Jesus through the Centuries

1. Jesus through the Centuries A Wee review

2. The Dilemma of Christology • Many images of Jesus with • One basic claim: • Jesus is the Christ: Chosen One of God

3. The Question of Christology • “But who do you say I am?” Mark 8:27-29a • “Each image of Jesus is the ‘key to an age’ in Western Culture.” Javoslav Pelikan • Any image of picture of Jesus tells us as much about the author or artist as it does about Jesus.” Albert Schweitzer • Christology is both an account of the history, message, life, death and resurrection of Jesus AND an account of [Christian] hope.” Karl Rahner

4. “Jesus through the Centuries” One set of basic ideas governing multiple interpretations: • Jesus of Nazareth is the way to God • Jesus of Nazareth is way to human and global relationships • Jesus of Nazareth is the way to oneself.

5. The Modern Search for the Jesus of History Images source: http://www.bible-archaeology.info/nazareth.htm “Quest of the Historical Jesus”

6. Kerkeslager: “Getting Past the People between Us and Jesus”* The Modern Interpreter (0ur worldview and assumptions) Backward from 21st century Earlier Interpreters of the New Testament (Church Tradition) Scribes Who Copy Gospels (Glosses) (Other early Christian texts) Gospel authors and their audiences: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John Paul and his followers: Letters of Paul and other letters attributed to Paul Written Sources: Miracle Stories, Sayings of Jesus, Parables of Jesus, Passion Accounts Oral Sources: Eyewitness Accounts, Miracle Stories, Sayings of Jesus, Parables of Jesus, Passion Accounts Forward from 1st century Jesus, the human being *Source: Allen Kerkeslager, SJU Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Allen Kerkeslager, "Critical Methods in the Study of the Gospels: A Basic Outline“ (Blackboard, used by permission of the author)

7. JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

8. Timeline for the New Testament

9. JUDAISM IN THE FIRST CENTURY: Major Sects Sadducees – aristocracy; associated with Temple priesthood; collaborators with Rome Pharisees – Judaism w/o the Temple; rules for living Essenes – apocalyptic sect; withdrew to the desert; cease to exist during Jewish War (66-70CE); Qumran: Dead Sea Scrolls Jesus movement – Jewish group that sees Jesus of Nazareth as the long-awaited Messiah

10. Roman Conquest and Rule (cont) • Client kings and direct rule: • Herod the Great • massive building program: Hellenistic cities, new temple • massive new taxes on peasantry • creates a police state of spies, restriction of speech, assembly • dies in 4 BCE, divides kingdom up between his 3 sons • Pontius Pilate (Judea) • Appointed by Rome to rule south after incompetence of Herod’s son • Brutal, ruthless, despises Judea and Jews • Condemns Jesus to death by crucifixion about 33 CE

11. Roman Conquest and Rule (cont) • Peasantry: life for most in Roman Palestine • Subsistence farming • Crushing taxation: temple tax, Roman tribute, Herod’s building taxes • Many lost their land when unable to pay • Constant fear of Roman troops/reprisals • Constant fear of secret police (Herod) • Consistent resistance to Roman rule: non-violent and armed • Horizontal violence: Judeans vs. Samaritans, e.g.; inter-village struggles

12. Stages in Formation of New Testament Paul (Saul of Tarsus) 40’s-60’s • Mission to convert Gentiles • Tension with Jerusalem church over Gentile-Jewish relationship for new converts; attends Jerusalem conference (49 CE) • Key passages from his letters in the NT: • Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female, but you all are one in Christ Jesus.” • Philippians 2:2-12: The kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ; setting aside of divinity in order to become human and be crucified. • I Corinthians 8:1-13 Concerning food offered to idols. • Galatians 5:13-14: on Christian freedom and responsibility • The Letter to the Romans: justification before God by faith in Christ Jesus, even while continuing to be sinners

