Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography

One of the many things that puzzle people even today; is how Jesus was portrayed and how he became a part of history throughout the centuries. Fortunately, within the book Jesus Through the Centuries, written by Jaroslav Pelikan, readers are able to get a sense of what societies viewed Jesus as and how he was/is important to many aspects of the world such as; the political, social, and cultural impact he had left. As Pelikan discusses this very topic and theme in his book, we see how there’s a connection between his audience in this book and Jesus’s are closely similar. When he got his motivation to write about Jesus through the Centuries, Jaroslav had an open audience, which was intended for anyone of all ages, races, and beliefs to read

The writer John gives to us a portrait of Jesus as a social boundary buster, by recording “his longest conversation, which takes place with a woman, as well as recovering her character and circumstances in spite of her marital issues.”

Two thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus, arguably the most influential man the world has ever seen, altered history forever. Christians know him as the Messiah, the son of God who came to save all of mankind, and for others, he may just be a great teacher and person of history. It is the latter that Reza Aslan attempts to shed an unbiased light on by comparing the Jesus that modern Christians believe in to the Jesus that Aslan believes would have fit into first-century Palestine: a violet revolutionary, dedicated to the eradication of the Roman government in Israel and the deposition of the rich priestly class. Aslan paints a portrayal of Jesus using knowledge of the time period, Scripture that has been taken out of context and misinterpreted, and most of all, the author’s imagination and powerful rhetoric to cover up his faulty argumentation. In his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan recreates an interesting but purely speculative image of the historical Jesus through exploring the political and social history of first-century Palestine, the life and teachings of Jesus, and the development of early Christianity.

On September 8, 2015, I have decided to interview my cousin Sally Chia about her relationship with Jesus. My cousin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is 28 years old. She currently lives in Las Vegas and works as a pharmacist. I chose to interview her because I figured she had a close relationship with Jesus. This is because when I was growing up she was the one who taught me about Jesus and his teachings. I have known my cousin Sally all my life, which is for about 14 years. During the interview I asked questions about her own personal relationship with God, and she answered my questions with great answers.

The purpose of the paper is to differentiate between Christ of faith and Jesus of history. New Testament biblical scholars from the 19th Century have been preoccupied by the notion of Christ of faith versus Jesus of History. Jesus of history can be described as the quest for historical Jesus, while the Christ of Faith is the Christ of Christian belief either through the Church or historically. Some traditions even went ahead to argue that the Jesus of History could never be found and therefore the Christ of faith is the only way forward for Christians. On the other hand, those who have been promoting the Jesus of History have often assumed that the historical Jesus is much superior as compared to the Christ of Faith. Despite the key differences between Christ of faith and the historical Jesus, both these aspect have an implication for Western Christianity.

In this essay, I will justify why Jesus, a historical figure, is molded in ancient texts to fulfill biased endeavors in spirituality without proven or creditable sources. This initial warping of Jesus carries over pre-organized beliefs and conclusions about who he was and what he did. First, I will discuss the obvious biases of each Gospel writer and explain why they are partial in displaying Jesus, each story simply benefiting their own belief and purpose. After, comparing and contrasting the Gospel’s varying images of Jesus, I will show the continuous inconsistency on who Jesus was and what he represents tracing back to the original penmanship in 65-90 CE. Next, I will explain why the sources used to write all four Gospels are unreliable

​For centuries, people from diverse religions and cultures have searched for substantial data in order to better understand the true nature and identity of Jesus. Some contend that he was a prophet; others worship him as a god, while many others assert that he was merely a wise teacher with no link to the divine. In the second part of Graham Stanton’s book, The Gospels and Jesus, Jesus’ intentions, teachings, and downfall are examined and assessed with notable order and clarity, all in an attempt to resolve the fundamental question of Part II: who was Jesus of Nazareth?

Jesus’ ministry tells about the life and teachings of Jesus. It is written in bible as stories and parables in gospels of the New Testament. The ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, starting around AD 27-29. It ended AD 30-36 in Jerusalem following the events of the Last Supper. Early Galilean events started when Jesus had gone back to Galilee after he was baptized by John the Baptist.

His old self has gone, and he becomes a divinely transformed son of God. Therefore, evil can be cast out, not by man alone or by a dictatorial God who invades our lives but when we open the door and invite God through Christ to enter. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, then I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. The author is letting us know that when we open the door in faith, believing a divine and human confrontation will transform our sin-ruined lives into radiant personalities. Once we decide to take our problems to God; we should leave them in his hands and let him do his will. God knows what needs to be done therefore, while God is working behind the scene, we are praying, fasting and being grateful for the outcome of the problem. We know that we will be victorious over the enemy therefore; with God all things are possible

Jesus' death was not a beautiful thing to watch, but his resurrection was the most magnificent. The Romans stripped Jesus down and made him wear a scarlet robe. They had placed a crown made of thorns and mocked him. The Romans would spit on him and whip him. They then stripped Jesus naked and made him carry his cross to a place called Golgotha. The Romans hung Jesus on the cross. They stuck 5-7 inch nails into his hands and feet. Jesus died by suffocation of his own blood.

Proponents argue that the attitude of Jesus toward women in the four canonical Gospels is different from that of his contemporaries, whether Greek or Jewish. The wisdom of the ancients about women is totally absent from the traditions about Jesus. Jesus was perfectly at ease in the company of women since from him equality between sexes was not so much a distant legislative goal as a rather self-evident fact. Jesus had women followers who learned from him, traveled with him at all times, and supported him financially (Luke 8:2-3; and Mark 14:41). He frequently ministered to women: he healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31); he exercised a demon from the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-30); he raised Jarius’

Summary Statement: The information in Topic 3 painted a picture of the religious, social, and political culture that emerged during the intertestamental period of 400 years. Before progressing into more modern times, the next topic will focus on the on women and the emergence of the Jesus Movement.

The evidence suggests that both Roman and Jewish authorities were active participants in the arrest and trial of Jesus. The crucifixion was ordered by Pilate and carried out by Roman soldiers. The Jewish authorities probably acted against Jesus because he threatened their influence among the people and because he directly challenged their legitimacy as guardians of Torah and temple. Even apart from Jesus’ explicit passion predictions, there is good evidence that he foresaw and predicted his coming death. He faced strong opposition from the religious leaders and frequently compared himself to the suffering prophets of old. Rationalistic

Throughout the book of John, Jesus did many signs and miracles. Through these signs, Jesus attempted to show both the multitudes as well as his disciples one small truth about Him—His is God. In this gospel, Jesus goes toe-to-toe with many of the Jewish spiritual leaders (i.e., Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, etc.) in order to show the people who He truly is. Scholars disagree with how many Messianic signs Jesus performed, but one thing remains—every single sign pointed back to the fact that Jesus was who He claimed to be. The signs performed by Jesus show both the Israelites of old, as well as the people of today, that He is, indeed, God.

The ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was 30 years old, after his baptism in the river Jordan. Within three and a half years of his ministry Jesus did more miracles than any man in the world could have accomplished. He preached about the ways of changing lives and often gave parables to educate people. Even though he was rejected Jesus continued to spread the gospel in different cities around Israel, including Capernaum and Bethsaida.