From Jesus of Nazareth To Christ of Faith

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HOLY TRINITY REGIONAL MAJOR SEMINARY

Department of Theology

From Jesus of Nazareth


to Christ of Faith

A term paper submitted to the Department of


Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the completion of the course in Theology

Moderator Submitted By
Rev. Fr. A. Soosai Nathan Sr. Karuna (Sonima David)

Jalandhar
October - 2017
CONTENTS

GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1


CHAPTER ONE
A HISTORICAL STUDY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 2
1.1. Historical Settings to the Coming of Jesus ..................................................................... 3
1.1.1. Socio- Cultural Settings ................................................................................................... 4
1.1.2. Political Settings ............................................................................................................... 4
1.1.3. Religious Setting .............................................................................................................. 5
1.1.4. The expectations of the community ............................................................................... 5
1.2. Background to the person of Jesus of Nazareth............................................................. 5
1.2.1 Birth and growth of Jesus ................................................................................................ 6
1.2.2 The Hidden Life of Jesus ................................................................................................... 6
1.2.3 John the Baptist and Jesus ............................................................................................... 7
1.3. The beginning of Jesus ministry ...................................................................................... 7
1.3.1 Teachings of Jesus ............................................................................................................ 8
1.3.2 Deeds of Jesus ................................................................................................................... 8
1.3.3 The Reasons for Jesus’ Crucifixion ........................................................................... 9
1.3.4 Jesus’ passion and death and Resurrection ................................................................. 10
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 11
CHAPTER TWO
JESUS THE CHRIST: AN INQUIRY INTO THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 12
2.1. The Experience of Jesus’ Resurrection ......................................................................... 13
2.1.1 The historicity of the resurrection of Jesus ........................................................ 13
2.1.2 The context of Apostles’ proclamation .............................................................. 13
2.1.3 How did all things change? ................................................................................ 14
2.2. Did Jesus Know He was God? ....................................................................................... 15
2.2.1 Texts indicating limited knowledge ................................................................... 15
2.2.2 Texts indicating the unlimited knowledge of Jesus ........................................... 15
2.3. Jesus’ self designation ..................................................................................................... 16
2.3.1 Son of man ......................................................................................................... 16

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2.3.2 Prophet ............................................................................................................... 17
2.4. Jesus self consciousness .................................................................................................. 17
2.4.1 Jesus’ self consciousness of God as Abba ......................................................... 18
2.4.2 Jesus’ self consciousness Divine Son-ship ........................................................ 18
2.4.3 Jesus’ Understanding of His Definitive Salvific Character ............................... 18
2.4.4 Personal Presuppositions of Jesus' Preaching and Actions ................................ 19
2.5. From Jesus of Nazareth to Christ of Faith ................................................................... 19
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 20
GENERAL CONCLUSION.................................................................................................. 21
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 22

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GENERAL INTRODUCTION

As I was attending my classes on Christology in the 2nd year of my theological


studies, at a particular point this question struck me. What might have Jesus been thinking of
himself during his three years of life in and around Galilee and Jerusalem? Did he know that
he was the “Messiah” promised to the people of Israel? Did he know that he was the son of
God and had come to bring salvation to the people? Did he ever know he would only have
thirty three years of life on this earth? Did he know what type future is awaiting him? How an
ordinary man called Jesus became a great point of transition in the history? How did he come
to be called as the Christ, the redeemer of the world? To find an answer to these questions
and to explore more into the life of Jesus, to know him more closely, to understand the mind
of Jesus and to look deep into the message of his teaching I am interested to do this topic
From Jesus of Nazareth to the Christ of Faith.

To base myself into this studies first of I will look into the historical background of
Jesus which will be dealing with the socio- cultural situations, the political and religious
situation of Jesus’ time. It is a brief outlook into the settings of his time to understand the
pulse of the people so that we too may have a clear understanding of the person of Jesus. In
the second part I will be looking deeper into the personality of Jesus. How he understood
himself and how the disciples understood him more clearly in the Easter experience and the
turning point from the historical person of Jesus to the Christ of Faith. There are texts in the
Gospels to indicate that Jesus shared normal human limitations in his knowledge of the
affairs of life, also there are texts that attribute to him extraordinary and even super-human
knowledge about such affairs. So this is my humble attempt to accompany Jesus to his time
and people and situations to have a better understanding of my own questions.

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CHAPTER ONE

A HISTORICAL STUDY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH

Introduction

The historical study about the life and teachings of Jesus is traced by way of three
“quests for the historical Jesus”. In the nineteenth century’s first quest, several controversial
“Lives of Jesus” were written. The historical research first initiated by Reimarus who was a
respected professor in the Oriental Languages at the University of Hamburg. 1 For Reimarus,
Jesus was a failed revolutionary who believed that it was his destiny to establish the Kingdom
of God and restore the people of Israel. But he realized in the last moment that God had failed
him and his disciples were not able to accept his death, stole his body and spread the message
that he had been raised from the dead and made up a new story that Jesus had died willingly
as atonement for sin2.

Traditionalist biblical scholars and church authorities strongly attacked these


attempts. The most penetrating and influential critique was offered by the liberal scholar
Albert Schweitzer. He claimed that the scholars reconstructed Jesus according to their own
design and thus they were not interested in discovering him as a figure in his own time.3 For
Schweitzer, Jesus’ belief about himself to be the Messiah was an ‘important factor in the
public ministry’.4 At Baptism, he was aware of himself to be the Messiah but only revealed
his Messiahship to the disciples at Caesarea Philippi. The ideas of Schweitzer brought about a
halt to the quest for historical Jesus for a long period till the Bultmannian scholars came to
the scene.

The second quest which is known as the new quest was developed and promoted by
the Bultmannian scholars. The New Questers as these were came to be called produced quite
a number of historical studies of Jesus in the 1950’s and 60’s.5 Bultmann analyzed how the
forms of the synoptic narratives were developed and handed over. He identified the “life
situation” of synoptic tradition less in terms of Jesus’ life than in the life of communities in

1
Mark .A. Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee
(Kentucky: JohnKnox Press, 1998), 13.
2
Raymond E. Brown, an Introduction to the New Testament Christology (New York: Paulist Press,
1994), 62.
3
Mark .A. Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History, 17.
4
David B. Gowler, What are They Saying About the Historical Jesus? (New Jersey: Paulist Press,
2007), 12.
5
Mark .A. Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History, 20.

