Laurel Burton
Christian Beginnings
Monday April 29, 2002

NOTE - TEST EXTENDED UNTIL WEDNESDAY AT 8 PM!!! (We have a nice teacher!)

Reading assignment in REAL JESUS - Read up to page 116 by Friday.

TEST REVIEW

Rudolph Bultmann - wanted to demythologize the bible, distill out important ethical teaching (love thy neighbor, etc.), jump the metaphysics (miracles, blood atonement, demons, hell.) Thought of God as a metaphor. Presupposes that modern science rules out metaphysical things. MOST IMPORTANT (will be on the test): “An existential encounter with Christ.” (Subjective, meaningful religious faith in secular Jesus, not son of God, inspiration from Jesus‘ life rather than seeing him as a God.)

Paul didn’t know Jesus in the “flesh.” (He knew the disciples, who lived with Jesus for three years.) Paul saw Jesus in a vision.

Question: What is the difference between the historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith?
Answer: Historical Jesus: who Jesus was IN FACT. Christ of Faith: What the church believes about him today.

Liberal view: These are two different people (the first one evolved into the second. Bible can’t be taken literally.

Conservative view: These are the same person. Believe that the bible is the word of God, and that miracles happen.

In the gospel of John, Jewish people are called “the Jews,” and are enemies of Jesus.

Jesus said he would return in the disciples lifetimes. 2 Peter 3 - Why Jesus has not returned, two reasons: 1. God is giving people time to repent, 2. A day is 1000 years to God.

JOHN-
Liberals say: John didn’t know Jesus because his gospel is different than the other three.

Question: If John didn’t know Jesus, why was he called “the one Jesus loved” and why did he put himself into the story before the death of Jesus?

Conservatives say: John spent more time with Jesus than the other disciples, which is why his gospel is different.

The Acts were written by Luke, with Paul as the main character.