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Elijah No account of Jesus as the Jews’ anointed one would be complete without a corresponding reference to Elijah. Elijah (“Yah” is my god”), from the 9th century BC, was Yahweh’s first prophet, predating Amos, Isaiah, and the rest. Like Enoch, he was taken up into heaven rather than dying, in 2 Maccabees he appears pulling from the Jews from heaven, and Jews expected that he would return as a prelude to the terrible day of the LORD. Mark provides for Elijah by having Jesus identify him as John the washer (Mark 9). The idea that the Jews didn’t recognize Elijah when he returned as John fits with the evangelist’s agenda of making the Jews look stupid. Along with Moses, Elijah also appears at the transfiguration, in which Jesus is revealed in his glory privately to Peter, James, and John. The transfiguration only appears in the synoptic gospels because only there is Jesus’ divine role kept secret. In John, Jesus is rather in your face about his divine identity and role, and no transfiguration is necessary. Elijah is like Jesus in that he is a mighty Jewish prophet who brings a dead child back to life, ascends to heaven at the end of his career, and is destined to return. In fact, the stories of Jesus resurrecting people may be inspired by Elijah’s stories, as the early Christians were eager to demonstrate that Jesus was as good or better than any previous prophet. See also holy men.
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contents table of contents you're already looking at it introduction for the inquisitive reader biographical overview who he was and wasn't
afterlife not Jesus' concern animal sacrifice bloodless religion apocalypse did Jesus preach hellfire? baptism sin wash for Jesus and others beatitudes Jesus' words and others' words beloved disciple witness for the un-gospel bible scripture old and new bishop the unjesus body focus on the physical Buddha Jesus' close kin charity key Christian virtue and legacy of Jesus The Da Vinci Code secret (and false) messages divorce women's status dreams convenient literary device Elijah Jewish prophet with his own second coming equality ancient source of modern egalitarianism exorcist Jesus and demons failure reinterpreting Jesus as a failure faith from trust to blind belief father Jesus on titles of honor Francis of Assisi the most Christlike Christian Gandhi the 20th century's most Christly holy man Galilee Jesus' inauspicious homeland gentiles Jesus' inadvertent audience god how Jesus became god golden rule key to Jesus' success gospels competing accounts heaven from sky to spiritual home hell revenge fantasy humanism Jesus' legacy inerrant Christian treatment of scripture Thomas Jefferson ethics of Jesus Jewish guilt Christian libel John's gospel the un-gospel John the baptist, see John the washer John the washer Jesus' apocalyptic mentor Judaism libeled religion of Jesus kingdom of god what Jesus promised Lao Tzu poet of the cosmic way logos jesus as the word of god C. S. Lewis famous, flawed trilemma little drummer boy Luke beats Matthew logos Jesus as the divine word LORD Yahweh transitioning to the one god of all Luke's gospel the all-around best gospel Mark's gospel the gospel that lost its point Mary of Magdala women, visions, and sex massacre of the innocents bloodshed starts early Matthew's gospel best gospel for church reading Mormon, see Joseph Smith Moses Jewish lawgiver Muhammad a prophet who got it right mystery Orpheus and transubstantiation oppression origin of Jesus' compassion The Passion of the Christ Luke as buzzkill Paul revealer of the revealer private and public public Jesus and secret Christ relativism the secret power of the golden rule sacrifice Jesus' death and Christian sacrament Albert Schweitzer Jesus as a failure sheol dark pit of death show Jesus' deeds as put-ons slavery abolished by Jesus' efforts Joseph Smith flesh-and-blood Jesus Socrates secular Jesus son of god on close terms with the man upstairs soul, see body synoptics three gospels that agree temple center of Jewish religion trinity unifying and divisive doctrinre vision, see dreams Yahweh, see LORD Zoroaster Persian dualistic holy man
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