Christian Beginnings
Wednesday 4/10/02
Erin Greer

Assignments:
1.Read Will The Real Jesus Please Stand Up
through page 39 by Friday
2.Read Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the Mount by Friday

Notes:

Quest for the Historical Jesus (vs. Christ of Faith)
David Strauss (1808-74, German Scholar) first person to try and make distinction between historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith. Looked for historical kernel of mythic Jesus.
Rudolph Bultman (1884-1976) said that scripture needed to be demythologized-stripped of bad metaphysics,and superstition to bring out it's important symbolism. He was an Existentialist-life is inherently meaningless-we need to create our own meaning (make ourselves who we want to be) The meaning comes from within, not without.
Albert Schwietzer wrote The Quest For The Historical Jesus(1910). He had influence on the main-line churches. He believed in ethical core (love your neighbor etc.)

Liberal Claims:
1. The writers of the New Testament (or Jesus) didn't intend to be taken literally.
2. Even if they were intended to be taken literally, we shouldn't take them literally today.
Two Questions:
1.Was Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament?
2.If not, is there anything worth believing anyway?
-The more extraordinary an event, the more skeptical we are.