In the Footsteps of Jesus, published by National Geographic Books, is the culmination of a very personal 15-year quest for the historical Jesus. As both a historian and practicing Christian, I have long been fascinated by any historical evidence about Jesus as a living and breathing human being, underneath the layers of Christology that have been added in the centuries since.
Naturally, I'm not alone. The topic of the "historical Jesus" has generated scores of books over the last few decades, many written by such distinguished scholars as Meier, Pagels, Theissen, Chilton, Horsley and Crossan. It is therefore reasonable to ask what new insights the Footsteps book could possibly bring to the subject. The answer is that many authors are, invariably, focused on their specialty. Archaeologists look for archaeological data; scripture experts look for literary insights, and anthropologists search for cultural clues.
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Each of these sources is very valuable, but what's often been missing is a modern, holistic portrait of Jesus, drawing from the full range of scientific disciplines, including the views of, say, economists or forensic sociologists. If there is one thing we've learned from modern historical methodology, it is that we can only understand a man or a woman in the full context of the cultural framework: the events, customs, people and places that shape one's character and mold one's purpose.
Here's an example. For me it is difficult to separate the historical Jesus from the socio-economic havoc wrought in Galilee by Herod the Great and his son, the Tetrarch Herod Antipas. Having served as governor of Galilee during the waning days of the last Hasmonean regime, Herod discovered the vast agricultural bounty of the region, and ruthlessly exploited this wealth to finance vainglorious building projects in Judea and Samaria after becoming king. Galilean farmers--as Joseph probably was, in addition to his woodworking skills--were slowly crushed under a triple layer of taxes: tithes due to the priesthood; tribute due to Rome; and lastly, taxes to sustain Herod's own lavish administration.
Inevitably, this led to foreclosures of farmers' plots on a vast scale. These were then combined into large estates, run by stewards, to produce surplus for markets outside of Galilee. After all, that was the whole point of Herod's construction of a vast harbor in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast: to plug into the booming global economy created by the Roman emperor Augustus.
This is why the Gospels often refer to large managed estates, tended by slaves (or serfs) and run by stewards--a phenomenon that (with the exception of land held by the Hasmonean gentry) hardly existed in Galilee prior to the Herodian era. It also explains the presence of thousands of poor, hungry and dispossessed peasants who flock to Jesus' words. And it shows why his Kingdom of God program for social and spiritual renewal resonated so strongly with his contemporaries, even outside Galilee.
As a result, the figure that emerges from the pages of Footsteps is perhaps a remarkably modern character: a man passionately devoted to the core tenets of his faith as well as to the imperative of social justice--two pillars of early Judaism, the Judaism of Amos, Micah and Jeremiah, which would later become the foundation of early Christianity.
Jesus and the Christ
People who've attended my lectures often ask me if probing into the life of the historical Jesus has affected my faith in Christ. "Are Jesus the Galilean and Christ the Lord two different figures," they ask. My answer is that reconstructing the historical Jesus can only deepen our understanding of the motives and aspirations that drove Jesus to become the astonishing figure that he was. The historical Jesus does not replace the Christ, since the essential purpose of Christianity was to make the message of a Jewish reformer relevant for the urgent needs of the world at large. Therefore, Jesus and the Christ complement each other; one is unthinkable without the other.
Whether we think of Jesus as a charismatic rabbi from rural Galilee or as the Son of God of John's Gospel, the core message is the same: Jesus offered a new and deeply intimate conduit with both God and one's fellow man, unencumbered by class, culture or status.
David Briggs: Voices of the Faithful: Belief in Resurrection at Core of Christian Identity
Greg Carey: Crossan on Parables and Gospels
Craig A. Evans: The Archaeological Evidence For Jesus (PHOTOS)
Craig S. Keener: Jesus' Nonviolent Resistance for the Marginalized
To be historical that has to at least even shred of evidence that any such person ever existed other than in the minds of the religiously delusional.
There are no historians that I am aware of who think Jesus was not a historical person...
