IS THE REAL JESUS HISTORICAL

IS THE REAL JESUS HISTORICAL
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 3, January 17, 2011

The January 3, 2011 Washington Times includes a full page advertisement from The Great Courses. The latest catalog from The Great Courses says “Now enjoy brilliant college lectures in your home or car.” It has this testimonial from The Los Angeles Times; “Passionate, erudite, living-legend lecturers.” The latest catalog again promotes courses on The New Testament and “Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication” by Bart Ehrman. It says:

Lost Christianities:

Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication
Professor of Religious Studies Bart D. Ehrman
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New York Times Best-selling Author
Students’ Undergraduate Teaching Award
Bowman and Gordon Gray Award For Excellence in Teaching
Past President of the Society of Biblical Literature

In the first centuries after Christ, there was no “official” New Testament. Early Christians read and fervently followed many more scriptures that new have today.

Relying on these writings, some Christians believed

• that there were 2, 12, or as many as 30 gods;
• that a malicious deity created the world;
• that Christ’s resurrection had nothing to do with salvation;
• that Christ never died at all.

What did these other scriptures say? Do they exist today? How could such ideas ever be considered Christian? If such beliefs were once common, why do they no longer exist? This course by an award-winning teacher and author addresses these fascinating questions with objectivity and rigor.
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“Can We Get A Clear Picture of Jesus from the Gospels?” is the title of a full page advertisement in
the November 22 Human Events, The subtitle is “This richly detailed course covers the four canonical Gospels and the many apocryphal narratives about Jesus of Nazareth. The October 5, 2009 Christian News noted that the “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity.”

The ad in the November 22, 2010 Human Events says:

“The Gospels are almost bewilderingly diverse in the ways they portray Jesus. This course of 36 lectures is about the endlessly fascinating story they tell.

“Jesus and the Gospels covers not just the four familiar Gospels of the New Testament, but also the many other apocryphal narratives and literary works that have contributed to our perceptions of Jesus, Mary, and Christianity. All of these works are encompassed by the word ‘Gospel.’

“Taught by Emory University’s Professor Luke Timothy Johnson (Ph.D., Yale University), a former Benedictine monk and the author of more than 20 books on Jesus and the New Testament, the course approaches the Gospels and our picture of Jesus from a different perspective than the well-known quest for the ‘historical Jesus.’

“What You Will Learn
“After exploring the setting in which traditions about Jesus developed, you will examine how the three Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke differ from the Gospel of John in ways that have tantalized scholars for years.

“You will explore the lost Gospel of ‘Q’ and the wide range of apocryphal Gospels (those not found in the New Testament), including the intriguing infancy Gospels of James and Thomas. In addition, Dr. Johnson explores Gnosticism, a complex series of 2nd-century beliefs, and concludes with a look at how Jesus is understood today, not only by Christians as they worship, but by theologians, historians, and artists.

“Instead of searching for the figure behind the Gospels, Professor Johnson leads you on an investigation of the even more fascinating gift in them. Only after the full range of these literary portrayals has been considered can the question of ‘the real Jesus’ be addressed. And you will find that it may not be answerable in strictly historical terms.

“You explore how the Gospels came to be, how they are related to one another, and how they communicate through their literary structure, plot, character development, themes, and symbolism. After all, it is as literature that the Gospels influenced history. And it is through literature that present-day readers can continue to encounter Jesus.

“About the Great Courses
“We review hundreds of top-rated professors from America’s best colleges and universities each year. From this extraordinary group we choose only those rated highest by panels of our customers. Fewer than 10% of thee world -class scholar-teachers are selected to make The Great Courses.
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“Media Puffs Bart Ehrmann Attacks Bible and Christianity” Editorial in the November 16, 2009 Christian News

