Christian Beginnings

Wednesday 4/10

Early religious traditions have structure and belief. As time passes the religions of the world left a more basic behind for more theological, grandiose, and abstract ideas of religion and god(s). There is more info on this subject in Mondays notes.
In the mid 19th century David Strauss (1808-74) had a hypotheses that the Jewish/Christian religion was just a religion that evolved from early beliefs. This idea is very prevalent in the beginning of the old testament when God is spoken of as just on of many Gods. But the beliefs of the Jewish/Christian religion is monotheistic. (Having only one God.) If this huge religion wasn’t truly sanctified by God than what made every it taught real. This brought up the question if Jesus was truly God or just some type evangelist. Strauss also had a problem with all the miracles in the New Testament. He needed some real facts. Take the Iliad for example. Upon reading it you will feel as though it’s a huge mythological adventure with the Gods playing a big part in human affairs and war. At first glance you might think that it is a story not having to much historical value. But as archeologist have found, there really is some historical fact in it. It’s the same with the Gospels. There is definite historical value in it, but how much? Strauss tried to read between the lines to find the “Historical Jesus. “
The next big figure in this movement was Rudolph Boltman. (1884-1976) He thought scripture need to be stripped of all it’s metaphysics and superstitions to bring out the symbolism. He was a missionary for some time of his life and made a point not to preach the teachings of God or his miracle, but the symbolism and morals. A more recent figure and the most famous on the subject is Alber Schweitzer. Wrote the seminal work, The Quest for the Historical Jesus. (1910) He took all the metaphysics out of the bible and just took the good teaching.

Liberal claims on the New Testament started by Strauss, Boltman and Schweitzer..
1. Writers of the New Testament, or Jesus didn’t intend it to be taken literally.
2. Even if they intended it to be taken literally, we shouldn’t take them literally today.

Prof. Borrowdale