jesus

• Jesus


  His real name was Joshua Bar Joseph, he was born in 4 B.C and died at the age around 33
• Jesus as the Son of God


  In the doctrine of the Trinity, where God is understood as Father, Son and Holy spirit, places Jesus as the Son of God. This idea is central to Jesus' divine authority
• In the NT, Jesus is referred to as God's 'only' son, it is also recorded in the Bible that Jesus called God 'Abba', which is the Greek word for father, and a heavenly voice declared Jesus 'my son'
• Jesus' human and divine nature

  • Most Christians today accept the agreed teaching that Jesus was 'of the same substance' as God, as one being – a doctrine known as Homoousions (perfect conjunction of Jesus' two nature. Fully human and fully God (incarnate)). This is the orthodox teaching
• Why Jesus had to be fully God and fully human


  Only God has the power to save humanity from sin, so Jesus had to be fully God. But Jesus also had to be fully human in order to suffer pain for the sake of humanity and die
• Karl Rahner (Catholic theologian): 'Jesus' consciousness was like an onion, with human self-consciousness nearer to the surface and God-consciousness deeper within him'
• C.S. Lewis: 'We need to accept the unquestionable divinity of Jesus because if a man said the kind of things that Jesus said, he would either be "a lunatic or the Devil of Hell" Jesus cannot just be a human moral teacher, he must be divine'
• Jesus' ability to perform miracles

  • In the NT, Jesus is shown as being a 'miracle worker', he was able to walk on water, heal the sick and drive out demons. One of the greatest miracles was the resurrection, which is crucial to the Christian message
• Miracles in the NT

  The miracle stories were not just accounts of what Jesus did, but as exemplars to illustrate Jesus' authority and how he reunites the socially excluded back into a relationship with God
• David Hume argued against miracles by saying that there is always a more likely explanation than breaking the natural law in the world. He also believed that the witnesses are often untrustworthy, especially religious believers, since they want the miracle to happen
• Others, such as Edward Schillebeeckx, argued that miracles should be interpreted as having a spiritual, metaphorical meaning rather than taken literally
• If the resurrection was not real or interpreted metaphorically, then Jesus's divine nature will be questioned
• Jesus as a Teacher of Wisdom

  Evidence in the Bible show that Jesus was a Rabbi (Some one who studied the scriptures and could interpret and teach them)
• Jesus' followers referred to him directly using the word 'rabbi'
• Jesus had all based all of his teachings on the Torah, he focused on the laws and covered a wide range of moral issues, such as importance of love and the forgiveness of sins
• Jesus had a lot of disciples
• A Rabbi in the days of Jesus would have had no home and would have travelled any made a living on the charity of others as they spread their message
• What Jesus taught


  • Moral purity
  • Poverty and wealth – 'it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven'
  • Agape
  • Eternal life and how to achieve it – 'Love thy neighbour' and 'Blessed are the peacemakers'
  • Expanded upon Old Testament beliefs in the Sermon on the Mount – 'Turn the other cheek'
  • Equality – Sign- that Mary Magdalene was a disciple
• Richard Dawkins: 'Jesus teaches us many important morals that we could follow, but he also believes that Jesus can only be a teacher of wisdom'
• C.S. Lewis: 'We cannot see Jesus only as a teacher of wisdom as it would mean we accept him being the same as "a lunatic or the Devil of Hell". The things that Jesus said can only be good moral teachings if he is divine'
• Jesus being one of many

  John Hick argued that the way Jesus' awareness of God's will and God's willingness to act is not unique to Jesus, but it is found in many other inspirational figures, such as Moses, Jeremiah and many others
• Hick's view


  Inspiration – yes. Divine – no
• Jesus as a Political Revolutionary

  Reza Aslan argued that there are many things that Jesus did that highlighted as a political revolutionary, such as the cleansing of the temple, his disciples carrying weapons, and his entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey
• However, this view does not take into account that Jesus stopped his disciples from using violence to defend him, he emphasised peace as well, and he never used or accepted any political title
• Jesus as Religious Liberator


  He disagreed with other Rabbis at times, and added to the Old Testament by expanding on the detail that was written. He healed on the Sabbath, overturned the tables in the temple, and came into conflict with the religious leaders
• Gerald O' Collins supported the view that "…in general there was much in Jesus' activities to provoke them (The religious authorities) …"
• Jesus challenged social constructs by overturning traditional values and promoting new ones, e.g. He overturned the idea of 'eye for an eye' and promoted 'love thy neighbour'
• Jesus was seen as a threat to religious leaders' social status because of his authority with the majority of the lower-class people