The Gospels

              Modern history can basically be described as two types. Geschicte, a German word meaning in English “story.” This is a factual recounting of what happened, giving dates, events, and provable facts.

The other type of history is described by the French word, histoire. This is an attempt to explain the meaning of things which have happened and why the events are important. There have been many different attempts to interpret history from widely varying viewpoints: religion, politics, feminism, LGBTQ interests, economics, military themes, and philosophy, are just a few.

All four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) contain elements of both types of history to varying degrees. Mark and Luke are more historical while Matthew and John are more interpretive. All four are considered to be historical biographical narratives presented for theological treasons.

Unlike many modern biographies, none of the Gospels attempt to exhaustively tell us everything that Jesus ever did or said. John 20: 30-31 even tells us, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” NIV

The gospels are all written to present their good news using different approaches and emphases. They want to tell us who Jesus was and what he did for us. They are theological documents.

Matthew stresses the Jewishness of Jesus. He shows how Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah who fulfills the Hebrew scriptures.

Mark shows Jesus in fast, urgent, and determined action. He does what only God can do. He is the Christ, the suffering Son of God.

Mark repeatedly uses the phrase kai εὐθὺς “and immediately.” This phrase carries the idea of “without any delay or hesitation” or even of “suddenly.” Mark stresses the urgency of Jesus’ message to which we should respond immediately.

Luke was a physician and a detailed historian. He had a scientific approach to his writing, seeking out eyewitnesses to the events he related. He wanted to show how Jesus fit into God’s plan for history.

            John is the most overtly theological of the gospels. He presents Jesus as the pre-existent God revealing himself to man. He clearly states the purpose of his book in John 20:31. “ … these are written that you may believe^[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” NIV

ESCHATOLOGY SERIES, POST #2: ESCHATOLOGIES FROM VARIOUS CULTURES

Eschatology is theology concerned with the final events of history. The word is derived from the Greek words  ἐσχάτος  eschatos ("last") and λόγος logos ("word"). Eschatology is therefore the study of “last things.” The focus of eschatology is usually on reality as a whole rather than on the individual. The word eschatology first appeared in the English language about 1550. 

In most known cultures, including the most primitive, there has been a belief in some sort of existence of the individual after death. Some held that the afterlife would be a dull and dreary thing., others that only the good would survive into an afterlife.  Some felt that the afterlife would be largely an extension of this one, perhaps on a more exalted plane as reward for bravery or great skill.  Many held that the retribution for an evil life was annihilation.

The Babylonians and Assyrians felt that retribution for evil came largely in this life as did the divine rewards of long life, strength, prosperity, and many children. The ghost of the individual existed in the underworld with the other dead. Demons ran around in the underworld inflicting punishment for sins committed during life.

In the ancient Egyptian religion, the good individual could hope for unending life with Osiris, the sun god. The existence was in some ways physical and this is the reason for mummification of the body. In the afterlife the actions of the deceased during life are weighed and judged. The dead face several trials and are subject to a second death if they fail.

Ancient Persian (Persia, modern Iran) religion (Mazdaism, Zoroastrianism, Parseeism, etc) was dualistic with a conflict between equally powerful good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Ahriman) deities. The two deities were co-creators of the universe. The evil deity will, in the end, be vanquished and a judgement of people based on their life's deeds will occur. Those with evil deeds will be purified by fire, Hell will be purged, and the earth will be renewed by a purifying fire.

The ancient Greeks believed that life on Earth was the highest good for man. After death, the soul survived in a dull attenuated existence with little emphasis on retributive justice for life's misdeeds. A few very evil individuals would receive eternal punishment in Tartarus and a few favorites of the gods
would exist in eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields.  

Recently, there was much popular discussion of "2012." This was based on Aztec mythology which predicted the end of our current cycle of time on 21 December 2012. The Aztec mythology describes several cycles ruled by deities who are destroyed at the end of each cycle along with all the humans living during that cycle. The sun is the deity of the current cycle.

The human sacrifices regularly performed by the ancient Aztecs had a specific purpose. The blood and the extracted human hearts were seen as the food or fuel which maintained the ability of the Sun god to function. The stability of the universe depended upon regular human sacrifices.