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which traditions existed and in many cases were formed.6 He was skeptical about the
possibility of writing a history of Jesus whose personal consciousness is unavailable.7

The Third Quest, another kind of historical Jesus research, has been inaugurated in the
late twentieth century in which Jesus is considered as an eschatological prophet and also his
location in the first century Judaism is emphasized.8 It is N. T. Wright who first coined the
term third quest in 1992.

1.1. Historical Settings to the Coming of Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth has been the most influential person to walk this earth in human
history. Jesus was a Jew who lived in Israel during the first third of the first century, was born
out of wedlock, intersected with the life and ministry of John the Baptist, attracted great
crowds especially because of his wondrous deeds, had a group of particularly close followers
called disciples, had conflicts with the Jewish religious authorities because of his
controversial teachings sometimes deemed heretical or blasphemous, was crucified during the
time of Pontius Pilate’s governorship in Judea (26–36 C.E.), and yet was believed by many of
his followers to have been the Messiah, the anticipated liberator of Israel. This belief did not
disappear despite Jesus’ death because a number of his supporters claimed to have seen him
resurrected from the dead.9

To know this man more closely we need to look into the social, cultural, political and
religious environment, in which Jesus was born, grew up and lived. We need to know his
world. These questions and searches are very much necessary in understanding how the
originality of Jesus emerged within that world which both welcomed him and rejected him.10
In order to understand the person of Jesus who lived in the history we need proof as there are
historical writings about the person of Jesus who was born in Nazareth who moved around
Galilee and Jerusalem and who was sentenced to death during the time of Pontius Pilate’s
governorship in Judea (26–36 C.E.)11

6
Craig A. Evans ed., Encyclopaedia of Historical Jesus (New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2008),
475.
7
Ibid.
8
Mark .A. Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History, 22.
9
John. P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, vol.2 (New York: Doubleday,
1991), 35.
10
Maurizio Gronchi, Jesus Christ (Roma: Urbaniana university Press, 2012), 21.
11
James D.G Dunn, Jesus Remembered (Cambridge: William B. Eardsman, 2003), 245.

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1.1.1. Socio- Cultural Settings

At the beginning of the Common Era, Jesus and his contemporaries lived in a world
marked by Mediterranean culture which presented some common characteristics beyond its
particular geographical locations. What is prominent among these is the non individualistic
character of the society was that the ethnic group, clans and families were the determining
features for access to economic, social and cultural goods.12 The socio economic conditions
of the majority of the populations were very precarious. It was an agrarian society in which
more than 90% of the people lived in rural areas and from agriculture. The importance of the
cities was relative, their economy was based on crafts, trade and consumption of agricultural
produce.

The social stratification of the agrarian societies like these was rather simple, small group of
the powerful and the great mass of the population without the presence of the middle class
people. Three fundamental elements regulated the relations between the two groups such as
“power, privilege, and prestige”.13 The upper classes belonged to the imperial Roman
aristocracy (senators, knights), the provincial aristocracy (High Priestly Family), the urban
aristocracy (Sanhedrin) and those employed in the service of upper class (Scribes and
Administers). The lower class composed of peasants, small traders, shepherds, prostitutes and
beggars 14 among whom Jesus walked and announced the kingdom of God.

1.1.2. Political Settings

At the time of the birth of Jesus Palestine was ruled by the Roman vassal king Herod
the Great, who was renowned for his great building projects and for his arbitrary actions and
ruthlessness. After the death of Herod the Great (37-4 B.C), installed by the Romans,
Palestine was divided among the three sons of Herod: Antipas, Philip and Archelaus. In
Galilee to which Nazareth belonged, the tetrarch Herod Antipas was ruling from the year 6
A.D.15 It is during his time John the Baptist criticized Antipas for having kept his brother
Philip’s wife Herodias as his second wife , so Herod eventually had him executed (Mk 6:14-
29).16

12
John Riches, The World of Jesus: First Century Judaism in Crisis (New York: Cambridge university
press, 1990), 10
13
Maurizio Gronchi, Jesus Christ, 25.
14
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament Christology (New York: Paulist Press,
1994), 62.
15
John. P. Meier, A Marginal Jew, 40.
16
John Riches, The World of Jesus, 10.

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1.1.3. Religious Setting

Judaism at the time of Jesus was a complex mixture of divergent social, political and
religious ideologies. In general terms, we can speak of four distinct movements, ideologies or
life-options. It is helpful to situate Jesus in terms of these social groups of his day in order
that we can come to appreciate the distinctiveness of his own life and mission.17 In the time
of Jesus the most important religious groups were the so called Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots
and Essenes. These are the Jewish religious movements compared by the Jewish historian
Josephus to the Greek philosophical schools which make up the spectrum of that
contemporary Judaism into relationship with which Jesus entered.18

1.1.4. The expectations of the community

Jesus was a Jew who shared the longings and hopes of the people of his time. The
Jewish people were seeking a “Messiah” or Saviour – they were waiting for the leader whom
God had promised, who, according to their understanding, would bring them spiritual
renewal and political freedom from centuries of foreign oppression, currently from the
Roman Empire.19

1.2. Background to the person of Jesus of Nazareth

The Scriptures attest that Jesus lived an authentically human life. The Jesus whom we
proclaim as the only Saviour walked the earth as God-Man in full possession of a human
nature. He was like us in all things except sin. Born of a Virgin Mother in humble
surroundings at Bethlehem, he was as helpless as any other infant, and even suffered the fate
of a refugee fleeing the wrath of a ruthless leader (cf. Mt 2:13-15). He was subject to human
parents who did not always understand his ways, but in whom he trusted and whom he
lovingly obeyed (cf. Lk 2:41-52). Constantly at prayer, he was in intimate relationship with
God whom he addressed as Abba, "Father", to the dismay of his listeners (Jn 8:34-59).20

17
William H. Marty, The world of Jesus (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2013), 143.
18
Maurizio Gronchi, Jesus Christ, 24.
19
Soosai Nathan A, the ministry of Jesus, Class notes (Jalandhar: HRTMS, 2016), 26.
20
John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia: A Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation (Carmel Publications:
Trivandrum, 1999), 6.

