Jesus was not a Christian and why it matters

For over three hundred years early Christians wrestled with the question of who Jesus was. Becoming aware of their arguments is just as important as their answers to that very important question. Amanda Witmer’s new article – Jesus was not a Christian and why it matters – provides some very interesting insights on the subject.

“Within scholarship on Jesus, a fundamental distinction is made between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith. This allows scholars to differentiate between what we can know about Jesus’ life as a historical figure and how the early Christian community came to view him through the lens of faith. Obviously there is overlap between the two; the earliest followers of Jesus drew on both their encounter with the man, Jesus and theological reflections on his life, death and resurrection.

“How clearly the line should be drawn between the two is debated among scholars. Those who are more conservative theologically will tend to see more continuity between Jesus of Nazareth and the faith of the early church, while those who are theologically further to the left may argue for a clearer discontinuity between who Jesus was and how the early church came to see him. Nevertheless it is important to make this distinction for several reasons.”

Read the complete article at -- http://www.bibleinterp.com/opeds/2013/07/wit378008.shtml

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