
be blessed.” (Genesis 12.1-3)

MONOTHEISM
THE ONE TRUE GOD IS THE GOD OF ISRAEL
 “He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
(Exodus 3.6; cf. 2.24)
 “I am the LORD (YHWH) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for
yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus 20.2-4)
 « Shema Y’Israël »:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD (YHWH) is our God, the LORD alone. 5 You shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy
6.4-5)

ESCHATOLOGY
THE HOPE FOR THE KINGDOM
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie
down with your ancestors, I will raise up
your offspring after you… and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a
house for my name, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a
father to him, and he shall be a son to
me… Your house and your kingdom shall
be made sure forever before me; your
throne shall be established forever.”
(2 Samuel 7.12-16)
“As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
14 To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7.13-14)

How will this story “end”?
When will the
true king show
up?
When will things
be set right?
When will we be
free?

The story so far…
“The time is
fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God
has come
near; repent, and
believe in the
good news.”
(Mark 1.15)
 Jesus says that the
moment everyone
has been waiting for
has arrived!
 What has happened
up until this point?
 Let’s go (further) back
in time…

“Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
5 God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.”
 Psalm 47
« the kingdom of YHWH »

1. YHWH is king of all the earth, of all
the nations.
2. YHWH has chosen one nation to be
his people (Israel).
3. YHWH reigns over the world through
Israel, and more specifically, through
Israel’s king.

the monarchy & the Temple

“…The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and his anointed…
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion (i.e. Jerusalem), my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron,
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
(Psalm 2)

according to Psalm 2
1. YHWH established the
King of Israel by
« anointing » him.
2. YHWH calls the king of
Israel his « son ».
3. YHWH promises to
subjugate all the pagan
(non-Jewish) nations to
the reign of Israel’s king.

the people’s rebellion & consequent exile
1. The suppression of the
royal line of David.
2. The reign of pagan
empires (Babylonian,
Persian, Greek, Roman).
3. Israel, who claimed to be
the people of the one true
God, finds herself to be the
slave of idolatrous (pagan)
nations.

“How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.”
(Isaiah 52.7-8)
Hopes for the end of exile

Hopes for the end of exile
Isaiah
“A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of
the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway
for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made
low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be
revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
(Isaiah 40.3-5)
Mark
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1.1-4)

The kingdom of YHWH
“Now after John was
arrested, Jesus came to
Galilee, proclaiming the
good news of God, 15 and
saying, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God
has come near; repent, and
believe in the good news.”
(Mark 1.14-15)
 YHWH is preparing to:
 Return to his people.
 Forgive his people.
 Deliver his people from
pagan oppression.
 Restore the kingly line of
David.
 Reign once again over his
people and establish
justice and peace.

Establishing the kingdom
jesus: healer
 “Moved with pity,
Jesus stretched out his
hand and touched
him, and said to him, “I
do choose. Be made
clean!”42 Immediately
the leprosy left him,
and he was made
clean.”
Mc 1.41-42

jesus : exorcist
 « But Jesus rebuked
him, saying, “Be
silent, and come
out of him!” 26 And
the unclean spirit,
convulsing him and
crying with a loud
voice, came out of
him. » Mc 1.25-26

jesus : teacher
 « Jesus went out
again beside the
sea; the whole
crowd gathered
around him, and
he taught them. »
Mc 2.13

jesus : story-teller
 « With many such
parables he spoke the
word to them, as they
were able to hear
it; 34 he did not speak
to them except in
parables, but he
explained everything
in private to his
disciples. »
Mc 4.33-34

jesus : party-animal
 « And as he sat at
dinner in Levi’s house,
many tax collectors
and sinners were also
sitting with Jesus and
his disciples—for
there were many
who followed him. »
Mc 2.15

The resurrection of Jesus
2 PHENOMENA THAT REQUIRE AN
EXPLANATION
1.The empty tomb.
2.The appearances of the
resurrected Jesus to his
followers.

The resurrection of Jesus
 The NT language of
« resurrection ».
 Refers to a new bodily life, the other
side of death (not the resuscitation
of a corpse; not a Zombie).
 Early Christianity as a messianic
movement.
 The crucifixion of a would-be
Messiah spelled the end of his
movement (Ac. 5.36-37).

Resurrection Hope in 2nd-temple Judaism
(6th-C B.C. – 1st-C AD)
RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS AT THE DAWN OF “THE AGE TO COME”
“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people,
shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred
since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall
be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.
2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Daniel 12.1-2

CHALLENGE !!!
READ A
GOSPEL

JESUS (moodle version)

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