Norse (Scandinavian) eschatology is presented in the story of Ragnarok, the climactic battle of the  cyclical Old Norse mythology. Nearing the end of the cycle, people, and the Gods themselves, will become increasingly corrupt, not honorable, dissipated, apathetic, and nihilistic. The Frost Giants, led by the renegade god Loki, will come and the battle will begin, accompanied by natural disasters. Most of the Norse gods will be killed and the world will eventually be dead and silent, covered with water and in total silence. After a time, fertile land will emerge from the water and the few gods who survived the battle will gather. A new first couple of humans will repopulate the new clean earth and the gods will celebrate.

In some religious/philosophical systems, such as Baha’ism and Jainism, there is neither a beginning nor an end.  Baha’is believe that reality consists of a series of progressive revelations by prophets. The coming of each new prophet is the judgement of the previous religion., with the prophet Bahaullah having brought the ultimate revelation.

The most severe forms of Buddhism deny even this. Within each moment in time, both birth and death are present. As each moment is born, the previous moment dies. The only reality is the present moment. There is no reward or punishment and no God. Individual existence with its cravings and desires is the ultimate evil.  Salvation is the extinction of every type of desire, even the desire for existence.

Hinduism sees reality and time as a series of repeating cycles as Shiva destroys and regenerates the universe repeatedly. The individual is part of this cyclical nature and ultimately will come to realize that individuality is an illusion. The individual consciousness is in actuality part of the Ultimate Reality and its ultimate destiny is absorption back into the Whole. All reality will contract into a singularity which will then begin again to expand.

Islamic eschatology points toward a Day of Judgement in which each persons good deeds will be balanced against their evil deeds. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad give many signs which will indicate the approach of the Day of Judgement.

Judaism is most concerned with life now, in the present time, and is more corporate than individual. The concept is that the important thing is observance of the Law in order to prepare ourselves and the world for the coming of God's kingdom on Earth. The religion is absolutely monotheistic and God is absolute in His control of the universe. Man is intended to live in friendship with God during this life. There is very little discussion of retributive justice in the afterlife. 

Jewish eschatology is based on the Nation of Israel as a whole, not on the individual. The promises of the Old Testament are to the nation, the people of the land Am ha'aretz (עם הארץ), not the individual. The hope is for the establishment of a theocratic Messianic kingdom, based in Jerusalem, which will rule the world with justice and peace. 

An introduction to Christian eschatology will be presented in the next post.

Book Comment: Judaism for Everyone and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus

Two books this time: Judaism for Everyone (2002) and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus (2005). These two books are two sides of the same coin and discuss some of the same issues.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the author of eleven books with titles like Kosher Sex, The Rabbi and the Psychic, and The Jewish Guide to Adultery, wrote Judaism for Everyone as an apologetic work  (but, he emphatically points out, not as an evangelistic effort). The secondary title of the book is Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith.

David Klinghoffer says that he wrote Why the Jews Rejected Jesus as an explanation to his well-meaning Christian friends who cannot understand why he would reject the free gift of salvation offered by the Gospel.

For both authors the idea reduces down to one point: they do not believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements for being declared the Messiah. Christians, of course, see the same things, but come to an entirely different interpretation *.

The Jews list these reasons for rejecting Jesus:

1.     Jesus never fought the Romans. * Chrisians say that Rome clearly saw Jesus as a threat.

2.     Jesus did not establish a physical political messianic kingdom.  * Christians say that Jesus established His kingdom in the hearts of His followers, an idea which Jews utterly reject.

3.     A new Temple was not built in Jerusalem.  * Christians say that Jesus Himself is the new Temple and its priest.

4.     The world did not recognize God as Lord.  * Christians say that at the Second Coming every head will bow and every knee will bend in acknowledgement of God.

5.      A New Covenant based on restored commitment to observance of the Law was not given to the Jews. * Christians say that the New Covenant based on Faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law.

6.     There was no ingathering of the Jewish exiles.  * Some Christians see the fulfillment of this requirement in the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

The Jews saw the claims of Jesus and His Christian followers to be blasphemous.  Klinghoffer points out that to the Jews, blasphemy is abusing God’s name for a forbidden purpose. Boteach clarifies what the Jews see as that forbidden purpose: He declares that the idea that God can be Human is the ultimate heresy. *Christians, of course, insist that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.

