rootseeker.org - -- Weekly Notes

Notes for Lecture FIVE

Why did Jesus die? - By the Romans he was considered a 'would-be king' (Jesus of Nazareth, king ot the Jews) - But nothing in his teaching gave reason for his execution - No signs of insurrection - Rivkin's observations - early Christianity connected with Jewish history - Anti-Jewish sentiment in the gospels not from Jesus but from the gospel writers - How Caiphas saw the need for Jesus' death - And how to read the gospels against that background.

Meaning of Jesus' death - How scholars look at the details of the passion of Jesus and the meaning - J's death victory or vindication? - Salvation for sins? - Theological answers not our scope, but some historical data can be given - Was J's death a failure? - How J looked at it - Was J's death a victory? - how J considered that angle - Was it a vindication? - several important scholarly opinions - J's death was due to his message - J became 'a victim of his own vision' - His death was a function of his fidelity.

Passion narratives - Are they historical or embellishments? or fulfillment of the O.T.? - The passion narratives are of stage 3 in the historical development of early Christianity - They must be seen as a conscious reworking and remodeling of already existing understandings about Jesus-and-his-teachings as received from the oral tradition'.

Jesus about his death - His death must be seen in the total context of his life and mission - How J could have seen his death as a 'victory'.

Resurrection Note

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Notes for Lecture FOUR

JESUS FINAL ACTIONS AS SYMBOLS OF THE KINGDOM

Last Supper - Crossan's reflections on the development of the Eucharist (the Lord Supper) - 1) Greco-Roman meal-practices: 2 courses - consumption of food and drinking of the wine - 2) Open-meal custom of Jesus - Last meal not a Passover or ritual meal (Didache), but a being together with friends for the last time - 3) Eucharist in the Didache - 2 versions: ch 10 (more primitive) and ch 9 - How they differ and show development - 4) Eucharist in Paul 1 Cor 10-11 - Reference to the passion and death of Jesus -

In short 3 stages: a) Jesus' open-meal practice - b) eucharist as 'thanksgiving', later with bread and wine - c) eucharistic meal as passion remembrance, instituted by Jesus - 5) testimonies of the synoptic gospels - Crossan's final conclusion.

Arrest, trial - date and time - Disagreements between the synoptics and John caused by the difficulty to calculate the year of Jesus' crucifixion - All gospels place the Last Supper on Thursday evening, and the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Friday (before sunset) - The day after was the Sabbath - Further details - Figuring the date of death is confusing (see Handout) - Where John differs from the synoptics - Summary.

Crucifixion - EPSanders: why did the high priest arrest Jesus? - Temple action seems to be the immediate cause - At the trial the Temple was brought up in different ways - But also how Jesus saw himself and was seen by his followers.

Meaning of Jesus' death -

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Notes for Lecture THREE

JESUS FINAL ACTIONS AS SYMBOLS OF THE KINGDOM

Entrance into Jerusalem - has been treated week.

Jesus' Temple Action - Chilton's background information: the animals for the sacrifices were bought at and brought from Chanuth (Mt. of Olives) to the Temple - Possibility existed that an animal could get hurt (blemished) - Hight priest Caiphas changed the set-up - He allowed animals to be brought to and bought at the Temple (S.portico) - This prevented buying a blemished animal - But it caused 'business' and impurity in the Temple - Jesus must have seen this also as an abuse of the Temple.

Some prophetic background for Jesus actions - NTWright gives 2 reasons why Jesus might have acted the way he did - 1) Temple had becme a 'sign of national aberration/ distortion - 2) People of Israel were under judgement (reference to Jeremiah) and the connection with Zechariah's prophecies.

Symbolism - Another symbolism: the 'hint' of future destruction of the temple - Was not meant prophetic, but rather a 'warning' - Further temple symbolism: was it 'cleansing' or judgement - A parable: the house build on rock or sand - If Jesus temple action was a judgment act, it was not against the Jewish people but against the political leadership centered in the temple.

Last Supper -

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Notes for Lecture TWO

Exorcisms - First what it meant in Jesus' days - 'Legion is my name' explained - Exorcisms were deliverances, acts of liberation - Symbolizing a deeper meaning, pointing to the Kingdom - Exorcism should not be seen simply as acts of compassion by Jesus.

