Jesus

Jesus (Greek: Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs), also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is Christianity's central figure, both as Messiah and, for most Christians, as God incarnate. In Islam he is regarded as a very important prophet.

Historicity

Most modern scholars hold that the works describing Jesus were initially communicated by oral tradition, and were not committed to writing until several decades after Jesus' crucifixion. The earliest extant texts which refer to Jesus are Paul's letters, which are usually dated from the mid-1st century. Paul saw Jesus only in visions, but he claimed that they were divine revelations and hence authoritative. The earliest extant texts describing Jesus in any detail were the four New Testament Gospels. These texts, being part of the Biblical canon, have received much more analysis and acceptance from Christian sources than other possible sources for information on Jesus.

Related Topics:
Oral tradition - Paul - 1st century - Revelation - New Testament - Gospel - Biblical canon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, many apocryphal texts have also surfaced detailing events in Jesus' life and teachings, chief among them the Gospel of Thomas, a "sayings gospel" or logia consisting primarily of phrases attributed to Jesus. Other New Testament apocrypha, generally considered less important, include the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of Mary, the Infancy Gospels, the Gospel of Peter, the Unknown Berlin Gospel, the Naassene Fragment, the Secret Gospel of Mark, the Egerton Gospel, the Oxyrhynchus Gospels and the Fayyum Fragment.

Related Topics:
Apocrypha - Gospel of Thomas - Logia - New Testament apocrypha - Gospel of the Hebrews - Gospel of Mary - Infancy Gospels - Gospel of Peter - Unknown Berlin Gospel - Naassene Fragment - Secret Gospel of Mark - Egerton Gospel - Oxyrhynchus Gospels - Fayyum Fragment

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some texts with even earlier historical or mythological information on Jesus are speculated to have existed prior to the Gospels, though none are extant. Based on the unusual similarities and differences (see synoptic problem) between the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke, the first three canonical Gospels—many Biblical scholars have suggested that oral tradition and logia (such as the Gospel of Thomas and the theoretical Q document) probably played a strong role in initially passing down stories of Jesus, and may have inspired some of the Synoptic Gospels. Specifically, many scholars believe that the Q document and the Gospel of Mark were the two sources used for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; however, other theories, such as the older Augustinian hypothesis, continue to hold sway with some Biblical scholars. Another theoretical document is the Signs Gospel, believed to have been a source for the Gospel of John. These is little consensus concerning how and when any of these documents were circulated, if they were at all.

Related Topics:
Synoptic problem - Synoptic Gospels - Matthew - Mark - Luke - Oral tradition - Q document - Two sources - Augustinian hypothesis - Signs Gospel - Gospel of John

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ecumenical council meetings in the 4th century that discussed which works should and should not be included in the canon were largely unconcerned with modern historical sensibilities, utilizing few techniques of objective textual analysis. Instead, their discussions generally tended to center upon theology, rather than upon historicity. However, noted scholars F.F. Bruce, Bruce Metzger and others argue that some historical details were taken into consideration regarding New Testament canon. It may be surmised that the early church leaders took for granted that historicity was not an issue to be debated, any more than debating the historicity of the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution would be major issues today.http://www.pastornet.net.au/rtc/canon.htmhttp://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocc03.htm http://www.ntgreek.org/SeminaryPapers/ChurchHistory/Criteria%20for%20Development%20of%20the%20NT%20Canon%20in%20First%20Four%20Centuries.pdf In addition, Bible scholar Bruce Metzger wrote regarding the formation of the canonical New Testament:

Related Topics:
Ecumenical council - 4th century - Canon - Theology - Historicity - F.F. Bruce - Bruce Metzger - Articles of Confederation - Constitution

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"Although the fringes of the emerging canon remained unsettled for generations, a high degree of unanimity concerning the greater part of the New Testament was attained among the very diverse and scattered congregations of believers not only throughout the Mediterranean world, but also over an area extending from Britain to Mesopotamia." (Metzger, 1987).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a result of the many-decade time gap between the writing of the Gospels and the events they describe, as well as the seemingly heavy pro-Jesus slant of these and other early accounts of Jesus' life, the accuracy of all early texts claiming the existence of Jesus or details of Jesus' life have been disputed by various parties. However, several Biblical historians have responded to claims of the unreliability of the Gospel accounts by pointing out that historical documentation is often biased and second-hand, and must always be interpreted with care.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Among those who believe that Jesus existed, however, there are numerous divisions over the historical accuracy of the canonical Gospels. Some say that the Gospel accounts are neither objective nor accurate, since they were written or compiled by his followers and seem to exclusively portray a positive, idealized view of Jesus. Those who have a naturalistic view of history do not believe in divine intervention or miracles such as the resurrection of Jesus mentioned by the Gospels.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the other side of the coin, some scholars believe that Jesus has little or no historical basis. There are many similarities between stories about Jesus and contemporary myths of Pagan godmen such as Mithras, Apollo, Attis, Horus and Osiris-Dionysus, leading to conjectures that the Pagan myths were adopted by some authors of early accounts of Jesus to form a syncretism with Christianity. Some Christian thinkers, such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, believed that such myths were created by ancient Pagans with vague and imprecise knowledge of Gospel truth. While these connections are disputed by many, it is nevertheless true that many elements of Jesus' story as told in the Gospels have parallels in Pagan mythology, where miracles such as virgin birth and reincarnation were not uncommon.

Related Topics:
Pagan - Mithras - Apollo - Attis - Horus - Osiris-Dionysus - Syncretism - C. S. Lewis - J. R. R. Tolkien - Virgin birth - Reincarnation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

scholars such as A. N. Sherwin-White, FF Bruce, John Wenham, Gary Habermas and others argue for a high degree of historical reliability of the key New Testament events or the New Testament as a whole (see: Resurrection of Jesus for details).http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocont.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wenhamhttp://www.apologetics.com/default.jsp?bodycontent=/articles/historical_apologetics/habermas-nt.html Prominent liberal scholar John A.T. Robinson argued for early dates of the entire New Testament and ascribed many of the key New Testament texts to their traditional authors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Robinson_%281919-1983%29 -->

Related Topics:
A. N. Sherwin-White - FF Bruce - John Wenham - Gary Habermas - Resurrection of Jesus - John A.T. Robinson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~