Jesus the Christ
Who is Jesus? Who said so?
Why?
Pre-Test
 What do we really know about Jesus of
Nazareth?
 How do the gospels describe Jesus?
 What is the Paschal Mystery?
 In what ways can Jesus be an example today?
 Why do you think Christianity is still around?
Who is Jesus?
To whom is this question
important?
What are we asking when
we ask this question?
 In the last few
centuries, the
question has been
divided into two,
often separate,
aspects:
1. The Jesus of History
2. The Jesus of Faith
Historical Jesus & Jesus of Faith
The Quest for the Historical Jesus
 1768 –Hermann
Reimarus said we
should distinguish
between the real
Jesus and what the
disciples said about
him.
The Quest
 1906 – Albert Schweitzer
published “The Quest for
the Historical Jesus” .
 He challenged all
previous historical work
about Jesus. Criticised
both conservatives and
liberals.
 Schweitzer showed that
all investigations into
Jesus so far had Jesus
mysteriously shaped
according to the lives
and beliefs of the
investigators.
The Problem?
 Schweitzer said
Jesus could only be
understood in the light
of Jesus’ own
convictions.
 But how can we know
what Jesus himself
thought?
?
The “Son of Man” Video – represents a
certain historical approach
 It is trying to provide evidence that all that is
written about Jesus in the Bible is literally true.
However, most main stream scholars would accept that there are historical
facts in the Gospels and there are stories to tell about who Jesus is,
eg. Yes, Jesus was probably born in humble circumstances, but no, the 3 wise
men are probably a story to illustrate Jesus’ importance
The Jesus Seminar
 About 150 scholars got together in the 1980s
and decided by coloured bead vote what the
historical Jesus really would have said and what
he wouldn’t:
Red bead – Jesus did say the passage or very similar (3
points)
Pink bead – Jesus probably said something like the
passage (2 points)
Grey bead – Jesus did not say the passage but it
contains his ideas (1 point)
Black bead – Jesus did not say it, added later by
someone else (0 points)
Top 5 Red statements:
Turn the Other Cheek (92%) Mt 5:39, Lk
6:29a
Coat and Shirt Mt 5:40 (92%) Lk 6:29b
(90%)
Congratulations, poor! Lk 6:21b (91%)
Second Mile (90%) Mt 5:41
Love Your Enemies LK 6:27b (84%) also
Mt, Romans, 1 Peter and other non biblical
places
Black rated
 Blessed are the
meek, pure of heart,
merciful and peace
makers in Matthew
because they are only
mentioned once and
are not ironic!
So what do we know about the Jesus
of History?
 Jesus was born about 6-4
BC.
 He lived his early life at
Nazareth (some believe
the position of the house
has been located.)
 He enjoyed dining with
friends and also with the
marginalised, socially
unacceptable people.
What do we know about the Jesus of
History?
 He spoke of the coming
reign of God
 He performed deeds that
impressed those around
him and were amazing
enough to be talked
about a long time after.
 The place where Jesus
was condemned to death
has been located.
 Jesus died about 3033CE
Evidence - Non-Biblical
“Now about this time
lived Jesus, a wise
man, if indeed he
should be called a
man. He was doer of
wonderful works, a
teacher of men who
receive the truth with
pleasure, and won
over many Jews and
Greeks. He was the
Christ.”
Josephus (circa 94CE)
Evidence - Non-Biblical
“Nor is the tribe of
Christians, so named
after him, extinct to
this day.”
Josephus (circa 94CE)
Evidence - Non-Biblical
 Suetonius - 120CE refers to the expulsion of
Jews from Rome in about
50CE because they were
taking part in riots ‘at the
instigation of Chrestus’ (A
mistaken reference to
Christus or Christ).
(At the time, the Christians were
regarded by most Roman
authorities as a sect of Judaism.)
Evidence - Non-Biblical
 Tacitus - around 116
CE - described the
Emperor Nero’s
attempt to blame the
Christians for the
great fire which
destroyed a large
section of Rome in
64CE.
Evidence - Non-Biblical
 Roman historian Tacitus wrote:
Nero fastened the guilt . . . on a class hated for
their abominations, called Christians by the
populace. Christus, from whom the name had its
origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the
reign of Tiberius at the hands of . . . Pontius
Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition,
thus checked for the moment, again broke out
not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil,
but even in Rome where everything vile comes
and is welcomed. .
Evidence - Non-Biblical
 Pliny the Younger around 110CE - a
governor of the
province of Asia Minor
wrote to the emperor
Trajan asking what to
do with the Christians.
He described how he
put to death those
who persisted in their
belief in Jesus Christ.
Philo on Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate governed Judea 26-36CE.
Both the province and the man were
violent and difficult. He had a bad
reputation.
Philo was a 1st century Jewish writer who
complained of..
“…his venality, his violence, his thefts, his
assaults, his abusive behaviour, his
frequent executions of untried prisoners,
and his endless savage ferocity…”
What it comes down to …
…is that the New Testament is the main
source of information about Jesus.
Some of the writers were or were close to
eye witnesses.
It’s 2000 years old so how do we know it is
accurate?
An interesting comparison:
 Julius Caesar wrote ‘The Gallic Wars’ a history
of his military campaign before Jesus was born.
The earliest copy we have was made 900 years
he wrote the first copy. Historians think its fairly
reliable.
 The earliest complete copy of the New
Testament was made 300 years after the first
copy.
 Many Roman books have disappeared
completely.
Most scholars would accept that…
 Someone was
causing trouble in
Judea around 30 CE.
 The authorities didn’t
like it.
 A man called Jesus
was executed.
 His death was not the
end of the story.
Jesus – a Jew of his time
YOUR TURN!
Historically, one of the most important
aspects about Jesus is that he was
Jewish, living under Roman rule in the first
century.
What was that like: culturally, politically,
religiously?
Who were the first people ask the
question ‘Who is Jesus?’
 His immediate family:
Mary, Joseph,
Elizabeth, John the
Baptist
 His followers:
Mt 16:15, Mk
8:29, Lk 9:20
“Who do you say that
I am?”
Paul on ‘Who is Jesus?’
Paul’s letters are the earliest
writings in the New
Testament (written
between 50 and 64 CE).
He was a devout Jew who
had tried to stop
Christianity developing.
He had a blinding vision of
the risen Jesus and was
utterly convinced by it.
In his letters, Paul is…








Tender
Caring
Sarcastic
Boastful
Threatens
Angry
Gentle
Advises castration for
some of those he
disagrees with.
Paul
 He argued with the other
Christian leaders.
 His understanding of who
Jesus is has shaped the
church even though he
never met the historical
Jesus.
 He shows little interest in
the details of Jesus’ life
and teachings
 His interest is in the
meaning of Jesus’ death.
So who is Jesus for Paul?
YOUR TURN!
5 …Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being
born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of
death-- even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the
name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:6-11