Sources of Knowledge About Jesus

8/10/2019 Sources of Knowledge About Jesus

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INTRODUCTION TO

CHRISTOLOGY


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P RINCIPLES OF UNDERSTANDING J ESUS CHRIST

1. To really know Jesus is a life long task2. Knowing Jesus is a living, changing, growing and

deepening experience

3. The Jesus we come to know is both the historicalearthly Jesus and the Risen Christ of faith4. To know Jesus means being committed to

following him, being his disciple

5. We come to know Jesus from what he did, hissalvific mission.


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CHRISTOLOGY

(from Christ and Greek - , -logia ) is the field ofstudy within Christian theology which is primarilyconcerned with the nature and person of JesusChrist as recorded in the Canonical gospels and theletters of the New Testament . Primary considerations include the relationship ofJesus' nature and person with the nature andperson of God the Father .concerned with the details of Jesus' life (what hedid) and his teachings (what he said) in order toarrive at a clearer understanding of who he is in hisperson, and his role in salvation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greekhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-logiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_theologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonical_gospelshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_the_Fatherhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_the_Fatherhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonical_gospelshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_theologyhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-logiahttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-logiahttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek


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A major component of the Christology of the Apostolic Age was that of Saint Paul whose centralthemes were the notion of pre-existence of Christ and the worship of Christ as Kyrios (the Lord). Following the Apostolic Age , a number of issues inChristology were debated, and due to seeminglyminor, but politically charged differences, in the 4thcentury schisms among denominations developed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existence_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrios_(Biblical_term)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_(religion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denominationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denominationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_(religion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrios_(Biblical_term)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existence_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existence_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existence_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Age


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In the 13th century Saint Thomas Aquinas providedthe first systematic Christology that consistentlyresolved a number of the existing issues.

Aquinas also championed the principle of perfectionof Christ 's human attributes.The Middle Ages also witnessed the emergence ofthe "tender image of Jesus" as a friend and a livingsource of love and comfort, rather than just theKyrios image.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_perfection_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_perfection_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_perfection_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_perfection_of_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas


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SOURCES OFKNOWLEDGE ABOUT JESUS

A. NON-BIBLICAL SOURCES


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Tacitus Cornelius (53-117 A.D.), aRoman historian, mentioned the nameof Christ on his account of the Burningof Rome in 64 A.D.falsely charged to Christians by the

procurator at that time who wasPontius Pilate.described Christ as the author of thepernicious superstition called

Christianity.

ROMAN PAGAN WRITINGS


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Pliny the Younger (62-113 A.D.), agovernor of Bithynia in Asia Minor,mentioned Christ in one of his letters toEmperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.), advisingthe latter on how he should treat theChristians.He told Trajan to punish Christians whorefused to obey his order and releasethose who abandoned their faith.He also mentioned some of thecustoms of the Christians such as

meeting on certain fixed days, singingan anthem to Christ as God, andbinding themselves by oath to commitany wicked deed.


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Lucian Samosata wrote thebiography of his friend Peregrinuswho became a Christian for a whilebefore reverting back to cynicphilosophy.Samosata mentioned thereverence of Christians to thatOrder, whom they still worshipped,the man who was crucified inPalestine because he introduced anew cult into human life. He considered Jesus as the first

lawgiver of Christians, whopersuaded these Christians thatthey all are brothers to oneanother.


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EARLY JEWISH WRITING

Joseph Flavius (37-100 A.D.) was a Jewishhistorian who wrote the 20-volume history ofthe Jews called the Jewish antiquities.He described Jesus as a wise man and adoer of wonderful deeds, a teacher, one whoattracted many Jews and Gentiles, theChrist condemned to death by PontiusPilate, and the one after whose name thetribe of the Christians that still existed up tothis day was called (Antiquities 20, 9) . He also mentioned the execution of James,the brother of Jesus and defended thetrustworthiness of the New Testament.


