Untitled Essay, Research Paper
Who Was Jesus?
A Humanities Essay That Teaches
The Study of The Bible As
A Historical Document
I felt a really positive feeling of who Jesus was after completing
the Book of Matthew. I had a new image of person who was a down-to-
Earth, caring single. I did non happen quotation marks of Jesus that claimed
being superior to the common adult male, of whom evildoers could non look upon
( a position that most people had of their Supreme beings for centuries before ) .
Matthew 12:49-50, Jesus announces to battalions that they are his
female parent and brothers. In that manner, he puts himself at an equal degree to
the people, instead than claiming to be a God above them. This reflects
the whole attitude of the book.
Chapters 6-7 of Matthew quote Jesus as he is showing
regulations to populate by to the battalions. To me, all of these sounded like
intimations to taking a happy life for yourself. Jesus reflects a God that
does non anticipate virgins or animate beings to be sacrificed in His name ; but, a
God that is pleased by followings that love non merely God, but each other
besides. These seem like simple, logical regulations to populate by. But, they
reflected a clip in history where that sort of love for one another was
difficult to happen because of the adversities inflicted upon the people.
I find some struggle in Jesus & # 8217 ; actions, nevertheless. Jesus ne’er ( as
far as I know ) says to disregard to commandments of God in the Hebrew
Bibles ; nevertheless, invariably breaks the Sabbath ( Matt 12:13 and
others ) , and gives VERY flimsy and flimsy accounts for it. I
am non certain what his message was in those actions. Possibly he didn & # 8217 ; T
attention?
In general, Matthew was a good, entertaining narrative to read, with a
really dramatic stoping, and great character development ( a little
sarcastic wit here ) !
I was really surprised to happen much of the Book of Mark a repetition of
what was written in Matthew, but with a small less item, and a few
narratives omitted.
Jesus goes a small overboard on the fables! Most of the
fables needed to be explained to his adherents, and some of them I
wasn & # 8217 ; t able to understand either! Although many fables have a good,
animating ethical motives to them, I would oppugn Jesus as to if they were an
effectual manner to witness to common people. Even today, excessively many people
read fables as TRUTH, instead than & # 8220 ; merely a story. & # 8221 ; Plus, they are
misinterpreted.
But, I have to state you that an astonishing happenstance happened to me
after I finished reading the Parable of & # 8220 ; The Pearl of Great Price. & # 8221 ; A
twosome of hours subsequently, I was watching an old episode of Star Trek on
Television, and & # 8216 ; Scotty & # 8217 ; had really quoted the same, exact fable at the terminal
of the show! Funny that the authors of Star Trek predict the hereafter to
still keep the same faith as now, and 2000 old ages ago.
Both Matthew and Mark write about the portion of Pilate in His
crucifixion. It seems to me that Pilate was a & # 8220 ; good-guy & # 8221 ; , and did non
truly want to hold Jesus killed because he did non see anything that
He did incorrectly ( as compared to Barabbas, the liquidator ) . ( Mark 15:1-15 )
As a affair of fact, I see that Pilate tried to give Jesus another
opportunity by inquiring the crowd to take to penalize the Murderer, or Jesus.
Then, & # 8216 ; washed his custodies & # 8217 ; of this crucifixion after the determination was
made. Why is Pilate portrayed as a & # 8216 ; Good-Guy & # 8217 ; in these books while we
know, historically, that Pilate was NOT a friend to the Jews?
After reading these books, I get the feeling that Jesus was here
to salvage the Judaic people, non the heathens ( like most of today & # 8217 ; s
Christians ) . I can & # 8217 ; t happen the topographic point, but Jesus seemed loath to pay
attending to a ill heathen, but eventually healed her because of her
religion. Yes, he is the male monarch of the Jews, that is said in many topographic points.
But, was Jesus here to salvage merely Jews, or the people in all the universe
( like Rome, the Sumarites, etc. ) ? That sort of makes me experience unsure of
why Christianity has become the primary faith of Non-Jewish people.