I urge you to read both of these books. Christianity and Judaism have major differences between them.  A Christian, for example, cannot echo Rabbi Boteach in saying, “Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is far more important than waiting for the right motivation.”

Even with the differences, there is agreement on the vast majority of our two worldviews and an understanding of Jewish history, symbolism, and theology is absolutely essential for a proper understanding of Christianity. Jesus was an orthodox Jew.

Also, since God does not change, all of His promises to Israel still stand. He is not finished with the Jews.  The Bible tells us that in the end days “all Israel shall be saved.”

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

The Worldview Shift in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

“What happened in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was that what for many had been the minimal theology of the Old World became the maximal of the New. … They found it in the world of Nature.”  John  V. Fleming (a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, university professor at Princeton University, and medievalist).

The “minimal theology of the Old World/maximal theology of the New World” is that the obvious order, mathematical nature,  and logic of the natural world all strongly imply the existence of an intelligence, a Creator.  Everything works as it must for us to exist at all.  If anything at all; gravitation, body pH, the amount of radiation in the atmosphere, the attractive and repellant forces between subatomic particles, etc.,  is  varied by even minute amounts, we will all die.  The extreme order and complexity of the physical world led to what is called the Argument from Design.  Design implies a Designer.

The shift  in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries denied the importance and sometimes even the existence of the Designer.  At best this is Deism (God exists but that is all that can be said), at worst, it is Atheism (God does not exist).

This shift in worldview led ultimately to the philosophy known as scientific materialism or naturalism.  This is the idea that the only things which can be known are those things which can be empirically measured.  A few steps more led to overt militant atheism.  A few steps more led to the idea that nothing can be known absolutely; that there is no Absolute Truth of any sort.  From this, people feel that they can, with a straight face, declare , “That is your truth, my truth may be different.”  Essentially, they are saying that there can be no universal standards of any sort, no declaration that anything is always wrong or right, and, ultimately, that “there can be no criticism of ME.”  This is the ultimate meaning of sin, the elevation of self above everything and everyone else.  Man making himself into God.

This is the Bible’s response to Deism and Atheism: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20

The Most Evil Curse Word in the World

The other day I was walking my dog when I saw a woman trying to get into her back door.  From the noise coming out of the house, it was obvious that her husband and his friends were having a wild party.  The woman was holding a case of beer in one hand and a grocery sack in the other.  She started kicking the door and then yelled out in anger, “JESUS CHRIST!”

She had turned the Holy Name of the Lord into a curse word.  She had turned it into a vile epithet full of venom.  The most precious Name had become the most evil curse word possible.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11

Read what theologian John Piper has to say on this subject.

http://www.christianity.com/theology/what-does-it-mean-to-take-the-lords-name-in-vain-11600552.html

We can take God’s name in vain in numerous ways.

http://mindrenewers.com/2012/03/13/omg-and-other-ways-christians-take-gods-name-in-vain/

What is Theology?

Jesus is the full, total, and final revelation.  Theology is our feeble attempt to understand.

The Senility Prayer

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
 The courage to change the things I can,
 And wisdom to know the difference.”

The first known appearance of this short prayer is in a 1943 sermon by the American Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).  It is popularly known as the Serenity Prayer.

Recently, I found a copy of a parody of the Serenity Prayer called the Senility Prayer.  As an aging person myself, I found the prayer to be amusing.  I am aware that it is not a Christian prayer.

“Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.” 

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Elizabeth Cranach: Daughter of Augustin Cranach (d. 1595), a German painter.  Elizabeth married Polykarp Leyser the Elder.

Polykarp Leyser the Elder: (b. 1552, Germany – d. 1610) Lutheran theologian and university professor.

Polykarp Leyser II: (b. 1586, Germany – d. 1633) Lutheran theologian and university professor.  Son of Polykarp Leyser the Elder.

Polykarp Leyser III: (b. 1656, Germany – d. 1725) Lutheran theologian, orientalist, and university professor. Grandson of Polykarp Leyser the Elder and a nephew of Polykarp Leyser II.

Polykarp Leyser IV: (b. 1690, Germany – d. 1728) Lutheran theologian, physician, lawyer, historian, and university professor.  Son of Polykarp Leyser III.

