The SnowStar Institute of Religion

An Advocate of Honesty in Religion
  519-733-5858
1421 Grand Marais West, Box 35024    Windsor, Ontario, N9E 4V0
 888-741-1420

Home
About
Membership
Events
Book Room
Book Displays
Forum
News
Axial
Meantime
SSAC
Speakers
Directors
Links

 

About the Historical Jesus

About the Historical Jesus

Jesus was a human like anyone. He was just the same as you and me. The care and the study and the learning about the historical Jesus begins with this most honest admission.

So What?

To say that Jesus was human can sound like an obvious claim. To people who did not grow up in the Christian church or who are new to this question, it may even seem strange that such a simple statement could generate controversy. Yet, it does. Christianity originally developed in may forms, but progressively it was defined by the confession that Jesus was the "only begotten Son of God" who for our salvation "came down from heaven" to be "crucified for us." Since about the fifth century (and continuing even today), those who question this confession can be ostracized from the church.

Why "Historical"?

Since the 18th century, scholars and many ordinary Christians have recognized a difference between the Jesus of the church's confession and the Jesus of history. The Jesus of history is called the historical Jesus, the person who lived and died before the church was born. By the time the Church movement had started generations later, Jesus was increasingly understood and written about as an inspired figure, a spiritual presence, a saviour, and a finally God incarnate descended to earth. Within three centuries, the creed quoted about (the Nicene Creed) became the standard of Christian belief. However, before all these developments unfolded there was Jesus from Galilee: a peasant, a teacher of wisdom, a political agitator, and a human being. To get to know the historical Jesus is to get to know the real human being, his culture and his time, his language, the issues of his day, and most importantly what he actually said.

Saying Versus Doing

The study of the historical Jesus begins with identifying what he really said. There is no other way to start. Yet, for a long time scholars actually started in the opposite direction. They started with looking for what Jesus really did. Why?

Scholars originally looked for what Jesus really did for two reasons. One was that, in the 18th century when the search for the historical Jesus began, the main problem was that modern people stopped believing in ancient stories about bodily resurrections, miraculous events, divine apparitions, and supernatural explanations of the natural world. In the gospels, Jesus is portrayed as a miracle worker. In the 18th century, doubt about this provoked a search for a historical Jesus. The problem of whether or not Jesus really "did" miracles was the first problem in the quest for the historical Jesus.

The second reason scholars originally concentrated on acts was simply because actions speak louder than words. It made sense to assume that the earliest and most reliable memories of Jesus would be his acts. In the 19th and early 20th century, scholars believed that the baptism of Jesus, the entry in to Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, and the crucifixion of Jesus were real, historical events. Many scholars today still feel that these events are the first avenue to discovering the historical Jesus. However, increasingly scholars concentrate first on what Jesus really said. There are several reasons for this.

The main reason is that the acts of Jesus are found in the literary narratives of the gospels. Narratives are used by the gospel writers to locate sayings in a context for effectiveness. Narratives are like artistic embellishments and considered largely fictional. Equally, because the description of the acts of Jesus are literary compositions, they serve primarily a symbolic rather than historical role. For example, Jesus was probably baptized by John, but the story in the gospels describes the act of baptism as the fulfillment of prophecy. Quotations from Isaiah are used to make John's message one of announcing the arrival of a Messiah. In fact, the baptism suggests Jesus was actually a disciple of John and received baptism as a follower. Of course, the gospel writers are pro-Jesus and therefore are unwilling to portray the likely historical fact of John as a teacher for Jesus.

Another example is the cleansing of the temple. Jesus may have acted in the temple; there may indeed have been a temple incident that led to his crucifixion. But the gospel description of the event is formed through the book of Jeremiah as the cleansing of the "house of prayer." Accordingly, the gospels indicate how the gospel writers interpreted this event decades later, but they do not relay the original event. The temple incident could have been a political act of protest.  After all, other first century personalities protested in the temple, too. But it is possible the event is pure fiction.

Even the very crucifixion of Jesus, as certain an event as seems possible, is known to us only as a literary interpretation. The event was recorded by gospel writers primary out of concern for the well-being of Christianity in the late first century of the Roman Empire. Thus, even the most basic question about Jesus is left to speculation. The gospels of the Christian Bible are a resource to how Christians understood themselves and can still inspire Christians today. But in terms of what Jesus really did, they are not a reliable source for finding the historical Jesus.

What Did Jesus Really Say?

When it comes to the sayings of Jesus, the case is similar but it is not identical. We do not know for sure what Jesus really said. It is a question of higher and lower probability. Also, since sayings are passed down from generation to generation, they can be easily modified along the way. Additionally, a gospel writer can add an interpretation to a saying to influence the way we read it. Still, when it comes to sayings there is a difference. The difference is the form of a saying.

Ancient teachers gave oral instruction. The audience did not write down what the teacher said. Usually, people had no means to do so, and in the case of Jesus and other wandering teachers of his day, the listening audience commonly did not know how to write. Therefore the teacher used a particular form of speaking that allowed students first to remember a lesson and secondly to debate or ponder its meaning. For many different religions and philosophies this is true. In Zen Buddhism, the use of the "koan" or riddle is a famous oral form of instruction. The koan is short, memorable, sometimes funny, and makes you wonder. In ancient Judaism, the "mashal" or parable is a similar form of instruction. It is a very terse, memorable story designed to direct students to questions. Sometimes a parable turns a student upside down and gives her or his world a shake. The effect can be disturbing, politically sharp, personally transformative, and remain entertaining all at the same time.