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1.2.1 Birth and growth of Jesus

Lukan account gives the details of the birth of Jesus this way; a Roman census21
forces Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary to travel from their hometown of Nazareth to
Bethlehem; there is no room for them at the inn and so Mary gives birth to her firstborn son
in a stable. There is also an account of the angels appearing to the shepherds informing them
that a Saviour has been born, who is Christ the Lord; they go and find Mary and Joseph and
the baby in the manger, just as the angel had said. Mary and Joseph give him the name Jesus
as it was told by the angel of the Lord22. And” the boy increased in wisdom and stature, and
in favour with God and man” (Lk 2: 52).

This gives us the clear idea that Jesus grew and made progress in the physical, mental,
social, and spiritual aspects of his being. As all Jewish boys did, he attended the synagogue
schools in Nazareth, mastering the principles of reading and writing under the guidance of
real human teachers. Indeed, so amazing was that mental development that by the time he
was twelve years of age his questions and answers astounded the scholars in the Temple at
Jerusalem. But the point is that he did grow, he did increase in knowledge, and he did
develop in a genuinely human way.23

1.2.2 The Hidden Life of Jesus

It is important to reflect on the hidden life of Jesus even though we know so little
about it. The Evangelist Luke tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace, suggesting
that he experienced normal human development. He lived a very normal life in Nazareth, the
difficult life of a Galilean under the control of the Roman occupying power and its unjust tax
system. His religious sensibilities were shaped by the regular practice of his Jewish heritage,
including daily prayer, immersion in the Scriptures and periodic celebrations of the great
feasts. He earned a living doing manual labour as a carpenter. Jesus did all this without
attracting any special notice from his neighbours in Nazareth, suggesting that he must have

21
The historical evidence states that the taxation was common in Roman Empire for the support of the
military. Josephus records that the Jews were being taxed by the Romans with commands coming from Syria as
early as 44 BC. And the task of raising the funds fell upon the Jewish rulers in power at the time. For example
Josephus records: “Cassius rode into Syria in order to take command of the army stationed there, and on the
Jews he placed a tax of 700 silver talents. Antipater gave the job of collecting this tax to his sons” (Jewish
Antiquities XIV 271), .
22
Gerard Gertoux, Herod the Great and Jesus: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence
(Cambridge: Lulu publications, 2015), 23.
23
Ivan h. French, “The Man Christ Jesus” In Grace Theological Journal (Winona Lake: Grace
Theological Seminary (1980), 185-194.

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adapted to his life situation spontaneously and naturally. Moreover, it seems remarkable that
Jesus waited so long to begin his public ministry, especially since we can presume he was
anxious to undertake his life mission. We can imagine Jesus practicing the virtue of patient
waiting for a big part of his life.24

1.2.3 John the Baptist and Jesus

The beginning of Jesus’ proclamation is connected with the eschatological repentance


of the Baptist. Jesus not only was baptized by John but also might have been following John
from a distance. That is why it was said from among the people he came forward to be
baptized by John. However, before the development of Jesus’ own movement, he had already
lived in an environment of charismatic prophecy and has been shaped by the eschatological
message of the Baptist. The Baptism of Jesus indicates that Jesus was influenced by the
person of John and it was an affirmation of Jesus to the preaching of John the Baptist. The
Gospel of Mark connects the independent charismatic appearance of Jesus with the
martyrdom of Baptist: “Now after John was arrested Jesus came to Galilee...” (Mk1:14). The
martyrdom of John brought a new approaches in to Jesus’ movement, and it is evident from
the very statement of Herod (Mk 6: 16).25 This indication gives us the idea that Jesus was in
some way influenced by the preaching of John but he did not simply continue the work of
John the Baptist. Jesus had his own way of teaching, preaching and healing.

1.3. The beginning of Jesus ministry

About the age of thirty, Jesus left his family and work and began to pursue his
vocation. As one among the many people who followed John, Jesus also came to be baptized
“to fulfill all righteousness” and in this experience felt the empowering presence and call of
God to begin his mission. The Baptism of Jesus from John was a moment of recognizing his
vocation. The synoptic gospels agree in stating that Jesus went into the wilderness to prepare
himself for the challenging ministry.26 Strengthened by the spirit, Jesus returned to the region
of Galilee and entered into his life of teaching and healing. The center of his activity was the
city of Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. One of the main reasons for this
location was that, this provided an easy access to the other regions of Galilee. It is from this

24
James Bacik, Humble Confidence: Spiritual and Pastoral Guidance from Karl Rahner (Collegeville:
Liturgical Press, 2014), 55.
25
Ekkehard W. Stegemann and Wolfgang Stegemann, The Jesus Movement: A Social History of its
First Century (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999), 196-97.
26
Duncan S. Ferguson, the Radical Teaching of Jesus: A Teacher Full of Grace and Truth: An Inquiry
for Thoughtful Seekers (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2016), 38- 43.

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base that Jesus became an itinerant preacher and traveled often with his disciples across the
region of Galilee and surrounding areas.27 He encountered a wide range of ethnic tensions,
social and economic conflicts between the rich and the poor and between those who ruled and
those subject to the rule, and the different religious understanding and practises.28

1.3.1 Teachings of Jesus

Jesus taught them as one who having authority (Mt 7: 29). It is very evident that the
very teaching of Jesus was one of the root causes for his death. His teachings about the truth
and the reinterpretation of the law angered the religious authorities of his time.29 Josephus,
the Jewish historian who lived from the mid thirties to the end of the first century makes
reference to Jesus in his Antiquities the reference that Jesus lived and taught in the first
century Palestine. The text read in the following way:

About this time (i.e. while Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea, A.D. 26-36)
there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who
wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept truth gladly. He won over
many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah.30

There are some opinions that the manuscript of Josephus was altered in order to have
this Jewish author make reference to Jesus in a positive manner. But what is of importance
for us is that Jesus was a man who lived and taught in the history among the Jewish people.
The central theme of Jesus’ message is, we can indubitably say, the Kingdom of God. He also
taught that God was personal and loving and he himself called God as “Abba”. He taught the
ethics of love, love for God and love for one’s neighbour.