Film Comment: The Road to Perdition

"My father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road ...," the road to perdition.  The word "perdition" is of Indo-European origin through Latin.  The main idea of the word is "loss."  In Christian theology, the word is used of loss of the soul, eternal damnation, utter ruin, and destruction.  It can be seen as a synonym for Hell.

The film, The Road to Perdition (1998), is set in Depression era 1931 and tells the story of Michael Sullivan,  a crime mob hit man, a paid assassin, whose son accidentally witnesses one of his murders.  The mob bosses are not pleased and want the boy killed so that he cannot tell anyone.  The killer dearly loves his son and takes steps to protect him.

Based on a black and white graphic novel (comic book), this excellent and suspenseful film stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the hit man and is loaded with other top level actors: Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman.)  The story is concurrently loving, tender, violent, and depressing.

The film is based on the idea of "the sins of the fathers," a biblical concept.  We teach our children how to act by our example.  Even if we do not wish for our children to follow our example, our actions do not affect only us but can have effects on our families and friends for generations.  Often, once they are set in motion, the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided.

John Piper's Definition of Sin

"This is what sin is - dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences.  ,,, failure to love him is not trivial - it is treason." John Piper

John Piper (b. 1946, Tennessee, USA) is a Calvinist Baptist preacher, theologian, and writer who currently serves as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA).

Someone is Always Watching

“I grew up in Birmingham, Ala., a religious town. In my junior year of high school, something I had never expected started happening to my non-Jewish friends. They fell in love with their Christianity. They started reading the Bible. They would talk theology in the cafeteria. It was inspiring, and in a Jewish way, I began doing the same. I dusted off the Bible I had received as a bar mitzvah gift, and like my non-Jewish friends, read it cover to cover. The more engaged I became with my Judaism, the more I fell in love with it. By the time I was 17, I had set my sights on the rabbinate. In a way, my Southern Baptist friends turned me into a rabbi.” Rabbi Aaron Miller, assistant rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, D.C. (USA)

Read the entire article here: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/for-new-local-rabbi-a-blessed-life/2011/11/01/gIQADMKdfM_blog.html

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. “ Colossians 4:5

“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Someone is always watching you even if you do not know it.  You are God's letter to them.  What will they read in that letter?

The New Testament Church

"The primitive Church had no new Testament, no thought-out theology, no stereotyped traditions.  The men who took Christianity to the Gentile world had no special training, only a great experience - in which "all maxims and philosophies were reduced to the simple task of walking in the light since the light had come."  Burnett Hillman Streeter (1847-1937), British biblical scholar and textual critic, educator, educational administrator.  He wrote on religious philosophy and comparative religion.

Stereotypical Misunderstandings of Christian Theology

This Tom and Jerry cartoon, "Heavenly Puss," from 1948, exhibits several popular cultural misunderstandings of Christian theology, particularly that one can earn their place in heaven and that heaven is up in the clouds.  See if you can spot the other faulty stereotypes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw3F7GV-AHM

Metanoia/Repentance

Metanoia (μετάνοιά, Acts 2:38, Romans 2:4) is a Greek compound word built from the preposition μετά (after, with) and the verb νοἐιν (to think, to observe, to perceive), "to think after," "to change one's mind."  In Christian theology the word is usually translated as "repent," carrying the idea of turning around and going the other way, in other words, a reorientation of outlook, a spiritual conversion.


The other biblical Greek word translated as "repentance" is metamelomai, which means a change of soul, a sorrow that  leads to turning away from a life of sin (Matthew 27:3, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

Martin Luther on The Word

"In the matter of faith one must let everything go and cling to the Word alone.  When we have gripped that, let the world, death, sin, hell and every misfortune storm and rage.  But if you let go of the Word, you will be doomed."  Martin Luther

I found this quotation on the blog of Pastor Heath Pukallus , a Lutheran minister in Western Australia.  I didn't understand the bibliographical listing for the quotation, SL.XI. 1767, 15, so I asked Pastor Pukallus about it.  His kind response told me, "SL refers to the Saint Louis Edition (translation) of Luther's works.  There are four different editions, St. Louis (SL), American (AE or LW), Weimar (WA), and Erlangen."

