Jesus: pocket GIANTS

Ed Kessler

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780750961240
• eBook ISBN: 9780750981231
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Biographies

Why is Jesus a giant? Because he was the founder of Christianity, the largest religion in the world with 2 billion adherents; because Christianity is one of the five great religions of the world, with followers in every country on the planet and a history stretching back two thousand years; because there remains great interest in the teaching of Jesus, his personality and his life. The origins of a great religion which has filled so immense a place in the history of the world must surely be of interest to everyone.

1

The Historical Jesus

A Brief Biography

Jesus was born around 4 BCE although none of the gospels shows much interest in dating his birth. The Gospel of Matthew simply states that his birth occurred ‘in the days of Herod the king’. He grew up in Nazareth, located in Galilee, in the land of Israel. We know very little of Jesus’ childhood, although numerous legends and stories came to be associated with him, which explain that he was descended from King David, possessed similar attributes to numerous biblical figures and had a filial relation to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

His early life is referred to as the ‘unknown years’ and the famous infancy narratives inform us more about Christian theology than historical memory, echoing biblical stories, such as the visits of the angel to Hagar (Genesis 16:7–14) and post-biblical accounts such as Miriam’s dream of the miraculous birth of her brother, Moses (Pseudo-Philo).

According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary encounters the angel Gabriel, who announces that although she is a virgin, she will conceive by the work of the Holy Spirit:

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ ²⁹ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ ³⁵ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.’ (Luke 1:26–35)

The Jewish context pervades the Gospel accounts. Luke, for example, describes Jesus as a precocious 12-year-old engaging in a debate with adults in the Jerusalem Temple (2:39–52). Jesus was brought up in a traditional Jewish household and his family would have been observant of the Jewish commandments: paid tithes, kept the Sabbath, circumcised their males, attended synagogue, observed purity laws in relation to childbirth and menstruation, kept the dietary code and so on.

While the Gospels record disputes about Jesus’ interpretation of a few of these, the notion of a Christian Jesus, who did not live by Jewish law and culture, or at least by its ethical values, does not fit historical reality. Unlike some of his contemporaries, such as Philip and Andrew, Jesus bore a Jewish name: Yeshua. His brothers are named James (Jacob), Joseph (Josef), Judas or Jude (Judah), Simon (Simeon), and his father, Joseph and mother, Mary (Miriam).

Jesus never travelled outside of the Middle East and never married. There is no evidence of sexual relations, still less of any children. The idea of a secret bloodline may have been the exciting premise of the Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s 2003 best-selling thriller, but like the Hollywood blockbuster, the book is based on fantasy, not fact.

Like the Buddha and Socrates (and other great teachers of the ancient world), Jesus wrote nothing about himself as far as we know and the New Testament sources are complex and multi-layered. If the first couple of decades of Jesus’ life are almost a complete mystery, he came to public attention in the late 20s of the first century CE, when he was about 30 years old. For Mark, which most scholars believe to be the earliest of the Gospels, the Jesus story begins with his baptism as an adult, with no hint of a special circumstance at his birth:

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:9–11)

Virtually everything we know about Jesus is packed into a short space of time – one, two or possibly three years. New Testament scholar, A.J. Levine, describes his life as follows: ‘Jesus was baptized by John, debated with fellow Jews on how best to live according to God’s will, engaged in healings and exorcisms, taught in parables, gathered male and female followers in Galilee, went to Jerusalem, and was crucified by Roman soldiers during the governorship of Pontius Pilate’.

E.P. Sanders, suggests we know a little more: Jesus was brought up a Jew and remained deeply Jewish all of his life. His intention was not to create a new religion but when he left Nazareth as an adult, he met the prophet John (the Baptist) and was baptised when he experienced a divine vision. This led to a ministry in Galilee where he called disciples and preached about the Kingdom of God. He became a noted healer, teacher and prophet. Around 30 CE, he travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and during the visit created a disturbance in the Temple. He had a final meal with his disciples before being arrested and interrogated by Jewish authorities, led by the high priest, before being executed by the Romans.

It is clear from even E.P. Sanders’ description that there are numerous gaps in the life of Jesus and that the Gospel accounts are episodic. We do not have contemporary newspapers telling us what was going on in Galilee in 30 CE or the diaries of people who knew him. Even the Gospel of Mark was written more than three decades after the death of Jesus and what most scholars consider to be the earliest New Testament text, Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians, was written around 50 CE.

As a result, Christian writers have had nearly 2,000 years to fill the gaps, retell the stories and interpret the sparse accounts. They have added to the existing Gospels and even produced new Gospels not included in the New Testament such as the Gospel of Thomas (discovered in 1945 but dating back to the first century CE).

The editorial process began from very early on, partly because the practice of discipleship in the Middle East resulted in a strong oral tradition, which produced collections of his words and deeds. At first, the need to write down these reminiscences was unnecessary as the disciples expected the Kingdom of God (to be discussed in the next chapter) to arrive and Jesus to return. However, as they died, the danger arose that Jesus’ story would be forgotten or, perhaps worse, told incorrectly.

