Jesus Mortal |
|
 |
 |
|||||
Moses According to ancient Jewish orthodoxy, Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land, received the ten commandments, and wrote the five books of Moses that compose his law (“Torah”). Scholars commonly place the Jewish exodus from bondage in the 1200s BC. By Jesus’ time, Moses had grown in legend, and many more works had been ascribed to him, as well as the new-fangled oral law. In the first century AD, the Jewish philosopher Philo explained that Socrates and the other Greeks had gotten their wisdom from Moses. For the early Christians looking for a top spot for their master, Moses was the one to beat. Moses shows up in Mark’s transfiguration and Jesus demonstrates himself to be a new and better Moses in Matthew’s gospel. The biggest difference between Jesus and Moses is that Jesus existed as a single, historical man and Moses is at best a compilation of men. If you are talking about the historical Moses, the rest of us need to ask, which Moses do you mean, exactly? Do you mean the leader or leaders of Israel’s migration from Egypt? Do you mean the author or authors of the ten commandments? Or maybe you mean the various authors and editors whose work composes the five books of Moses. That would be a number of men, from the scribe who set down the Yahwist text c. 950 BC to Ezra c. 400 BC, with some scribes, editors, and committees in the middle. The priest who authored Leviticus is not the same guy as the tribal leader who launched the exodus, but both deeds are attributed to Moses. The next big difference is that Jesus embodies the humanity and concern for the lowly that Judaism developed after their exile in Babylon. That humiliating defeat taught the Jews how to understand suffering in religious terms. They understood that their defeat didn’t mean that Yahweh was weak but that their defeat was all part of God’s plan. National setbacks taught the Jews some modesty and compassion. Pretty soon the prophets were taking Moses on. Moses said Yahweh would punish sin to the seventh generation, but Ezekiel denounced that doctrine and said that he punished only the soul that sins. The Jewish book 2 Maccabees, written c. 124 BC, portrays martyrs as heroes, a theme that Christianity will later take up in a big way. By Jesus’ day, Judaism had developed the humanity that would set them apart not only from pagans but from Moses. Christians would soon claim that humanity as their own.
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
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|