1.3.2 Deeds of Jesus

Jesus began his journey in conformation with his words about the kingdom, offering
deeds of liberation, healings, miracles, exorcism etc. His ministry included teaching,
preaching and healing (Mt 4: 23). He went around doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil (Acts 10: 382). He delivered the demonized, healed the sick, raised the

27
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament Christology, 60.
28
David B. Gowler, What Are They Saying About The Historical Jesus, 93.
29
Scot McKnight, A New Vision for Israel: The Teachings of Jesus in National Context (Cambridge:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999), 8-10.
30
Thomas Walter Manson, The Teaching of Jesus: Studies of Its Form and Content (Cambridge:
University Press, 1959), 73.

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dead, and forgave sins.31 The most notable among Jesus deeds are his miracles. History states
that Jesus was one who performed cures and other extraordinary actions. It is also notable
that the enemies of Jesus are also not found as denying his extraordinary work. Rather they
attribute them to be of evil origin; so to say, Jesus performed these miracles by the power of
the devil.32 Jesus was portrayed like many other miracle working teachers, Jewish and pagan,
of his era. The idea of such figures was common in the first century. The most popular
parallel offered for Jesus is Apollonius of Tyana33 who lived in the first century and whose
life is regarded largely as fictitious.34 There are historical evidences other than the Gospels in
the writing of Josephus and in the Talmud. Josephus reports Jesus as a doer of startling deeds.
Talmud says that “they hanged Yesu” because “he practiced sorcery” 35. The purpose of
Jesus’ deed is confirmation of the Lordship of God, who indicates Jesus as the one who
deserves trust, but not to the point of reducing him to sorceror or a worker of wonders and
performer of miracles. From the very narratives of the Gospel we understand that Jesus
neither owned the credit of his wonderful work nor desired for the publicity, on the contrary
he distances himself from the miracles in order to allow the father all the Credit for their
origin.36

1.3.3 The Reasons for Jesus’ Crucifixion

The cause of Jesus’ death is complex. The reason can be of the Jewish leadership,
Roman authorities or Jesus’ own self-understanding. He was crucified by Rome, because,
even though Pilate knew that Jesus was not guilty of any charge worthy of death, he felt he
dared not to resist the pressure of the Jewish leadership. The Jewish leadership is responsible
in the sense that it saw Jesus as a dangerous political liability that defied, minimized, and
spoke against such Jewish identifying symbols as the law, food, Sabbath, and temple. Jesus is
the source of his death, in the sense that he saw himself as fulfilling the role of suffering as a
righteous prophet. Jesus was put to death by crucifixion.37

31
Maurizio Gronchi, Jesus Christ, 33.
32
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament Christology, 62.
33
Apollonius of Tyana is said to have been a neo-Pythagorean philosopher, miracle worker, teacher
and traveller. Apollonius is held as Hellenistic image of divine man, i.e. a human being supposedly gifted with
godlike powers; the Gospel or early Christian picture of Jesus is thought to be influences by such a model.
34
David B. Gowler, What Are They Saying About The Historical Jesus, 94.
35
Paul Barnette, Finding the Historical Christ (Cambridge: William B. Eardsman, 2008), 240.
36
Maurizio Gronchi, Jesus Christ, 35.
37
N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God: Christian Origins and the Question God, Vol. 2
(London: A Fortress Press book, 1996), 216.

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Archaeology supplies evidence that the crucifixion of pirates was known in the city of
Athens as early as the 7th century BC.38 There are also historical evidences to the death of
Jesus. Also the Roman historian Thallus wrote about the darkness that fell upon the land
during his crucifixion.39 Josephus has also written about Jesus in this way: “when Pilate upon
hearing him (Jesus) accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him
to be crucified and to die.”40

1.3.3 Jesus’ passion and death and Resurrection

The execution of Jesus of Nazareth on a cross is among the most securely established
facts of his life. Crucifixion was a Roman form of punishment used mainly for the slaves. It
was forbidden to crucify Roman citizens. Such a shameful death was not even a talk among
the decent people. Jesus was crucified as a religious and political rebel.41 The religious
authorities desired for the death of Jesus because he was becoming a threat to their own
existence. He publically denounced the Pharisees and Sadducees for their way of life. He
also overturned the tables of money changers in the temple. This was an income for the
Priests and Sadducees.42 The political reason was the unstable condition of the political
system. The Romans were suspicious of any mass organization. So the situation made it easy
for Jesus’ opponents to find a pretext for bringing a political charge against Jesus.43

All the four gospels tell of the glorious event of resurrection of Jesus and it is the
single defining theological belief in the Christian Church. Though there are discrepancies in
the accounts of the Gospels they all agree to the fact that Jesus appeared to all of the disciples
and many of his closer friend and family. The claim that Jesus had resurrected from the dead
is a unique claim since it has not been attributed to any other great man in the history.
Resurrection was so central to the earliest Christian preaching.44 One of the proofs for
historicity of his resurrection is the empty tomb. But then many of the New Testament

38
Raymond E. Brown, Death of Messiah, vol.2 (Britain: Doubleday, 1994), 945.
39
Robert E. Van Voorst, Jesus outside the New Testament: an introduction the Ancient Evidences
(Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 200), 89.
40
John Dominic Crossan, The historical Jesus: the life of a Mediterranean Jewish peasant
(NewYork:HarperCollins Publications, 1991), 373.
41
Walter Kasper, Jesus the Christ (New York: Paulist Press, 1976), 113.
42
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ (Cambridge: William
B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2015), 48.
43
David B. Gowler, What Are They Saying About The Historical Jesus, 94.
44
Daniel. H. Harington, Jesus a Historical Portrait (Bandra: St. Pauls Press, 2009), 22.