In the end, we only have a general outline of Jesus’ life as well as brief stories, sayings and parables, and from them we learn a lot but we still cannot write a ‘history of Jesus’ in the modern sense.

In order to understand how Jesus changed the world, we now consider where he preached, whom he taught and how he died.

Where did Jesus Preach?

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46)

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23)

Palestine in Jesus’ day was part of the Roman Empire. The strip of land along the Mediterranean where he preached lies at an extraordinary location. Ruled by Rome’s ally, Herod the Great, King of Judea from 37–4 BCE, Palestine offered the only available land route between Asia and Africa: to the west, the Mediterranean Sea, to the east a mountainous, virtually impassable stony desert. Only two roads, one along the coast and the other along the central mountain chain, allowed a north–south passage. Whoever controlled the strip of land located between Syria and Egypt, two of Rome’s most valuable possessions, controlled the major land route for trade or military activity between the great empires.

Roman imperial policy required a loyal and peaceful Palestine, which Herod achieved and was consequently given freedom to govern his kingdom as he wished – as long as the requirements of stability and loyalty were met. When he died shortly after Jesus’ birth, his kingdom was divided into five parts. Herod Antipas, supported by a small Roman army, received Galilee, which became an imperial province and included the village of Nazareth. Known as ‘that fox’ according to Luke, he is remembered for the execution of John the Baptist and for his contemptuous treatment of Jesus.

Rural, rather than urban, Galilee provided the setting for most of Jesus’ ministry. He primarily roamed the towns, villages and countryside and likely knew only one city – Jerusalem – although he would have visited Sepphoris, 5 miles from Nazareth. The Synoptic Gospels describe Jesus going to Jerusalem only in the last week of his life (unlike John’s Gospel which depicts Jesus in Jerusalem from an early stage).

Although Galilee experienced some unrest (Acts 5:37 reports that Judas the Galilean caused trouble), the situation there was relatively calm in comparison with Judea, which was governed directly from Rome and was a challenging and sometimes rebellious province. Its capital was Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

A story is told about a journalist in Jerusalem who lived in a flat overlooking the Western Wall. Every day he looked out of the window and saw an old man praying vigorously. One day he introduced himself to the old man and asked, ‘How many years have you prayed at the wall and what are you praying for?’ The old man replied, ‘I have prayed every day for twenty-five years. In the morning I pray for world peace and in the afternoon I pray for the eradication of disease’. The journalist is amazed. ‘How does it make you feel to come here every day for twenty-five years and pray for these things?’ he asks. The old man looks at him sadly. ‘Like I’m talking to a wall’.

Jerusalem was the religious and geographical heart of Judaism. In the first century CE, it was a city of hustle and bustle, the streets crowded with people as well as donkeys, chickens, dogs and other animals. Like today, as the reader who has walked through the Old City will realise, it was dominated by narrow alleys, with enough room on the pavement for only one or two handcarts at the same time.

Houses were built two or three storeys high and the poor would live with their extended families. Lazarus, Mary and Martha, for example, lived together in Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Jesus joined them during his stay in Jerusalem. Wealthier homes contained a mikveh (a ritual bath) but most people used the public ritual baths. At its centre was the Temple where Jews, including Jesus, would come together to worship. Luke 2 describes how Jesus was brought as a child to be ‘presented’ at the Temple:

²² When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ (Luke 2:22–24)

The Roman prefect and his troops would also come to Jerusalem, especially during the festivals, which were sometimes occasions for civil disturbance. They stayed in the Antonia Fortress, overlooking the Temple court, so they could keep vigil.

Although Palestine was not on the edge of revolt during Jesus’ lifetime, there were tensions and regular outbursts of violence, especially in the capital. Thirty years after his death there was a major rebellion (which Josephus called ‘The Jewish War’) and freedom movements regularly exploited the city’s religious setting, as well as the large fervent crowds, in attempts to overcome Roman rule and secure Jewish sovereignty.

The Roman prefect was Pontius Pilate who used the local authorities, such as the high priest assisted by a council (called the Sanhedrin), to govern on a day-to-day basis. However, the Romans did not leave all matters in their hands and they did not, for example, have the right to proclaim the death penalty. During the pilgrimage festivals, in particular, the prefect took active control and Roman soldiers tried to ensure stability.

Caiaphas, the high priest, held the office from 18–36 CE, longer than anyone else during that period, indicating that he was, from the Roman point of view, reliable. Since he and Pilate were in power together for ten years, they must have established a close working relationship.

According to E.P. Sanders, the high priest had the difficult task of mediating between the remote Roman prefect and the local populace, which was hostile toward pagans and wanted to be free of foreign interference. His political responsibility was to maintain order and to see that tribute was paid.

Who did Jesus Teach?

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ ²⁸ And he got up, left everything, and followed him.

²⁹ Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’ ³¹ Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; ³² I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’ ³³ Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.’ (Luke 5:27-33)

Jesus was known for the people with whom he asso...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 The Historical Jesus
• 2 The Teachings of Jesus
• 3 The Development and Diversity of Christianity
• 4 Jesus from the Perspective of Other Faiths
• Maps
• Glossary
• Timeline
• Further Reading
• Acknowledgements