A well heard parable is an unforgettable experience. Because of the form a parable takes, which is either a very short story or an aphorism, and because it is designed to be remembered, parables are the best avenue to the historical Jesus. They tell us what Jesus really said. They are the foundation for hearing his authentic voice. This does not solve all the problems in the world, however. The gospel writers knew that Jesus was a teller of parables. In some cases, they attached to the Jesus parable an interpretation they liked but that was not actually told by Jesus. So, there is a need to distinguish among the parables. Also, parables are hard to understand. For example, what does one make of the "unjust steward" in Luke 16:1-8? Luke adds verses 8b to 15 to the unjust steward probably because Luke is not sure what to make of the parable, so a smorgasbord of possibilities is offered. We can see though that the actual parable (versus 1-8a) is indeed hard to understand and does leaves us asking questions. How can (and why should) an unjust person be praised? Since the point of an oral wisdom teacher like Jesus is exactly to ensure that the student (the listener) is coaxed into thinking, unjust steward parable clearly does its job. For the unjust steward, the consensus is heavily in favour of its authenticity.

Starting with what Jesus really said does not tell us who Jesus really was. It only tells us what Jesus really taught. What he really taught, however, is the main point. After all, we do not really know who Socrates was or who Gautama the Buddha was (and we hardly know who we are ourselves), but we do know something about what they taught. And that can make all the difference in the world, especially if one seeks to be a student.

How?

Determining what Jesus really said is both a literary and historical task. Then, even after a lesson or saying is identified, there remains the cultural task of determining the meaning. Different cultures use different examples as teaching illustrations, or they can use similar examples but mean different things. Canadians and Americans share technologies and expectations when it comes to health care, for example, but generally have a different historical and cultural relationship to the question of health care. Jesus could talk about "going the extra mile," but that could mean something different if heard by a Roman centurion or a Galilean peasant. After the work of isolating what Jesus really said from what he did not say, there is still a lot of work to do on what he really meant. Since he spoke in parables, which are intended to be elusive, determining what he really meant is a never ending debate. The two step process of determining what he said and then determining what he meant is carried out in the following way. First, if one places side by side all the sayings of Jesus found in the gospels, a comparison will reveal that in three of the gospels the saying are very similar. These three are the synoptic gospels of Mathew, Mark, and Luke. On further inspection, it can be seen that there are two main sections of sayings common to Matthew and Luke. One section is also in Mark, which suggests that Mark is the earliest gospel found in the bible since it is a source gospel for Matthew and Luke.

However, there remains yet another section of common sayings in Matthew and Luke that are not found in Mark. This suggests that there was a second common source for Matthew and Luke not known to Mark. This second source is called the Q gospel from the German word Quelle, which means "source." Scholars examine these parallels, weigh them one against the other, to determine what sayings are the earliest and most authentic. More recently, other gospels not included in the Bible have also been used in the comparison. Many scholars believe that the Gospel of Thomas, discovered in 1945 and containing parallels to Q, also attests to early authentic sayings of Jesus.  Working through these types of problems and others similar, scholars have isolated a core of sayings that generally are accepted as authentic. Granted there are many nuances in this judgment, and when one says "authentic" one does not mean "exactly" but rather "most probable." Still, the core of sayings are used consistently by several different scholars, such as Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, Robert Funk, and others, to paint a picture of the historical Jesus.

Why, however, is one picture of Jesus different from another one even thought the sayings identified are the same? How come Robert Funk's Jesus and Dominic Crossan's Jesus are different even though both scholars agree on the same data base of sayings? This is where the answer of "culture" comes into play. Of course, each scholar personally has a different history and point of view. But beyond this is the question of how the ancient context is read and how one puts the sayings of Jesus into the context of the first century. This is possibly the most difficult task. The image of Jesus will depend on how we read his culture. This is true because how we read his culture will shape what we think he means. There are some solid guidelines to go by: Jesus was Jewish, he was a Galilean peasant, he lived in a region of mixed Jewish and gentile populations, his land was occupied by Rome, he knew the impoverishment of his people, he lived in a patron/client economic structure, and he lived with the constant imposition of tolls placed upon the labour of the poor. There are many other factors to understand, but these are some important ones. And since no one is able to return to the first century to experience it first hand, these factors must be related to each other to reconstruct a world that no longer exists. But it is really only after this work is done that a "saying of Jesus" can be put in context, thought about, and possibly be restored to its original influence. "How blessed are the poor" is one saying.  Is Jesus a Joan of Arc figure who rallies the poor or is he a wealthy householder who is condescending to the poor? That Jesus belongs to a people being systematically oppressed suggests this saying holds revolutionary power. Context is everything.

Where To Go from Here

The SnowStar Institute welcomes this type of critical, historical thinking about Jesus and religions of the world generally. The SnowStar Institute honours honest questions and academically sound practices that inform searchers and doubters alike. For the SnowStar Institute, the honesty involved in a search for answers is more important than what precise answer one may find. Over time, answers can change with new information or greater maturity. Honesty, however, remains. If you search for greater details on the historical Jesus and want to determine for yourself what you think, there are several books, notes, and other references available.

Take a look in the SnowStar Book Room! SnowStar highly recommends Robert Funk's Honest to Jesus. A book can be ordered by calling toll-free 1-888-741-1420. Also, below are some links that may be helpful.

The websites below are not the responsibility of the SnowStar Institute, but they may suggest further readings or refer you to other websites where greater details may be found.

-© SnowStar Institute, 2006