Jesus Mortal |
|
 |
 |
|||||
Gospel of John TThe last new testament gospel is John. It was written by the “beloved disciple,” or by a committee his followers, around 90 to 100, probably in Ephesus, as tradition maintains. John’s Jesus looks nothing like the Jesus in the first three, synoptic gospels. Here he’s not the most exalted man who ever lived ushering in a new era; instead he’s the fleshy incarnation of God’s eternal word, true knowledge of whom saves one’s soul. Instead of teaching the golden rule and the lord’s prayer, this semi-gnostic Jesus challenges people to have faith in him or die. The story is filled with the mystical imagery of the battle between light and dark, as Christ undertakes to break Satan’s hold over the world. Historians discount almost everything unique to this gospel. The gospel of John is a betrayal of Jesus’ message and of his character. Its Jesus is the more like the un-Jesus. Some authentic themes come through, such as Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in the manner of a servant. But mostly this gospel serves up the semi-gnostic ideas that were so widespread among Jews and pagans at the time. It casts Jesus as the spirit of light showing the souls trapped in darkness how to escape their spiritual prison. And it is this very betrayal that makes John invaluable to the church. Without John, Jesus would never have become the second person of the holy trinity. See also gospel, Mark, Matthew, Luke, beloved disciple.
Read comments or make a comment here. |
|||||
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
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|