Interesting...
For the most part, it appears to me, Christians deeply do not want to contemplate the proposition that the historical Jesus was a Jew. But he was...
Speaking as an ex-Christian, I see no problem with Jesus being a Jew...And even if one does not buy your interpretation in its entirety, the Gospels make it perfectly obvious that he was a Jew (that is, his "human essence" was Jewish, while his "divine essence" was...well, divine). He is called "rabbi", he preaches in the synagogue.. How very odd of anyone to resist the idea.
At the same time, why say that the Christians "stole" Jesus from the Jews? Why not say that they "stole" the Old Testament too, since it is also part of the Christian Bible? Did Mohammed steal from both Christians and Jews, when he made everyone from Abraham through Jesus prophets of Islam?
Incidentally, although the "Jesus Seminar" people may be down, they may not be out. Since they reject the whole of the Sermon on the Mount as "inauthentic" (!!??), that key passage about upholding every tittle of The Law is also out. What if their view prevails? Back to the drawing board?
Back to my true metier -- asking questions.
jbe |