10
scholars question the historicity of the drama of the empty tomb. Hans Kung after his analysis
of the issues in the gospels says that “it is scarcely possible therefore to refute the assumption
that the stories of the tomb are legendary elaborations of the resurrection”45 The claim of the
appearances of Jesus after his crucifixion is another proof for historicity of his resurrection.
However as a conclusion we should say that it is not the facts of the empty tomb or the
appearance narratives that are necessary or sufficient for the belief in the resurrection.

Conclusion

The life and history of Jesus indeed are a unique one. At a point in history so far
removed from him in time, it is difficult to ascertain with absolute certainty and to distinguish
the truth from mere fabrications. Also, in absence of authentic and unadulterated data from
the time that he lived in and the places that he was around, it would be difficult and nigh
impossible to find the real person of Jesus in all the accoutrement that has been attached to
him since his death, resurrection and ascension. The life of Jesus was transmitted orally for
many years by his apostles and other disciples. His life was penned down only at a much later
stage and by people who did not actually have a direct experience of the person of Jesus. His
resurrection surely had altered and prejudiced the experiences that the disciples had when
they lived with Jesus. But, we can safely say that Jesus is a man who lived in the history like
any of us. Though the person of Jesus has been attached with many things which were
modified due to the Easter experience, the essential person of Jesus is still visible underneath.
The fact is that Jesus was a man of flesh and blood, who existed during a period of history.
His humanity is unquestionable. The Gospel writers have gone on to great lengths to establish
the humanity of Jesus. Like every human being his growth and maturity in life was affected
by his environment. It is highly improbable that the disciples of Jesus concocted the story of
their failures, of his death and of his resurrection and went ahead and laid down their lives for
the sake of an untruth. What we are capable of knowing is the historical person of Jesus not
the comprehensive person of Jesus.

45
James Charlesworth, Resurrection: the Origin and Future of a Biblical Doctrine (London: T&T
Clark, 2006), 219.

11
CHAPTER TWO

JESUS THE CHRIST: AN INQUIRY INTO THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH

Introduction
So far we have been trying to know about Jesus who lived in the first century
Palestine like one of us. In this chapter we are going deal with the relation between Jesus of
history and Christ of faith. This distinction of Jesus of history and Christ of faith is first
coined by Martin Kahler.46 In simple words let us say Jesus of History is all about a man,
who lived 2,000 years ago, who was an inspirational teacher and preacher, was crucified, and
has had a profound impact on humanity and history since. Christ of Faith is the God incarnate
who lived in flesh among humanity 2,000 years ago in Israel. Christ of faith is the heavenly
or spiritual figure who is being worshipped by the Christian community also even by the
people of other faiths. He is the second person in the Trinity.47

Jesus, though a historical person, is a phenomenon that we cannot understand fully.


Whatever evidence or proof available will not be adequate enough to know the person of
Jesus in a comprehensive manner. And this is the limitation that we face in the quest for
historical Jesus. As we said earlier the complete picture of Jesus cannot be arrived at by the
evidences and proofs we have.48 According to John P. Meier what we can recover is only the
historical Jesus, not the real Jesus, not the real person as he was, with our limited historical
tools and methods.49 And in that way the research is inadequate to search out the whole
personality of Jesus Christ.

Jesus of history and Christ of faith are two sides of same coin. There is no Jesus of
Nazareth who is not proclaimed as Christ. There is no Christ who is not identified with the
man called Jesus of Nazareth. For the New Testament the true Jesus is the Christ of God and
true Christ is the man Jesus of Nazareth. If the essential bond between Jesus of history and
Christ of faith is severed, it strikes at the root of Christian faith. If Jesus of history is reduced
to an uncertain or unnecessary event or myth, such a Christ of faith without Jesus turn out to

46
Micahel F. Bird, Are you the one who is to come? The historical Jesus and the Messianic Question
(Michigan: Baker Accademic, 2009), 132.
47
Richard A. Burridge and Graham Gould, Jesus Now and Then (Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing, 2004), 88.
48
Walter ksaper: Jesus the Christ, 124.
49
John. P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus vol.2, 25.

12
be a myth and on the other hand, if the Christ of apostolic faith proclamation is an alienation
or corruption of pre- paschal Jesus, such Jesus without Christ becomes empty.50

2.1. The Experience of Jesus’ Resurrection


Why should anyone believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Is not the
claim itself simply incredible and unbelievable from the start? This may be the question that
can be aroused in the mind of a person who thinks critically. But it is our faith and it is true.
So as Christians we must, and do, bear the burden of proof on this, and the evidence must be
both substantial and strong. Gary Hagerman teaches Christians how to defend their belief in
the Resurrection of Jesus.51
2.1.1 The historicity of the resurrection of Jesus
We cannot prove the bodily resurrection of Jesus through some scientific formula that
is conducted in a laboratory. In fact we cannot prove anything in history in this way. The
resurrection indicates God’s approval of Jesus and His utter uniqueness; both in who He is
and what He said. If God approved of Jesus’ teachings, this includes his message concerning
how one receives eternal life (Jn 14:6). The resurrection is unlike any other miracle, for its
very occurrence involves eternal life.52 Jesus’ resurrection was the very manifestation of
eternal life. He was raised in a physical body which was transformed. Jesus is now immortal;
he will never die again. When the disciples witnessed the resurrection appearances of Jesus,
they were actually confronted with living, walking, talking, and eternal life.53 Jesus affirms
that this existence is a reality for all of his followers.
No one was an eyewitness to Christ's Resurrection and no evangelist describes it. No
one can say how it came about physically. Although the Resurrection was an historical event
that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by the reality of the apostles'
encounters with the risen Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the mystery of faith as
something that transcends and surpasses history.54
2.1.2 The context of Apostles’ proclamation

50
John Thoppil, “uniqueness of Jesus Christ in the context of Religious pluralism,” Ephrem’s
Theological Journal, 3.1, 1999, 17.
51
John P. Galvin, “From the Humanity of Christ to the Jesus of History: A Paradigm Shift in Catholic
Christology,” Theological Studies 55 (1994), 52.
52
Hank Hanegraaff, Has God Spoken? Proof of the Bible’s Divine Inspiration (Nashville: Thomas
Nelson Inc, 2011), 112.
53
Craig A. Evans, The Historical Jesus: Jesus' Mission, Death, and Resurrection (New York:
Routledge, 2004), 98.
54
Catechism of the Catholic Church (Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 1999).

