My Understanding of Religion
Page 20
All four Gospels acknowledge in John the Baptist the dawning of the Christian era. Matthew identifies John as 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness' forecast in Isaiah chapter 40. Mark likewise recognizes John as Isaiah's 'voice of one crying in the wilderness'. Luke too views John as 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness'. The Gospel of John has the Baptist declare 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness'. John's formative years were spent in the Judaean desert, where individual hermits and monastic communities (like the Essenes) frequently educated the young in their own principles. He attained public notice as a prophet circa 28 AD. The location of his ministry was the Judaean desert and Jordan steppes. John's message was to all classes and ranks. His proclamation was that Yahweh's furious judgment on the world was imminent, and he baptized those who repented in self-preparation for it. Some time after baptizing Jesus John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas. Herod considered John to be politically dangerous and had him executed. According to the Gospels, John's death preceded the death of Jesus. John was killed earlier than Herod's defeat by king Aretas IV (father of Herod's first wife) of the Nabataeans in about AD 36.
Christians know Jesus through the Gospels. Four Gospels are recognised: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Since the
1780s the first three have been known as the Synoptic Gospels. The word Synoptic is derived from the Greek synoptikos: seen together. Two sources are proposed for these three Gospels. Source one is the Gospel of Mark. A great deal of Mark reappears in Matthew and Luke. Matthew and Luke use a second source for the sayings found in common in both of them (Q). Two other sources are assumed for material exclusive to Matthew (M) and material exclusive to Luke (L). All three Synoptic Gospels were originally anonymous. It was a dubious 2nd century AD claim that made immediate disciples (or their companions) responsible for them. The Synoptic Gospels were probably composed between AD 70 and AD 100. Investigation of the Gospels by scholars such as Bultman has shown they are assembled from small, independent elements (pericopes) formerly without any relation to each other; the Gospel writers probably joined these individual pieces together to create the impression of a connected chain of events. The Gospel of John is very different from the Synoptic Gospels. Internal evidence allows the conclusion that it was written by a 'beloved disciple' whose name is unknown. In this Gospel it is the Jews who are the opponents of Jesus. It was composed about AD 100. Neither the Synoptic Gospels nor the Gospel of John can be considered reliable sources of information for the life of Jesus.
There are two Christian religions: the original one that was founded by Jesus and his closest disciples, and a slightly later one founded by an enemy of theirs (Paul) who had 'persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.' The original Christian religion grew out of the collective experience of Jesus and his disciples. Paul's religion was manufactured from his singular experience. Very little material exists to elucidate the original Christian religion. The religion of Paul is known from four letters: Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, and Galatians. Paul was born at Tarsus. He became a zealous Pharisee, and may have received training as a rabbi in Jerusalem. In Galatians Paul asserts God called him to preach Jesus among the heathen. There is nothing in Paul's account of his calling that would allow comparison with the calling of prophets like Isaiah or Ezekiel. Three years after founding his religion Paul went to see Peter in Jerusalem. He stayed fifteen days. According to Galatians Paul did not revisit Jerusalem for fourteen years - when he did visit, Peter, James, and John agreed that their church and the church of Paul should remain separate. Paul could not have known Peter and the other disciples well. That there was discord between Paul and other Christian groups (including the Jerusalem Christians) is clear from Paul's correspondence.
Paul's message depends upon his unique knowledge of Jesus, which he maintains came directly from YAHWEH, and an original interpretation of Judaism to accommodate his unique understanding. He takes inconsequential sentences and builds them into major arguments. From Habakkuk Paul takes part of a sentence, 'but the just shall live by his faith', and uses it to construct an argument in favour of justification by faith in Jesus and not by works of the Law. Out of Genesis Paul extracts the sentence, 'And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness', and employs it to construct an argument in which Abraham is seen as the father of 'they which are of faith'. The gospel of Paul depends upon his identification of Jesus as heir to Abraham and the promises God made to Abraham. Paul argues that the words 'thy seed' apply to Jesus: 'Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.' However, an impartial reading of the text will show that the author of the Abraham stories envisaged many generations of seed on every occasion he employed the term 'thy seed.' It is impossible to assume Paul was unaware the author of Genesis intended readers to understand many generations of seed by the words 'thy seed.' Paul may have been convinced God had revealed a unique understanding of the seed material to him. However, his uncorroborated word and unique interpretation of Jewish scripture cannot be regarded as proof positive Paul's special understanding is valid.
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