Since I am a "library rat," I set out to learn more about this.  I found a very informative 2009 article, "Cracking the Code: Making Sense of References to Martin Luther's Works. " The writer of the article, Pastor Paul T. McCain, calls sorting out references to Luther's writings "an alphabet soup kind of situation."  McCain lists twelve additional editions which you might see as bibliographical listings.

Many people find bibliographies and library studies to be as dry as the Mojave Desert, but for those of us who thrive on the stuff, this is a very interesting avenue of study.

What Does It Mean?: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."  Matthew 13:10-13.

Many modern theologians make a major point about the fact that Jesus never came out and simply declared, "I am God."  They speak of the Incarnational Mystery and wonder if Jesus thought of Himself as God.  Two points:

1. The rabbis and religious Jews who heard Jesus speak knew exactly what He was saying but thought that he was speaking blasphemy.  “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”  John 10:33

2. Jesus used parables to teach.  The simple stories made His meaning easy to understand for even the most literal of His followers.  The parables also served a second purpose: to conceal.

In Matthew 13:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  The parables made no sense to those not equipped to understand them.  It is like us being immersed continually in showers of television and radio signals but hearing and seeing nothing because we don't have an internal receiver;  we are not physiologically equipped to perceive the information.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the parables makes no sense to those who don't belong to Jesus.  Jesus' motive for this is simple to see:  He wanted followers by faith, not by sight.  “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

In Constantine (2005), a secular horror/action film, a cancer-ridden detective named John Constantine is desperately trying to impress God by hunting and killing demons.  He tells the angel Gabriel, "I believe."  The angel replies, "No, you know.  There's a difference."

Book Comment: Fifty Key Christian Thinkers

Fifty Key Christian Thinkers, by Peter McEnhill and George Newlands, is an anthology of biographies and discussions about what its title says; "fifty key christian thinkers." It really adds nothing special to the discussion but is a useful introduction to the highly interesting field of Christian biography. Some of the persons mentioned are Justin Martyr, Jurgen Moltmann, Peter Abelard, Basil of Caesarea, Karl Barth, and Friedrich Schleiermacher.

Book Comment: Faith Reads

Faith Reads. A Selective Guide to Christian Nonfiction (2008), by David Rainey, is a library reference book published by Libraries Unlimited. It reviews hundreds of books, sorted into the following categories: Life Stories, Prayer, Worship, Spiritual Growth, Christian Self-Help, Evangelism, Arts, Culture, and Education, Business and Leadership, Science and Nature, and Bible and Theology.

Just to read this book would be boring, but if you are looking for a specific type of Christian non-fiction, this is a good place to start your search.

Book Comment: Makers of Christian Theology in America

Makers of Christian Theology in America(Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1997), by Mark G. Toulouse and James O Duke, is a fascinating book for those interested in history or theology. It separates American theological development into several periods (The Colonial Era, The National Era, The Post-Civil War Period, and The Moderrn Era), and gives short biographical sketches about prominent theologians of the period with a description of their contribution to theological discussion.

Some of the people discussed include Cotton Mather (Puritanism), Lyman Beecher (The New Divinity), Phoebe Worrall Palmer (Holiness), Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalism), Josep[h Smith (Mormonism), Federick Douglass (Black Theology), William James (Psychology and philosophy of religion), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), Washington Gladden (Social Gospel), Edgar Young Mullins (Baptist ), Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah's Witnesses), Shailer Matthews (Evangelical Liberalism), Reinhold Niebuhr (Liberalism), Martin Luther King, Jr. (Social Action), and Thomas Merton (Catholicism).

The book discusses Congregationalists, Unitarians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Adventists, Mormons, Millenialists, and many others. You will find many things with which you disagree and many things which will sound very familiar to you. To me, E. Y. Mullins strikes a very strong chord. This is a very good book.

New Listing in My Blog/Website Roll

I have added BlogCatalog to the list of blogs and websites I check regularly. The Christian section of their listings contains hundreds of blogs ranging from the daily musings of Christian soccer moms, to devotionals, to self-proclaimed mystics and prophets, and to hard theology. It is an excellent place to browse through blogs expressing the great diversity of modern Christian thought and is therefore totally in keeping with the theme of this blog.