13
Jesus was executed by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. This manner of death was a
scandal that shook the disciple’s faith in Jesus. Soon after his death the disciples began to
announce his bodily resurrection and believe that Jesus, in a transformed spiritual body,
personally lives in God and among and within his disciples. They claimed that this
proclamation is based on eyewitness testimony: Peter and other disciples and Paul a
persecutor of the early church who became an Apostle, testify that they have seen Jesus alive
after his crucifixion. These experiences transformed their lives as they believed that Jesus
was literally alive.55 These experiences also emboldened them to preach and witness in
Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus had been crucified and buried only a short time
previously. Here it was the message of Jesus’ resurrection which was the central
proclamation for these eyewitnesses.56 Due to these experiences, the disciples were
transformed from timid and troubled doubters afraid to identify themselves with Jesus to bold
preachers of his death and resurrection who were more than willing to die for their faith in
him.57
2.1.3 How did all things change?
The disciples faced a profound test of their faith after Jesus’ death. The crucifixion marked
the end of their dream of overturning the existing system, of reconstituting the twelve tribes
of Israel and ruling over them in God’s name. Then something extraordinary happened. What
exactly that something was is impossible to know.58 The disciples saw Jesus alive and risen
from the dead. They experienced him it became the core of their preaching. The experience
of Jesus after the resurrection and the realization of Jesus who was living with them, which
they understood by the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, changed
everything. They looked back at Jesus through the prism of the resurrection.59 Faith in the
resurrection has radically transformed the outlook and lives of the disciples. They now
understand the tragic failure of Jesus in a new light, as part of God’s plan to save the world.
The group once scattered in despair, soon reassembles and in spite of growing storm of
persecution, announces the resurrection with courage and self confidence.60

55
Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Nottingham:
Apollos, 2010), 215.
56
Walter ksaper: Jesus the Christ, 124.
57
Daniel J. Harrington, Jesus the Historical Portrait (Mumbai: St. Pauls, 2009), 56.
58
Jose Palkuzha, Understanding Tradition: Jesus Christ in the Writings of Gerald O’ Collins (Leuven:
Katholikke university, 2008), 163.
59
Soosai Nathan A, “Christology,” Class note.
60
Roch A. Kereszty, Jesus Christ: Fundamental of Christology (New York: St. Pauls, 2010), 48-49.

14
2.2. Did Jesus Know He was God?
Now the question arises in our heart is that did Jesus think about himself? Did he know that
He was God’s Son and He equally had the power of God? The only source we have is the
Gospels. This is an attempt to know what Jesus thought of himself. There are texts indicating
that Jesus shared normal human limitations in his knowledge of the affairs life. There are also
other texts that indicate that Jesus had extraordinary and superhuman knowledge about such
affairs we shall look into some of these texts.61
2.2.1 Texts indicating limited knowledge
Jesus never claimed to be God nor did he attribute anything to himself. Jesus was an
ordinary man with extraordinary powers. This was not something magical power but he got
this power through his relationship with the Father. We read in the Gospel Jesus went to the
mountain to pray the whole night he spent in prayer (Mt 14: 23), (Mk 1: 35), (Lk6: 12). This
energized him for the next day. During his public ministry when Jesus walking through a
crowd a woman touched his clock and is healed by the miraculous power. Jesus is unaware of
who touched him and looks around to find it (Lk 8: 45-47), (Mt 9:22).62 We also see the
statement Jesus makes that “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mt 24:36).” Jesus also says to the mother of the
sons of Zebedee that to sit at his right and left is the will of the Father, even he himself does
not know it (Mt 20: 20-28). Also we read in the Gospel of Luke the boy Jesus grew in
wisdom and stature which indicates that like any other ordinary child he grew up and nothing
extraordinary is attributed to him( Lk 2: 52).63
2.2.2 Texts indicating the unlimited knowledge of Jesus
Mainly it is the Gospel of John that attributes to him the extraordinary powers. The
best example we can give is John 6:5. Jesus asks Philip where bread can be found to feed the
large crowd, the next verse indicates that Jesus was only testing Philip, for Jesus knew
already what he was going to do (Jn 6:9). Jesus also knew who it was that was going to betray
him (6: 71, 13:11).64 The Gospels attribute to Jesus the ability to know the mind of the
people though they have not expressed themselves (Mk 2: 6-8, 9: 33-35; Lk 9: 46-47; Jn 2:
24-25, 16: 19). Jesus’ statement about seeing Nathaniel seeing under the fig tree before Philip
called him indicates that Jesus had knowledge at a distance.65 Such examples do not of

61
Raymond E. Brown, Introduction to the New Testament Christology, 31.
62
Ibid.
63
Roch A. Kereszty, Jesus Christ: Fundamentals of Christology, 155.
64
Raymond E. Brown, Introduction to the New Testament Christology, 31.
65
Walter Kasper, Jesus the Christ, 198.