Jesus and the Evil One - Concept of Satan - Pagels on Satan - Satan and us humans - For Mk the ‘evil ones’ were not the Romans but the Jewish authorities - Satan at the beginning and end of Jesus’ life.

First meeting with the Evil One - Jesus’ temptations - The Evil One at work - Parables: Weeds and Wheat - Cleansing of the house - Divided house - NTWright's view.

The Evil One around Jesus - In the disciples: Peter - James/John - Observation by Vermes.

JESUS FINAL ACTIONS AS SYMBOLS OF THE KINGDOM

Entrance into Jerusalem - General observation about the meaning of these final actions of Jesus - OT background and examples: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel - Jesus' final actions were meant as symbolic expressions of the Kingdom message - The 'Entry' - EPSanders' questions - Chilton is not sure it happens on PalmSunday, the first day of the week of preparation for Passover - He feels it fits better at harvest time, on the feast of Tabernacles - P.Frederiksen reflects on the scene - and poses the question: What are the chances that this excited demonstration actually occurred?

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Notes Lecture ONE

Kingdom Message symbolized in Actions

A friendly observation about class discussions!

Kingdom Messages of Jesus in 'actions' - What 'healing' meant in Jesus' days - How Jesus did it, some details - 'Mighty deeds' always connected with the Kingdom of God (KoG) - How Jesus himself looked at those 'mighty deeds' - "Sign" asked for-not always given - With what power did Jesus do it? - Faith/trust factor - Not by Jesus’ power, but by God’s.

Mighty Deeds - EPS’s observations - Jesus and the “sign” - Miracles not important to Jesus - For him ‘mighty deeds’ were signs of KoG at work.

Exorcisms - First what it meant in Jesus' days - 'Legion is my name' explained - Exorcisms were deliverances, acts of liberation - Symbolizing a deeper meaning.

Jesus and the Evil One - Concept of Satan - Pagels on Satan - Satan and us humans - Some parables about the 'evil one' - For Mk the ‘evil ones’ not the Romans but the Jewish authorities - Satan at the beginning and end of Jesus’ life.

First meeting with the Evil One - Jesus’ temptations - The Evil One at work - Parables: Weeds and Wheat - Again the “sign” - Cleansing of the house - Divided house.

The Evil One around Jesus - Disciples Peter - James/John - Exorcisms - Possessions - Horsley on Jesus’ exorcisms - Exorcisms and the Kingdom.

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Notes for Lecture TWELVE (Part II)

Parables - Kingdom Stories - (Funk) ... they point to the KoG but also connect with everyday life, baking, dinner parties, vineyard, etc. - They are an invitation to 'crossover' - A hint to a 'counter reality' - Not “Jesus-centered” - Jesus is an “outsider”, more object than subject - NTW sees parables as part of Israel’s story - Israel’s story in miniature - Not just about the KoG, but bringing it about - Parables makes sense only in whole context of Jesus’ career - Where kingdom was immediate subject, Parables are sometimes cryptic because of possible political consequences - The P was for Jesus a means to ‘invite’, to share his insight, to enter the story - P are a ‘privileged entree’ into Jesus view of God (Haight) - Some parables: Seed growing secretly - Leaven - Treasure/Pearl - Prodigal son - The sower - The vineyard - Scriptural background

Royal Riddles - They might form a probable basis for later accusations - Many express a royal-messianic claim - Further reflections on P of vineyard-tenants - Tribute to Caesar - deeper meaning of “Give to God” - Notes on: mountain - authority - weeds and wheat - Conclusion - How the parables worked as oral stories (Borg) - as an invitation not an imposition (though authority was at stake) - The motive of 'seeing'.

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Notes for Lecture ELEVEN

Kingdom Message delivered in Sayings

The Beatitudes - Meaning of “Blessed” - Here too, connection with Hebrew Bible - Origin of the Beatitudes in Q as mishna (Chilton) - and as revealing the Q-community - Living the Beatitudes is Christianity at its best.

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Notes for Lecture TEN

Kingdom Message delivered in Sayings

Introduction - 'God' in the 'Kingdom of God' - In the parables God acting, Jesus and his message part of the story of Israel - Only to be correctly understood from a Jewish viewpoint - Gospel a 'good news' message.