Help the man out. Show him this marvelous evidence of yours. I'll be waiting with these crickets here.
So...they were in the TEA Party?
Even many non-Christians sometimes think that Jesus existed. However, the Jesus as we know him definitely did not exist, and I think it is doubtful if there was actually a historical Jesus at all. People have doubted his existence since the very first century.
Jesus Has No History:
1.No Primary Source (First-Person) Accounts of Jesus Exist
2.There is No Evidence for the Story of the Birth of Jesus
3.There is No Evidence for the Story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/christianity_nojesus.html#NoHistory
and according to the mythology in the bible Jesus was VERY famous while alive as multitudes followed him where ever he went. Yet not a single word ever written about him during this so called famous lifetime. No trace of any existence
Personally, I'm willing to accept there being a historical Jesus: I don't dispute it.
I think I'm more than secure enough in my understanding of the universe to accept Jesus's physical existence, and for it still to have no baring whatsoever on the existence of a God.
After all, you don't need a miracle for someone to claim there was one.
The Bible has over 1200 Errors and Contradictions in it.
The Bible is Not a History Book.
There is No Proof that the Jesus of the Bible was a real person.
King James of the King James Bible was in fact, a Gay man!
Research any of these facts and you will find out the real truth!
www.godisimaginary.com
I'm not sure what King James' sexuality has to do with anything either.
There are a multitude of other sources to show that Jesus existed as a man, and it's also widely accepted amongst scholars that Jesus was real.
Sending me a link to God is imaginary is a bit irrelevant really, as I don't believe in God - rather, I already believe God to be imaginary: That, however, will not stop me evaluating the evidence for a historical Jesus and saying that yes, he existed - as do most scholars on the subject.
Remove the religion from Jesus, and you'll see it doesn't really matter if he existed or not.
however, the words that are attributed to being his is up for debate...
By definition there can only be one Supreme Personality of Godhead, but HE is addressed by countless Holy Names according to time, place, and circumstance. For example the name Christ in the West is known as Krishna in the East, just as John is Han in the East.
Atheists reject GOD on the mistaken premise that there is no hard evidence. To prove HIS existence and for other reasons, GOD comes to earth from the Spiritual World. The Holy Names, times, locations, and missions (Pastimes) of the principal rotating incarnations of GOD are listed in the eternal and first-to-be-written Vedic scriptures. The historical pastimes of these prophesied incarnations are then recorded by contemporary sages such as Valmiki, who compiled the Ramayana (pastimes of LORD RAMACHANDRA) whose victory over Ravana is celebrated with Diwali, the candlelight festival whose multi-millionth anniversary was celebrated yesterday, or by Srila Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of GOD.
Interestingly, it was also prophesied that LORD RAM would reincarnate as LORD CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU millions of years later in Bengal, India., which HE did a mere 500 years ago. HIS pastimes are compiled in Caitanya Bhagavata and Caitanya Caritamrita by contemporary historians for whom we also have abundant physical evidence.
Evidence fades away with time, but by going back only 500 years there is sufficient evidence to satisfy anyone's scientific curiosity. That scientific evidence is proof that GOD exists, as are the spiritual masters HE sends to help guide us to HIM.
I am an atheist although there is no proof that there is no god.. I feel the evidence against there being an all-powerful, all-knowing, and compassionate being (a common definition) is compelling.
One day the whole world will come to know that Jesus did not die on the cross, but lived to be an old man with a wife, Magdalene, and two children, His grave site is well known in Kashmir, India where he went after the crucifixion and, as was his wish, found the lost tribes of Judah. (See Krishnarose.blogspot.com) In the end, however, it is not these details that matter so much as his teachings, for they can save one from the greatest danger when taken to heart.
Some people refuse to believe in GOD for lack of so-called evidence and deny Jesus as well. The truth, however, is that GOD not only sends HIS emissaries like Jesus, GOD also comes personally to save the planet and for other reasons. SEE CONTINUATION