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B. BIBLICAL SOURCE(OLD TESTAMENT)

Hugo of St. Victor declared that AllSacred Scripture is but one book, andthat book is Christ, because all divineScripture speaks of Christ and is

fulfilled in Christ.

St John the Beloved stressed that theScriptures were written so that we may

believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Sonof God and that through this belief we willreceive abundant life in His name (Jn20:30-31).


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The prophets in the OldTestament foretold the comingof the Messiah.The New Testament recordsthe fulfillment of Godspromise of a Savior in the

person of Jesus Christ, Hisonly begotten Son. Somebiblical passages linkingevents in Jesus life to whatwas foretold in the OldTestament.


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Events in Jesus Life Old Testament New Testament

His Davidic lineage 1 Sam 16:1-3 Lk 2:1-4

Born of the Virgin Is 7:14

Mt 1:23

Bethlehem as birthplace Mi 5:1 Mt 2:1

Massacre of the Innocents Jer 31:15 Mt 2:16-18

Suffering Servant Is 42:1 Mt 3:13-17

Mockery, insults of soldiers Is 50:6 Mk 15:17-19

His garments divided Ps 22:19 Jn19:23-24

Wine on a sprig of hyssop Ps 69:22 Jn 19:28-29

None of his bones shall be broken Ex 12:46/Nm 9:12 Jn 19:33

Blood and Water from his side Nm 20:11 Jn 19:34

Suffering, Death and Burial Is 53:4-12 Mt 27:11-66


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THE NEW TESTAMENTTHE F OUR G OSPELS AS FAITH-DOCUMENTS

These New Testament writings are collections ofstories about Jesus birth, infancy, teachings,deeds, death and resurrection according toMatthew, Mark, Luke and John.They are faith summaries that best describe whatthe early Church/ Christians held to be mostsignificant about Jesus, namely, that He is Himselfthe Gospel, the Good News of God for man.


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The Formation of the Gospels

The Gospels are the primary sources of our knowledgeabout Jesus.These are faith narratives of the early Christiancommunitys experiences of and about Jesus.The four Gospel versions are expressions of the writersbelief that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and theSavior of the World.

They are, however, not autobiographies of Jesus whowrote nothing and never commissioned anyone to writeabout His life story.


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THE G OSPELS UNDERWENT THE FOLLOWING STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT :

First Stage: The Historical Jesus

The Gospels basicallyoriginate in the life, words

and works of Jesus theNazarene and Hisinteractions with HisDisciples and othergroups during his publiclife and ministry.


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Third Stage: The

Written Gospels

St. Paul gives us one reason why firstgeneration of Christians eventually wrotedown the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus,in an organized way. In his letter to theGalatians, the apostle mentioned that therehad been some distortion occurring in thepreaching. He said, But there are somewho are disturbing you and wish to pervertthe Gospel of Christ.

A second very practical reason why theGospel had to be written was the fact thatthe eyewitnesses were beginning to die orbe martyred. The early Christians were, infact, wrong about their belief in the earlyreturn of Jesus. So, to preserve theauthentic testimony of the eyewitnesses,these first believers of our Lord committedthemselves to writing the Good News ofJesus.


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There is only one and real Gospel (Good News) thatis, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Himself theGood News.

But the Church recognizes four (4) authentic,inspired and written communal faith expressions ofthe Good News. The Church today does not have four Gospels butonly one Gospel according to four differentevangelists, namely: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.The first three accounts are called synoptic Gospels(Syn, together, optikos, to look at). If you put side by side the Gospel accounts of

Matthew, Mark and Luke, you will find similarities.Hence, they are called synoptic Gospels.


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I realized that Jesus nature is very broad.He had different definitions and meaning. But,no matter how different he is, there is still one

thing that I am sure. Jesus is Jesus Himself. He described himself in the Bible, marked inhistory, tested our faith in testimonies and helet us feel his presence personally. Jesus may

have distinguished or variety of identities, butstill, Jesus is everything. Honey Grace M. Omandam

ReEd 2 student (10:00-11:30 am)

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