Bart Ehrmann, the author of more than 20 books, has been receiving more publicity in the major media than any Christian scholar who accepts and defends the historicity of the Christian faith and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. At one time Ehrmann believed that the Bible was God’s directly revealed word and that Christianity was founded on solid historic fact. Reprinted below from the Fall, 2009 Westminster Theological Journal is a review of Ehrmann’s “Jesus Interrupted.” All confessional Lutheran publications and bloggers should be publishing such responses to Ehrmann. Are they not aware of this skeptic now being puffed by the media? It’s time to stop spending so many hours at the computer and start reading some books and publications to keep up with what is really going on in the theological world. The Westminster Theolog-ical Journal is published twice annually. It is edited by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary. Chest-nut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1918. It is now in its 71st year. The editor has most of the volumes in his library. While he doesn’t find it as helpful as he did during his early years in the pastoral ministry, it still has good reviews like the review of Bart Ehrmann’s Jesus Interrupted. “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity,’ a front page story in the October 5, 2009 CN reported that “The Great Courses” says it features only the top professors in the U.S. Two of the religion courses mentioned in the last catalog of “The Great Courses” are taught by Bart Ehrmann. They are ‘Lost Christianities’ and the Battle over Authentication and “From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity.” Ehrmann undermines Christianity in both. Confessional Lutherans should be responding to what Americans are reading. The following appeared in the April 13, 2009 CN from Newsweek: Dear Lord, Let’s Agree To Disagree. The Bible, theology scholar Bart D. Ehrman writes in his new book "Jesus, Interrupted," is offered as a sacred text in U.S. churches—not as a historical document. But who wrote its 27 books? When were they written? What were its authors trying to do? Pastors and congregants may wish to avoid the crises of faith that these questions provoke, but Ehrman says asking them is the only way to understand the Bible. The Idea: The Bible is full of paradoxes. To make sense of it, you need to know who wrote it (men, not God) and why its stories—particularly the Gospels—contradict each other. The Evidence: Jesus dies on different days in Mark and John. Luke says Jesus, en route to the cross, is calm; Mark says he is distraught. John says he performed miracles to prove his provenance; Matthew says he demurred. Most of the 27 books were written long after Christ's death, and only eight of them were actually written by the people initially credited as authors. When the New Testament became canonical, there were lots of Gospels floating around. Why did some endure but not others? Unclear, Ehrman writes, but it surely reflected contemporary biases. The Bible "did not descend from on high," he writes. "It was created, down here on earth." The Conclusion: Ehrman argues that these subtleties don't squash the possibility of faith. Belief isn't just about doctrine; it can also tell us how to live and love. - Adam B. Kushner Ed. For a response to Ehrman’s denial of Biblical inerrancy, see Christian News, June 9, 2008, p. 20. “Bart Ehrmann: An Unbeliever Who Has A Problem With God” by David Cloud in the June 6, 2009 Christian News said:

Ehrman is a “biblical scholar” who rejected his fundamentalist roots for the deadly wilderness of agnosticism. Today he majors in criticizing the New Testament Christian faith even while pretending to respect it. Because of his unbelief, he has become something of a mainstream media darling. He has been interviewed on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Public Radio, National Geographic, BBC, the Washington Post, CNN, and others. Ehrman claims that a turning point in his path to unbelief was his inability to answer the question of why an Almighty God allows suffering in this world. The Bible answers that question, but Ehrman doesn’t like the answer so he pretends that it is not a good one. The answer is that God made man perfect and placed him in a beautiful paradise, but man was also made with a will that could rebel against God, and that is exactly what he did. God did not create suffering; man did through his rebellion against God’s law. At the same time, God is not only a compassionate God, He is a holy and just God and He punishes infractions of His law. If this were not true, the moral basis of the universe would be destroyed and anarchy would reign (as it does in this present godless world). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and God has punished the world for its sin. At the same time, God has made a way of salvation at great cost to Himself. He sent His eternal Son into the world, born of a virgin, to become incarnate as a sinless man and to die a horrible death on the cross to pay the punishment that sinful man deserves. He rose from the dead and commanded that the gospel be preached to all men, offering eternal salvation to those who repent and believe. God has given men light (John 1:9), but most reject it. That is not God’s fault. There is nothing unrighteous about the God of the Bible, but He is God and He does not have to answer to man. God is justified by those who believe. It is not God who has the problem. It is the Bart Ehrman’s of the world that have the problem, and it is not a problem that will end at the grave. Way Of Life Literature May 29, 2009.