15
themselves carry a proof of supernatural knowledge. They could naturally be recounted of
one who possessed to an extraordinary degree an insight into the minds of his fellowmen.
These evidences taken together provides a proof in support of the view that Christ was in
possession of a knowledge higher than other people.66

2.3. Jesus’ self designation


What did Jesus think about himself? Obviously we do not have access to his mind,
only to what has been written. So our picture will necessarily be incomplete. We must also
take into account not only what Jesus said about himself but what he did, for it is true in
many instances in the Gospels that actions speak louder than words. We will examine Jesus’
self-understanding with respect to two areas: Son of Man, Prophet. It strains credibility to
argue that Jesus did not reflect much on his own person, did not have a messianic self-
consciousness, and that the Christology contained in the Gospels is purely the result of later
church reflection. The disciples remembered that Jesus spoke in exclusive terms regarding his
relationship with God; they remembered that he taught and acted from an unquestionable
sense of authority, and they remembered that he attached prime importance to his mission.
The impression that Jesus made upon his followers does not come from isolated sayings, but
from a life lived out among his disciples over an extended period. Jesus was not a talking
head; he was a charismatic figure who was remembered as doing extraordinary things and
teaching about the kingdom of God in vivid and confronting ways.67

2.3.1 Son of man

Son of man was a self designation for Jesus. In the Gospels at many places we see that
Jesus uses the expression “Son of Man.” The expression has various meanings in various
contexts. It simply refers to Jesus as “any man”; it designates him as the servant who has to
be delivered unto death and be raised etc. In the Old Testament reference to the Son of Man
in Isaiah (Isa31:3), and Daniel (Dan 7: 14).68 Bultmann, asserted that Jesus never employed
'the title Son of Man for Himself, Jesus only used the title in regard to a coming apocalyptic
figure who would vindicate His own earthly ministry at some time in the future and with
whom He would be associated in some manner, it was the early Church that first applied the

66
John Stewart Lawton, Conflict in Christology (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010), 70-73.
67
James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered, 705–707.
68
Roch A. Kereszty, Jesuschrist: Fundamentals of Christology, 155.

16
title to Jesus.69 As Jesus’ self designation in the Gospels (Mk 2: 10, 10:45; Mt 2: 20, 16: 13;
Lk 5: 24, 9: 22), the title ‘Son of Man’ identifies Jesus with every human being; the title also
refers to one individual, the servant of God, who is handed over to the sinners in order to
redeem us from our sins. It is through his redemptive suffering the lowly son of man assumes
the glorious Son of man in Daniel who comes in judgement.70

2.3.2 Prophet

In the Gospel accounts we see in a number of places Jesus considering himself as a


prophet (Mt 21: 11, Lk 7:16, Jn4: 19; Mk6: 15). Jesus said “a prophet is not without honour
except in his own country and in his own house” (Mk 6:4).71 In reply to Jesus question who
do people say I am? The disciple replied some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and
others say one of the prophets.72 Though Jesus goes on to ask further questions, it is clear
from this that this answer was wrong but the first level of true understanding. We also see
after the parable of the wicked tenants (Mt 21: 33-46), in which Jesus portrayed himself as,
by implication , the last in the line of prophets, Mathew says that those who wished to arrest
Jesus feared the crowds because they held him a prophet (Mt 21: 46).73

2.4. Jesus self consciousness


When we deal with the consciousness of Jesus, we are faced with certain questions,
such as was Jesus conscious of his own divinity or identity? Was he aware of his mission?
Did he know about his own death and resurrection and that it would bring salvation? In the
past, theologians have argued that, because Christ was divine, he must have been omniscient;
nowadays they argue that, because he was human, there must have been some things he did
not know.74 Here we will try to see some of the aspect that Jesus might have thought of
himself.

69
James D. G. Dunn, Scot McKnight, the Historical Jesus in Recent Research (Winona Lake:
Eisenbrauns, 2005), 325.
70
Roch A. Kereszty, Jesuschrist: Fundamentals of Christology, 156.
71
Craig A. Evans, The Historical Jesus: Jesus' mission, death, and Resurrection (NweYork:
Routledge, 2004),
72
John Stewart Lawton, Conflict in Christology (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010), 70-73.
73
Albert W. Hitchcock, “The Self-Consciousness of Jesus in Its Relation to the Messianic Hope,” The
Old and New Testament Student, Vol.13, No. 4 (Oct., 1891), 209-220.
74
International Theological Commission, The Consciousness of Christ Concerning Himself and His
Mission, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_1985_coscienza-
gesu_en.html, accessed october13 201

17
2.4.1 Jesus’ self consciousness of God as Abba

Jesus turned to his Father in prayer; his relationship appears to be one of submission.
The first clue to our understanding of Jesus’ relationship to God comes in the way he referred
to Him. Jesus addressed God as Father. The word ‘abba’ shows the Father- Son relationship.
It appears that Jesus had a heightened sense of relationship with God. But there is nothing in
his address to the Father that clearly shows him to have an essentially different relationship
with God than what is possible for other human beings. Jesus apparently taught his disciples
to address God in the same way that he did (Mt 6:9; Rom 8: 15; Gal 4:6). There is also
evidence that Jesus referred to himself as the Son of the Father. The parable of the wicked
Tenants is accepted by the most scholars as originating with Jesus in some form (Mk 12; Mt
21: 37).75 Some scholars are of the opinion that this saying appears to presuppose to a setting
in the early Church. The over view of Jesus statement regarding his relationship to his Father
has shown that he considered himself to be subject and obedient to the Father. The synoptic
Gospels do not give us the idea that he understood his relationship to the Father in terms of
son-ship.

2.4.2 Jesus’ self consciousness Divine Son-ship

One of the most important titles given to Jesus in the New Testament is “son of God”.
According to synoptic gospels, Jesus spoke of God as his Father and of himself as son. In the
other word Jesus understood himself and his mission primarily according to his divine son-
ship. But the early Christological discussion has been dominated by the presupposition that
Jesus did not consider himself to be the son of God but the title was applied to him by early
Christians than his self consciousness of divine son-ship. Many scholars have tried to
establish some kind of starting point in the teaching of Jesus for the later development of this
Christological title in the early church. O’ Cullman attempted to establish a link between the
early Christian use of the title of the son of God and Jesus’ own consciousness of the father -
son relationship to God. He insisted that Jesus was conscious of his divine son-ship, although
he uses this title with deliberate reserve.76

2.4.3 Jesus’ Understanding of His Definitive Salvific Character

75
Sigurd Grindheim, God's Equal: What Can We Know About Jesus' Self-Understanding? (London:
Bloomsbury), 171-172.
76
Aquila H. I. Lee, From Messiah to Pre-existent Son (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009),
165-167.