The Sayings - The Lord’s Prayer a Kingdom prayer - A Jewish Rabbi’s view - Kingdom connections

Parables - Kingdom Stories - (Funk) ... they point to the KoG but also connect with everyday life, baking, dinner parties, vineyard, etc. - They are an invitation to crossover - A hint to a counter reality - Not “Jesus-centered” - Jesus is an “outsider”, more object than subject - NTW sees parables as part of Israel’s story - Israel’s story in miniature - Not just about the KoG, but bringing it about - Parables makes sense only in whole context of Jesus’ career - Where kingdom was immediate subject, P. are sometimes cryptic because of possible political consequences - The P. was for Jesus a means to ‘invite’, to share his insight, to enter the story - P. are a ‘privileged entree’ into Jesus view of God (Haight) -

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Notes for Lecture NINE

Jesus and the Law: details - 1) ‘mitzvot’ (commandments): given that we should choose life (Dt 30:19) - But how to observe? - Observations by Jesus - 2) Purity - what it meant in the Law - Defilement and rites of purification - Moral imperfection (sin) and purification (Forgiveness) - Atonement - Chilton about purity - a condition rather than an achievement - basic for Jesus’ notion on purity - J defines it explicitly and implicitly - Says something about the relations of Israel with gentile surrounding - 3) ‘as a child’ - Chilton’s interesting view - 4) divorce - 5) losing your life - renouncing self-interest (ego) ... ‘Lose your life in order to gain life, foundation of Jesus’ ethic (Funk) - 6) neighbor - who is neighbor? - 7) enemy - 8) Golden Rule - 9) letter - spirit - Hypocrisy - legalism - 11) Reversal of values - renewal of the covenant - inner renewal - The former prophets' message - 12) Women and reversal of values. - Women - in Israel's society didn't count - Samples of Jesus' attitude toward women - 13) Sabbath - Pharisaic rules about sabbath observation sometimes unreasonable - Jesus saw 'sabbath as made for humans, not humans made for sabbath - Reflection on: "Son of man, Lord of the Sabbath" - 14) Meals - Chilton on Christian eucharistic meal and the KoG - At the Kingdom meal all are invited - Kingdom meal and purity.

Kingdom Message delivered in Sayings

The Sayings - The Lord’s Prayer a Kingdom prayer - A Jewish Rabbi’s view - Kingdom connections

The Beatitudes - Meaning of “Blessed” - Here too, connection with Hebrew Bible - Beatitudes in Q as mishna (Chilton) - and as revealing the Q-community - Living the Beatitudes is Christianity at its best.

A few Kingdom parables discussed : - Seed growing secretly - Mustard seed - Leaven - Treasure/Pearl - Prodigal Son: and Israel’s exile in Babylon - Sower - Vineyard: OT background Is 5 and Ps 80

Royal Riddles -

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Notes for Lecture EIGHT

Kingdom Message delivered in Sayings

Jesus saw himself as part of the story of Israel, part of the plan of God for his people - Jesus' message fits the Jewish expectation - but realized it in an unexpected way - Not revolutionary - Rather the message focused on the presence of God - Jesus was a 'spirit person' (Borg)

The Sayings - The Lord's Prayer a Kingdom prayer - A Jewish Rabbi's view - Kingdom connections

The Beatitudes - Meaning of "Blessed" - Here too, connection with Hebrew Bible - Beatitudes in Q as mishna (Chilton) - and as revealing the Q-community - Living the Beatitudes is Christianity at its best.

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Notes for Lecture SEVEN

The Kingdom and the Torah - general meaning of the Law - Torah: God’s instructions to Moses at Sinai - all-important - life-giving - Disobedience punished - Teaching of Torah a priestly task - but for all Jews: giving of Torah was an act of supreme love - Torah ‘written’ and ‘oral’ - Meaning of Torah for Jesus: no insisting on the Law - Jesus’ ritual observances minimal (note on Eucharist) - Changing attitude of early followers: observance of Torah became more central.

