Jesus Mortal |
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gentiles Gentiles are non-Jews. Today you can talk about a single gentile, but originally “gentiles” meant “nations,” in the collective sense of “all those different people who aren’t us.” When Israel is a “light to the gentiles,” it is literally to the nations, not to the individuals. The LORD operated on the level of whole nations.
Openness to the gentiles Jesus was Jewish and taught within the boundaries of respectable Judaism. The conservative Sadducees and the aristocratic Pharisees must have thought he was “out there,” but being “out there” doesn’t disqualify a Jew from sharing in the Jews’ special covenant with the LORD. Does the Jewish identity of Jesus’ restoration movement disqualify Jesus as the founder of a worldwide faith? No, because Jesus’ take on divinity and humanity was more open than that of his peers — more open to outcasts, sinners, the helpless and more open to gentiles. Other religious leaders called for separation from the pagans and sometimes a bloody victory over them. They called for Israel to return to the LORD, to be strengthened against the pagans. Some conducted elaborate and costly ceremonies in a temple where pagans could not tread on pain of death. Jesus preached forgiveness of sins apart from the temple; the pilgrimage of all nations to Zion; and a loosening of separatist laws, such as sabbath or kosher rules. Far from rising up against the Roman legions, those who practiced Jesus’ way were to carry a soldier’s pack an extra mile. Even so, Jesus preached God to the Jews, and Christianity didn’t really begin until Paul preached Jesus to the gentiles.
Hebrew “Nations” When the Hebrews used the term “nations” to mean “those other nations,” they made the same error made repeatedly by others who put themselves in a special category. For example, when the Greeks used the term “planet” to mean “those other planets,” they were making that same mistake. Theology used to be the study of “those other (false) gods.” Some Christian evangelists, such as Jack Chick, declare all religions to be under Satan’s control. This last example of self-centeredness, however, is intentional rather than simply naive. In common US parlance, “ethnic” means “not white,” as if being white weren’t an ethnicity. In the New Testament, the term “Greeks” sometimes means “gentiles,” the same way that “English” means “non-Amish.”
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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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