13. Sources for NT Gospel Writers Jesus’: Passed on first by oral tradition, then written down.

14. The New Testament Gospels THEMES in MARK’S STORY OF JESUS • Journeying and Meals • Conflict and Blindness • Suffering and Death

15. The New Testament Gospels THEMES in MATTHEW’S STORY OF JESUS • The True Judaism and the New Moses • Maintaining Identity and Boundary Lines • Compassion and Care for the Other

16. The New Testament Gospels THEMES in LUKE’S STORY OF JESUS • A “Proper “ Account • God Saves the Poor • The Innocence of Jesus before Rome

17. The New Testament Gospels THEMES in JOHN’S STORY OF JESUS • The Eternal Word (Logos) …become • Flesh…of and by the Father • Recognizing the Christ: • Signs and Metaphors • Conflict, Rejection and Belief

18. THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS • In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, suppressed groups of Christians (usually identified as “gnostics”) hide some of their writings to keep them from being destroyed by proto-orthodox church leaders, who have condemned them as heretical. • Copies are discovered in 1945 in Egyptian desert outside the town of Nag Hammadi • Nag Hammadi gospels = Gnostic Gospels • 13 codices (volumes, singular: codex) containing banned books • A window onto the diversity of early Christianity

19. FROM THE MANY TO THE ONE • The Emergence of “proto-orthodoxy” • The form of early Christianity that develops into Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and (later) Protestantism • Emphasis on crucifixion; bodily resurrection; affirmation of Hebrew bible; humanity and divinity of Jesus • The drive for unity • Begins in the 2nd century • Proliferation of writings • Persecution and martyrdom • One important critic: Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies • Lost Christianities/Lost Scriptures: • Banning & destruction of non-orthodox writings • Rejection and suppression of non-orthodox sects and their members

20. Gospel Images of Jesus History?.....

21. Or,…. Interpretation?

22. CHRISTIANITY & EMPIRE The Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea to Chalcedon (324-451)

23. The Road to Nicaea: • Constantine and Christianity • Credits the “God of Christ” with his military victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge (312) • With Licinius, issues the Edict of Milan (Edit of Toleration (313) • Defeats Licinius (324) • Looks to Christianity as the “glue” to unite his Eastern & Western empire • Calls the Council of Nicaea in 325 to stop inter-church fighting and force a decision on the status (“essence”) of Jesus Christ in relation to God the Father

24. The Council of Nicaea – 325 CE The Church Declares the Divinity of Jesus The Council of Nicaea

25. A Short Timeline … …and Locations Map inset

26. The Council of Constantinople (381) The Humanity of Christ (also featuring, The Doctrine of the Trinity!) Detail from “The Supper at Emmaus” by Rembrandt van Rijn (1648) STARTING POINT OF AGREEMENT: All participants in the Council of Constantinople agree that the decision made about Christ’s fully divinity is CORRECT!

27. The Christological Formula:Jesus Christ is One Person(persona) in Two Natures (natura) WHAT DOES THE CHRISTOLOGICAL FORMULA DO? • Tells us who the Christ is in relationship to God and to human beings • Identifies Jesus as the definition both of what God is like and what human beings can become like • Claims that God experiences human joys and sufferings with us • Affirms that the path to the divine is through our own humanity and the human relationships around us

28. The First Four Ecumenical Councils: The Limits of Appropriate Speech • Jesus Christ is fully divine • Homoousios (of one essence) with God the Father (Nicaea 325) • Jesus Christ is fully human • In all things like us (but without sin) (Constantinople 381) • God is a Trinity: • One God (monotheism) = one divine essence, undivided, in Three distinct Beings: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Constantinople 381) • Mary is the Mother of God: • Theotokos-- God-bearer (Ephesus 431) • The Final Formulae: from Greek to Latin • Jesus Christ is two natures in one person. • God is one nature in three persons. • (Chalcedon 451) Constantinian Church at Trier