Jewish Groups and Torah - Pharisees applied Torah to everyday life and based themselves on written and oral Torah - Sadducees: didn’t allow changes and adaptations - Essenes; ‘dropped out’ because they saw lack of observance of Torah in the Temple cult - Pharisees split into 2 schools: Hillel - quite open to teaching Torah to the Gentiles - and Shamai - held to strict interpretation - Jesus more of the school of Hillel with broader interpretation.

Jesus and the Law: general - Often the notion of Jesus about the Law seen more through the eyes of the gospels (and NT) than extracted from Jesus’ own words and actions - Mt and Lk on Jesus and the law - The “But I say” words of Jesus: seen by some scholars as expressions of anti-Jewish idea that Jesus rejected Torah - while others (pro-Jewish) see Jesus not clearly distinct from the Pharisees - EPSanders’ reflection on Jesus and the essence of the Law.

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Notes for Lecture SIX

Disciples' reaction - Some saw the 'kingdom' as political, they wanted a place - Others wanted 'reimbursement' for the work done - The 12 'apostles' as symbol for the 12 tribes - Jesus' preference for Israel was 'its restoration', repeating so the call of the prophets.

For the gentiles - the 'non-Jews' - God's blessing for Israel in Jesus' message 'not exclusive' - It meant eventually to reach 'all nations' - Jesus had that vision, but saw it as becoming a reality 'by way of Israel' (a light to the nations).

For individuals - Who was most welcome - Permission to enter the KoG not needed - 'Arrival only possible by departure' = dying to one self ('letting go') - Entrance is 'exodus' - Golden Rule - Kingdom requires absolute commitment - 'building your house on the rock' - Place of 'repentance' in the kingdom - sinners - Kingdom of forgiveness - Meaning of forgiveness - One's 'return' brings forgiveness - A Native American view - The rich and the Kingdom - Difficulty for them to enter and to 'belong' - Hypocrites and the Kingdom.

The Kingdom and the Torah - meaning of the Law - Torah: God’s instructions to Moses at Sinai - all-important - life-giving - Disobedience punished - Teaching of Torah a priestly task - but for all Jews: giving of Torah was an act of supreme love - Torah ‘written’ and ‘oral’ - Meaning of Torah for Jesus: no pressure of the Law - Jesus’ ritual observances minimal (note on Eucharist) - Changing attitude of early followers: observance of Torah became more central.

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Notes for Lecture FIVE (Exp)

Kingdom in Parables - Some parables show a progress of development - Not a 'given status (established church) - Meaning of: 'Your Kingdom come! - Also: it cuts both ways! - explained - Golden Rule

Jesus' following/disciples - Thoughts about 'disciples' - Jesus' disciples were different - what was needed to be a disciple.

What Jesus had in mind (for Israel) - Spong's observation - Jesus' message kept the 'covenant' in tact - That meant: 'trust in Yahweh' - Begin of Jesus' ministry shows his intent to 'reform', 'revitalize' Israel ('return') - Scholars express their views - Nolan: Kingdom not a 'system', but God's power at work in the disciples of the Kingdom - At some time there was a shift in focus - Funk explains

For individuals -

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FYI See Handout 'Where Aramic is Spoken'

Notes for Lecture FOUR (Exp)

FIRST: A note - for your reflection - that connects with, and further explains the discussion at the end of last class about "what Jesus had in mind".

Rabbi Rami Shapiro: Listening to Jesus with an ear for God JtJE 168

'Here are a few lines that have excited me in the past and do so every time I read them again because they remind me who this Jesus is. So Rabbi Shapiro asks:

Do I believe Jesus was a Jew? Yes, Jesus lived and taught totally within the framework of Judaism; his aim was not to invent a new religion but to reform the one he had. Do I believe Jesus was God-intoxicated and filled with Ruach ha-Ko-desh, the Holy Spirit? Yes, from the moment of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan at the hands of John the Baptizer, Jesus was awake to the presence of God in, with, and as all reality.'

'This Jesus' becomes an important Jewish expression of the continuous thought process that mystics of every faith have testified to for thousands of years. Reading Jesus as a Jewish mystic, reclaims him as a Jew and frees his deepest message from both Jewish rejection, and ... Christian excessive admiration.'

