02-27-2018, 09:44 PM
Study Shows Jesus as Rabbi
This more a history lesson than anything else, but it's still crucial to know the cultural context in which Jesus operated. As most of you know, there's the text of the Bible, but there's a vast sea of presumptions sitting behind it that are necessary to knew what's really going on. Learning what scripture says, I would dare say, is much more an exercise in socio-cultural enrichment than arcane theology.
If you are aware the details of the backdrop, much of what Jesus said isn't so mysterious, though not all of it was necessarily easily understood. Jesus, in fact, wasn't all that mysterious in His occupation and teachings. He was essentially a wandering Jewish religious teacher; one of a great many in His time and place. Practically speaking, there may have even been some rabbis in the same league and "skill level" as He was.
This might be a huge letdown to the near superhero proportions the westernized Jesus was given. Of course, this is in no way a means to diminish the mystical/divine nature and the irreplaceable impact of what He did and became.
Ed linked to this page in one of his blog posts. It confirmed some things I personally knew about the "human-religious" role Jesus played, but it also filled in plenty of gaps.
This more a history lesson than anything else, but it's still crucial to know the cultural context in which Jesus operated. As most of you know, there's the text of the Bible, but there's a vast sea of presumptions sitting behind it that are necessary to knew what's really going on. Learning what scripture says, I would dare say, is much more an exercise in socio-cultural enrichment than arcane theology.
If you are aware the details of the backdrop, much of what Jesus said isn't so mysterious, though not all of it was necessarily easily understood. Jesus, in fact, wasn't all that mysterious in His occupation and teachings. He was essentially a wandering Jewish religious teacher; one of a great many in His time and place. Practically speaking, there may have even been some rabbis in the same league and "skill level" as He was.
This might be a huge letdown to the near superhero proportions the westernized Jesus was given. Of course, this is in no way a means to diminish the mystical/divine nature and the irreplaceable impact of what He did and became.
Ed linked to this page in one of his blog posts. It confirmed some things I personally knew about the "human-religious" role Jesus played, but it also filled in plenty of gaps.