18
The questions regarding the person of Jesus and the issue of Jesus' understanding of
his own definitive salvific character is a topic of discussion among the theologians. Jesus’
self-assessment must be examined by considering in tandem the definitive (eschatological)
significance which he claimed for his salvific message and the inseparability of that message
from his person. Karl Rahner once described it as Jesus' conviction that he mediated God to
others in a way in which they did not mediate God to him and that through Jesus and his
public activity the kingdom of God has become present "in a new, unique and in surpassable
way." Jesus' personal self-assessment as God's definitive salvific representative (whether
articulated in particular terminology or simply reflected indirectly in his words and deeds) is
a necessary though not sufficient condition for the Christian conviction that he is the Christ, a
salvific figure of unequalled and unsurpassable religious and theological importance.

2.4.4 Personal Presuppositions of Jesus' Preaching and Actions

An initial area of inquiry concerns, the personal presuppositions and implications of


Jesus’ preaching and conducts a direct personal affirmations on the part of Jesus himself.
Thus theologians seeking to establish the divinity of Christ typically appealed to such explicit
passages as John 8:58 ("Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.") and John
10:30 ("I and the Father are one.") as evidence of Jesus' own testimony to his divine status.
Modern biblical exegesis, however, does not support ascribing such direct Christological
statements to the historical Jesus. Instead they agree that Jesus of history did not make
himself the direct object of his own preaching.

2.5. From Jesus of Nazareth to Christ of Faith


The historical events surrounding the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth are central to
the faith in the risen Christ. For Wright the ultimate significance of Jesus and the basis
meaning structure of the Christian faith resides within the core claims of the gospel itself.77
The traditional Christians agree that the Christ of faith is Jesus of Nazareth who really lived,
taught, died and rose from the dead two thousand years ago.78
Can we say that the quest for historical Jesus produce the certainty of faith?
According to Hans Kung the research or the theological scholarship cannot produce or
destroy the faith.79 Certainties of faith cannot be established by scientific conclusions. The

77
Peter Stuhlmacher, Jesus of Nazareth, Christ of Faith (Hendrickson Publishers, 1993), 86.
78
Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the
Transfiguration (New York: Doubleday, 2007), 18.
79
Hans Kung, On Being a Christian (New York: Double Day, 1984), 161.

19
quest for historical Jesus has given a myriad of portraits of Jesus and whatever face they give
to Jesus, it is not full. Jesus of history cannot be comprehended without Christ of faith. To put
it in other words it is impossible to separate Christ of faith from Jesus of history.80

To have faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot solely depend on the historical research. It’s
constantly changing portraits presenting Jesus as a magician, zealot, cynic peasant,
apocalyptic prophet etc., cannot be the object of faith of the believers. For a believer the
object of Christian faith is a living person, Jesus Christ, who fully entered into a human
existence on earth, lived, died, risen, glorified and lives forever.81 The Christian object of
faith is not an idea or any historical reconstruction. Of course there was a historical Jesus but
he was also the Christ. The resurrection confirms the Messianicship of which Jesus himself
knew and which his disciples had come to realize.82 The faith of the Church is based on the
Christ event culminated in the resurrection event, that Jesus rose from the dead. And through
him salvation came to the world. The important fact is that our faith is not only bound by
evidences or proofs. Faith does need these. However the trust is more based on the personal
experience with Christ.83

Conclusion
The historical Jesus cannot return; but the Christ of faith can. The person of Jesus of
Nazareth rose from the dead and emerged as Christ of faith and is mystically present with
Christians who remember him through sacraments, meaningful ritual actions related to the
Christ event, and maintain his central place through the teaching of the Church.84 It is the task
of the modern Christian to continue the remembrance of Jesus to give him the central place in
our lives while at the same time re-interpreting the Kingdom of God in their own time and
place, and to continue to work for freedom to the captives and sight to the blind.
As a conclusion we must say that to distinguish Jesus of history from Christ of faith is
a misnomer. It is only a combination of faith and knowledge, that is to say a faith that knows
and a knowledge that believes which enables us to understand the true Jesus or Christ in his
breadth and depth.

80
James R. Edwards, Is Jesus the Only Savior? (Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005),
67.
81
George Demetrion, The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith (EugeneWipf and Stock Publishers,
2016), 16.
82
Paul Barnett, Finding the Historical Christ, 1.
83
Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the
Transfiguration, 19.
84
Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the
Transfiguration, 21.

20
GENERAL CONCLUSION

Down through the centuries Jesus has been venerated and adored by countless people.
He inspired thousands of people and many saints were born following his words and
teachings. Missionaries travelled across the world enduring all the difficulties and pains to
spread his Gospel.85 Christians all over the world considered him as their Lord and God and
they wait for his second coming, the judgment day. What really inspired them? Can a simple
man create such a change in the persons that they even sacrificed their life for the principles
he had taught? What influenced his disciples and those who closely associated with him to
sacrifice even their life to proclaim him to the whole humanity?

The Christian faith has its origin and foundation in the life, work, death and
resurrection of this man who lived in the history. For the apostles there was no need for any
proof or evidence to believe in their master. They lived with him. They experienced him.
From all that they saw, heard, touched and experienced, they proclaimed about the historical
man, who now exalted as Christ of God and God himself.86

So as I come to the conclusion of my paper this points captured me more. First that Jesus
acted and taught with such authority that those closest to him began to think of him in an
exalted sense, believing that through him they were in touch with God but not really
understanding what it all meant. Secondly because of God having raised him from the dead
those closest to him began to confess him as Messiah and Lord and to apply such a
confession to their lives. Thirdly they defended their confessions of Jesus by reference to the
Old Testament Scriptures, which they used in a manner compatible to the procedures and
exegetical norms of the Jewish world of their day.

85
James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered, 705–707.
86
Raymond E. Brown, Introduction to the New Testament Christology, 31.

21
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