Karen Armstrong says HG 224f:

“... the kingdom announced by (Christ) Jesus in the Gospels was a union with God that everybody could experience here and now, without having to wait until the next life.

... As he (Jesus) approached the core of his identity, he felt that nothing stood between God and himself. Yet again, this (God) was no external deity ‘out there’, alien to mankind: God was discovered to be mysteriously identified with the inmost self ... 226

And somewhere else she says:

The discovery of being able to "know" God, was a return to 'man's primordial state on the day of creation': he was returning to the ideal humanity that God had intended. He was also returning to the Source of his being (found so often in the perennial philosophy of ancient times).

... It would be the end of separation and sadness, a reunion with a deeper self that was also the self (Self), he or she was meant to be. God was not a separate, external reality and judge, but somehow one with the ground of each person's being:

The perennial philosophy, Armstrong talks about, is the mystical core of all spiritual wisdom. Existing in virtually every culture across time and space, this philosophy has been articulated in many ways. Despite cultural differences, all teachers of this philosophy agree about its core elements:

1. Divine Reality exists. Call it God, Allah, Tao, Dhar-ma-kaya, Brahman, Yahweh, Shiva - there is 'one' Reality that is the source and substance of all.

2. This divine Reality is our true nature. Just as a wave is not other than the ocean, we are not other than God.

3. We do, though, not realize our true nature, ... because our perception of reality is clouded by self-centered and dualistic thinking.

4. Meditation is a way of seeing through dualism and awakening to the supreme identity of woman, man, nature, and God.

5. Awakening to this supreme identity replaces selfishness and fear with a loving commitment to justice and compassion, transforming so not only our own lives but, through us, the life of the whole world.

Given this philosophy and my own study of Jesus, the Jew, it is my insight that Jesus articulated a Jewish version of that perennial philosophy; that Jesus saw God not as 'himself' only, but as all "selves"; that Jesus' references to himself were aimed not at his person but at the level of God-consciousness he had attained; and that Jesus' call to follow him, was not a call to submit to him as master, but to follow his lead and discover God for ourselves.

Change of values needed - No pretenses - not an 'expectation', a reality present in the 'here and now' - New value: trust attitude - Jesus and the political scene - Sometimes subversive - Note on Kingdom of 'heaven' - KoG = God acting - Note on doxology of Our Father - KoG in the 'here and now', taking place - as present reality

Kingdom in Parables - Some parables show a progress of development - Not a 'given status (established church) - Meaning of: 'Your Kingdom come! - Also: it cuts both ways! - explained - Golden Rule

Jesus' following/disciples - Thoughts about 'disciples' - Jesus' disciples were different - what was needed to be a disciple.

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Notes for Lecture THREE

Was Jesus' idea original ? - Against the historical background we have seen from Hebrew Scripture and 2^nd Temple literature, the answer is NO - Chilton's further insight: an Aramaic connection - Though Jesus used the concept in a Jewish way, he still gave it his own 'angle' - there is where it is 'original' - We need to place his view in his own Jewish and Roman situation, not against later Jewish tradition - Chilton helps us to place Jesus in his historical context - God as King was not in Jesus' thinking - God as 'acting' was.

Theme of the Kingdom - [God's 'domain', 'imperial rule', 'estate'] - Matt, Jewish prof. Spirituality: sees Kingdom as 'presence of God' - Not enough to 'follow' Torah, one must 'become' Torah - so must one's everyday actions convey an awareness of God, and evoke this awareness in others.

What did Jesus expect to happen - EPSanders: Jesus didn't have a completely worked-out plan - A 'renewal' was involved - Two scrolls of Qumran had details about the kingdom that were not in Jesus' concept - Borg: Jesus' sayings invited his listeners to see things differently: God, themselves, and life - Jesus' vision of the Kingdom and its performance in his followers is Jesus' spirituality - Vermes: on 'turning' for Jesus and through the Kingdom message for his followers - Funk: 'roots' vs 'creed' - Jesus not an 'external' redeemer, but an 'internal' one - 'Incarnate'. 'embodied' to happen also in the followers.

