Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth Essay ⋆ History Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

The independent evidence—apart from the New Testament—that Jesus actually lived falls into three categories: Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Jewish-Christian writings outside the Bible. Jewish evidence, surprisingly, is rather sparse. First of all, there are no contemporary archaeological or epigraphic remains that prove Jesus’ existence. What research has found corroborates the background of the New Testament but does not confirm its hero. Second, there are two literary records—the Talmud and Josephus—that speak about Jesus from a Jewish perspective, but both of these have been called into question.

Jewish Evidence

The Talmud speaks of Jesus in derogatory ways, but it is written centuries after his life and undoubtedly reflects a fiercely polemical perspective. The historian Josephus writes extensively about the Jews of his firstcentury c.e. generation, but only in one short passage does he mention Jesus. In the Testimonium Flavianum (Testimony of Flavius) Josephus assesses Jesus as nothing less than a prodigy. But as soon as he finishes his statement, he never writes of Jesus again. Historians now believe that the paragraph is a total or partial interpolation, added by later scribes as it passed down through Christian monastic hands.

Greco-Roman Histories

Contemporary Greco-Roman evidence is also sparse, though there are brief and uncomprehending remarks by Tacitus and Suetonius about the reputation of one “Christus.” The evidence, however, is enough to warrant that Jesus actually lived and was rather despised by the prevailing imperial authorities. There are ancient references to Jesus in religious writings outside of the New Testament. The main document that merits attention from historians is the Gospel of Thomas. The problem is that the date of Thomas cannot be ascertained. The date most often given is 100 c.e., and most likely it is much later since it was found among late Gnostic documents and seems either to use the Gospels of the New Testament or to counter their teachings. Certain parts of Thomas probably do have gospel-era or earlier origins.

It is understandable that there would be little external evidence about Jesus. He probably was an embarrassment to the Jews, who would not dignify him by reviving his memory. In fact, few Jewish writings survive at all during this period because of the Roman invasions. Certainly, this is the time when Jews would have been debating the claims of Jesus and his followers. The Romans would not have cared about Jesus, an obscure nuisance who neither founded cities nor led armies. Nonetheless, the fact that he is something of a footnote to accepted contemporary writers means that he lived.

One other fact outside the Bible supports his existence. The Christian movement spread like wildfire in spite of strong opposition, and a letter from 110 c.e. addressed to the emperor Trajan describes the tenacity of the Christian resolution to believe in Jesus. Many historians use such evidence to show that only a real person and a real event (like a resurrection from the dead) could have inspired the spreading of faith over such distances in such a short period of time. Otherwise, their testimonies show signs of a mass delusion on the scale of which is less believable than the religious explanation.

The New Testament Story

To understand the “real Jesus” the historian is left with the New Testament. Two warnings must be issued before taking up the Bible as an information book. First, the stories about Jesus are not to be taken as history or biography in the modern sense. The life of Jesus is told in the Gospels, but this genre is meant to persuade the reader as well as to inform. In other words, the Gospels already have an interpretation based on faith when they report the “mere” facts. The second warning is that the Gospels represent in their final form at least three levels of information: first, there is an oral tradition that reports eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ life; second, there is the written account of the oral tradition; third, there is the final editing by the community of those who believe.

These two warnings serve to make the reader understand that it is impossible to separate out the Jesus of history from the Christ of faith. It drove some scholars to despair that any historical facts could be gleaned from the Bible concerning faith. One of the most influential figures of the 20th century, the German Rudolf Bultmann, believed only a courageous will to believe could justify biblical faith. His faith came perilously close to Christian Dualism (Gnosticism). By a variety of historical tools, however, some basic facts can be ascertained. Moreover, other points can be received if the Bible reader is willing to accept that faith does not compromise the truth value of the information. Jesus’ identity can be broken down into the man Jesus was on earth, the mentor Jesus was in his ministry, and the message Jesus lived out and taught.

Jesus The Man

Jesus was born a Jew, the son of a Jewish woman, and observed Jewish customs. He lived in Galilee and Judaea, his childhood was inconspicuous, and the record about his early manhood is silent. Around the age of 30 he began his public life as an itinerant preacher. When he was on his own he attracted disciples and large crowds of curiosity seekers. His career was cut short when Jewish leaders arrested him, and then he was tried and condemned by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate as a criminal. Because he was accused of being an insurrectionist, he was given the capital punishment of crucifixion.

Jesus was the religious devotee of his first cousin named John the Baptist. He lived with John in the wilderness and was baptized by him in the Jordan River near Jericho. Apparently Jesus learned apocalyptic ideas from John and probably maintained some of his cousin’s practices, such as an austere lifestyle and baptism for his followers. When John was imprisoned, Jesus began his independent ministry.

Jesus The Mentor

The main proclamation of Jesus focused on the Kingdom of God. Jesus seemed to be extending this idea as he learned and adapted it from his cousin John. The Kingdom of God was not a physical domain, but its power took hold whenever he spoke or acted authoritatively. The kingdom had both a present and future orientation. It seemed to be completed in the future, yet it was visible in the present through acts of power called miracles. The miracles demonstrated that Jesus was preaching a real kingdom, and they also attracted huge crowds. As Jesus did miracles, faith in him increased.

Several other messages emerged from the teaching of Jesus. First, Jesus distinguished himself from his main competitors, the Pharisees, through his radical teachings on the need to love (even as far as one’s enemies) and through his radical discipleship demands (following Jesus even to one’s death). The closest disciples, called the apostles, formed a close-knit social unit that became the replacement for family and property. Second, Jesus did not urge the rejection of the Jewish law, or Torah; if anything he strengthened its moral imperatives, while lessening its ceremonial aspects.

Life, Death, And Resurrection Of Jesus

The followers of Jesus were so “converted” by the life of Jesus that they traveled far and wide with his message and risked their lives for its truthfulness. The presuppositions of the New Testament—probably at every level of its formulation based on the very early writings of the apostle Paul—include the miracles and the resurrection of Jesus, and this was also the driving force for the spread of the Jesus movement. Such enthusiasm is simply unthinkable without taking into account Jesus’s resurrection after his ignominious death on a cross.

At first the followers of Jesus expressed the identity of Jesus in typically Jewish ways, that is, he was anointed messiah, authoritative lord, suffering servant, and “prophet like Moses.” The stature of Jesus grew over time and reflection, especially when the Christological controversies occurred in the third century c.e. and climaxed in the councils of the fourth and fifth centuries. However, the supernatural element of the identity of Jesus had abundant fodder in the writings of the New Testament.

References:

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Grand Rapids, MI: Erdmans, 2007;
Dunn, J. D. G. Jesus Remembered. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003;
Flusser, David, in collaboration with R. Steven Notley. Jesus. Jerusalem, Israel: Magnes, 1997;
Meier, J. P. A Marginal Jew. Edinburg, TX: Anchor Bible Reference, 1991;
Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2003.

This example Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.