My God, the enlargement of the Church was
unbelievable from
the clip of Jesus! After reading Matthew and Mark during the
clip of Jesus on Earth, and so reading Acts, I was shocked
at the alteration! A few things that happen in Acts are queerly
different than what I had expected after reading about Jesus and His
faith.
As I said before, I felt good about what Jesus had said
in the old books. But, it seems that things that happen
in Acts are like a contradiction to Jesus. The biggest illustration is the
disposal of Punishment to people. Some peculiarly bothersome
narratives are: ( Acts 5:1-11 ) The decease of the hubby and married woman for non
showing 100 % of their ownerships to the Church. And, ( Acts 12:23 )
the violent decease of Herod. Besides, ( Acts 13:11 ) sightlessness to Bar-Jesus.
Although my Bible, in all three instances, Tells that Angels or God had
punished these people, I could believe that a different interlingual rendition
could accurately propose that the deceases were caused by people of the
church ( the interlingual rendition is fuzzy in that sense ) . Either manner, no affair
who caused the decease ( s ) , it seems that these sorts of penalties would
non go on if Jesus were about ; He ever seemed to bless those who
did incorrect to Him.
From narratives in Acts, I can see how the power of the Catholic
Church had progressed to where it was in the 1400 & # 8217 ; s. I had ever felt
that many of Catholic Acts of the Apostless in history were direct mis-translations of
the instructions of Jesus. Now I see, things like The Crusades could be
backed by all of the penalties I antecedently talked about ; besides, The
Rich Catholic Church claiming all the ownerships of hapless followings can
be backed by the Apostles & # 8217 ; re-distribution of wealth in chapter 4 of
Acts. Another thing that I thought was a mis-translation by the
Catholics was the usage of confession to priests by the Catholic
followings ( I felt that each indiv. should squeal merely to God, non to
a Man ) ; nevertheless, throughout Acts, you see the power increasing for
certain Apostles, until they were regarded really extremely to everyone.
And, purportedly, the Apostles say that Angels come to them frequently, and
state them who to travel out and change over. The Pope, and other priests could
easy put themselves in the topographic points of the Apostles to state that Angels
straight command them to make things that aren & # 8217 ; t needfully written in
the Bible.
I got a really different feeling of Jesus and his faith than
Paul, after I read Jesus & # 8217 ; written words. However, Paul & # 8217 ; s missive in
Philippians reminded me of the attitude from the Christian faith
churches that I have been accustomed to for old ages. Versus like: & # 8216 ; I can
make all things through Christ who strengthens me & # 8217 ; ( P 4:13 ) , and & # 8216 ; ..not
expression out for your ain involvements, but the involvements of others & # 8217 ; ( P 2:4 ) .
However, I felt that P 2:10 showed a direct contradiction to
Hebrew Scripture or any expressions from Jesus. & # 8216 ; & # 8230 ; Name of Jesus, every
articulatio genus should bow, of those in heaven, those on Earth, and those under
the earth. & # 8217 ; If Paul is connoting that people are populating under the
Earth, in snake pit, so he is following that belief without any backup, for
there is no 1 in snake pit now. Peoples who are dead must wait for the
coming of God and Judgement twenty-four hours. Anyway, that is what + & # 252 ; ever
idea.
The strongest, overall feeling that I got
after reading Matthew, Mark, Acts and Philippians, was that
the instructions of Jesus were non really good understood/followed during
the formation of The Church old ages subsequently. Issues I discussed before,
like & # 8216 ; penalty and Fearing God & # 8217 ; s wrath & # 8217 ; , & # 8216 ; wealth re-distribution & # 8217 ;
( Jesus lived as a provincial ) , & # 8216 ; the place assumed by certain
influential apostles & # 8217 ; look really foreign to Jesus.
It seems that many of the new beliefs in the New Testament
can merely be backed-up if you belive that Angels truly did come to work forces
on Earth every bit frequently as the N.T. says, instead than looking to the Hebrew
Bible for proof.
The remainder of this category should be interesting. I expect some
large alterations in my spiritual beliefs to come from it.