Nature of the Kingdom - How did the listeners understand Jesus' announcement? - Funk helps us by looking behind the meaning of some of the Kingdom texts - First: 'already present' - and therefore to be 'celebrated' - Also: Kingdom was offered without 'middleman' or 'broker', t.i., tempel or priests - Jesus advocated an 'unbrokered' relationship to God - Armstrong's refection.

What Jesus talked about - God's estate seen in terms taken from everyday life - Examples: dinner parties, a traveler being mugged, corrupt officials, etc. etc. - Also common concerns about food, clothing and shelter - Again from everyday life - No development of major themes from Hebrew Scriptures (Mt did that!) - No mentioning of the great historical events of Israel's history - Nor any theological statements of philosophical ideas (Jn and Paul did that!) - The 'yeast' symbol and its double meaning

About entering the Kingdom - Some paradoxical statements - the 'undeserving' - Where is the 'entrance'? - Permission? - How do you know you have arrived, 'are in'?

Change of values -

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Lecture TWO

Kingdom in 2^nd Temple period -

The 2^nd Temple period was from the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian exile (520 bce) till its destruction in 70 ce.

Kingdom:

a) in the Hebrew Bible - Deuteronomy. - Daniel - the Psalms - Chilton about the kingdom in the Psalms - Purity and the kingdom - Zion and Temple seen as center of the kingdom.

b) in 2^nd Temple period literature (espec. Machabbean period) : judgment aspect more emphasized - development of the liturgical celebration of the KoG - John B. prophesied judgement - Jesus announced salvation=liberation - What the different ‘groups’ in this period had in common - the shekinah (presence) in Jewish history - kabhod (glory)

c) intertestamentic Rabbinic writings - ' intertestamentic' = period from the codification of Hebrew bible (Ezrah) -till codification of New Testamentic writings (canon) - 2 views - one theoretical and one practical - some details - KoG in worship-cult and prayers -

Jesus’ concept of the KoG - Funk's view - Jewish wisdom -

What did Jesus have in mind ? - The eschatological aspect - eschaton = 'end time' - but: what 'end-time'? - Shift of opinion of scholars view on 'end time' - Borg sees the symbol of the KoG as having 5 meanings: 1) power of God 2) presence and lordship of God 3) geared toward improving social conditions 4) community of those who want “in” 5) final, eternal kingdom/banquet. - Schweitzer: Our part and God’s part in KoG - KoG is God's activity - KoG is God, as he 'manifests himself for his people’ - Chilton's reflection: - Kingdom is found 'in life', 'in living' - Rabbi Bronstein: 'the kingdom' is potentially immanent, present, in a living spirituality revealed in the life of a community' - Horsley's teaching - the Kingdom in Roman context.

Was Jesus' idea original ? -

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Lecture ONE

Kingdom of God is what Jesus taught, lived for and died for - Jesus' message not exactly like the gospel news as we find it in the NT. - To understand the meaning of the Kingdom of God we need to be willing to let go of many traditional notions.

Jewish character of the Kingdom of God - Fiorenza's reflection: Ex 19:6 Israel "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" - The presence of the Romans was an obstacle - There was expectation of a Davidic kingdom - Assumption of Moses, the Kaddish - Different views on the kingdom by the groups in Israel: priestly establishment, Essenes, Qumran community, Zealots, pharisees, prophets, Sadducees, Jesus and his following.

Kingdom in 2^nd Temple period - The 2^nd Temple period was from the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian exile (520 bce) till its destruction in 70 ce.

Kingdom:

a) in the Hebrew Bible - Deuteronomy. - Daniel - the Psalms - Chilton about the kingdom in the Psalms - Purity and the kingdom - Zion and Temple seen as center of the kingdom.

b) in 2^nd Temple literature - Maccabean period - judgement and annihilation - John

Baptist' announcement of judgement - Temple ritual - attitude of different groups - Change in the requirements of Dt. - Pharisees' teachings - The shekhinah-presence of Jahweh - the kabod-glory aspect.

c) intertestamentic Rabbinic writings - ' intertestamentic' = period from the codification of Hebrew bible (Ezrah) -till codification of New Testamentic writings (canon) -

(Part III)

Kingdom Message delivered in Sayings    (Exp)   (Exp) (Exp)(Exp)    (Exp)   (Exp)   (Exp)

Notes for Lecture FOUR   (Exp)