Jesus Mortal |
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Saint Francis of Assisi Italy’s povorello (“li’l pauper”) is Christianity’s most beloved medieval saint, Francis of Assisi (early 1200s). He has such a reputation for piety and peacemaking that even Protestants like him, and they’re not big on the whole “saint” business. Francis is so popular in large part because he identified closely and dramatically with Jesus the man. Consciously imitating Jesus, Francis lived as an itinerant preacher with a band of penniless disciples. For the bishops, Christ was the mighty judge who justified their wealth and power; but, for Francis, Christ was a human being and a teacher of peace. Francis followed Christ not only by assenting to creeds but by living his life like Christ’s. He even one-upped Jesus a little by adding the virtue of compassion toward animals, never one of Jesus’ themes. In 1223 at Greccio, Francis seems to have installed the first “Christmas crib,” a life-size model of baby Jesus in the feeding trough, now common in the western church. Forcefully representing God as a newborn might have been one of Francis’s most successful deeds. By the 1200s, Mary had largely replaced Jesus as the merciful god in heaven to whom one could appeal. Jesus was portrayed more often as the stern judge, with Christians imploring Mary to plead with Jesus rather than asking Jesus for mercy directly. In the long run, the repeated and adoring presentation of baby Jesus helped re-humanize Jesus, emphasizing, with Luke, his humility. Ever since, this Christmas crib has been the focal point of the nativity scene, which takes ancient imagery and displays it as models or even as live actors. Francis’s Christmas crib was the forerunner of today’s Christmas pageants, in which children dress up as angels, sheep, the holy family, and the rest. Of all the saints that have aspired to holiness, Francis is the one who most famously imitated Jesus himself. He even reportedly developed the stigmata, wounds corresponding to the wound that Jesus suffered during his passion.
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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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