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The Evidence for Jesus by James D EVIDENCE .FOR JESUS James D. G. Dunn NEW TESTAMENT The Evidence for Jesus By James D. G. Dunn Foreword by Howard Clark Kee "Professor Dunn joins the skills of biblical criticism and apologetics with remarkable success."—Gerard S. Sloyan An acknowledged New Testament authority, James D. G. Dunn here makes an important contribution to contemporary thought. He looks at the origins of Christianity in the light of modern scholarship, demonstrating why Christians should "welcome the critically inquiring and investigative skills of scholars." Dunn focuses on four main questions: 1. Are the Gospels fact, fiction, or what? 2. Did Jesus claim to be the Son of God? 3. What did the first Christians believe about the resurrection? 4. Was earliest Christianity one church or warring sects? As Howard Clark Kee notes in the Foreword, "The author's style represents an admirable balance between careful, informed analysis of the evidence and the ability to discuss the material with a minimum of jargon. f [Thts-book] could serve effectively in undergraduate religion courses as a readable, nontechnical introduction to sources and critical methods in the study of the Gospels." James D. G. Dunn is Professor of Divinity at the University of Durham, England. He is the author of Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Christology in the Making, and Unity and Diversity in the New Testament. THE WESTMINSTER PRESS ISBN 0-664-24698-2 The Evidence for Jesus Books by James D. G. Dunn Published by The Westminster Press The Evidence for Jesus Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry Into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry Into the Character of Earliest Christianity Baptism in the Holy Spirit Jesus and the Spirit: A Study of the Religious and Charismatic Experience of Jesus and the First Christians as Reflected in the New Testament James D.G.Dunn The Evidence for Jesus The Westminster Press Philadelphia © James D. G. Dunn 1985 First American edition Published by The Westminster Press® Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 987654321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dunn, James D. G., 1939- The evidence for Jesus. Bibliography: p. Includes index 1. Bible. NT. Gospels—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Jesus Christ—Historicity. 3. Jesus Christ— Person and offices. I. Title. BS2555.2.D86 1985 232.9'08 85-22540 ISBN 0-664-24698-2 (pbk.) To Kingswood Methodist Church Nottingham Contents Foreword by Howard Clark Kee Preface 1 • The Gospels: Fact, Fiction or What? The Task of New Testament Scholarship A Gap of Thirty to Forty Years Translation from One Language to Another The Parallel Gospels Tradition Edited and Interpreted Different combinations Different lengths Different emphases Corrections Different versions Conclusions Note on Professor Wells' View 2 • Did Jesus Claim to be the Son of God? The Jesus of John's Gospel The Problem of John's Gospel Jesus' teaching style The content of Jesus' teaching Explanations for the Differences between the Synoptics and John Wholly historical Wholly theological Theological elaboration of history Jesus as the Son of God in John's Gospel Jesus as God's Son in the Synoptic Gospels Jesus' own prayer God as abba The Uniqueness of the Title 'Son' Note on Professor Smith's View viii Contents What did the First Christians Believe about the Resurrection? 53 The Task of Historical Reconstruction 54 The Data Concerning 'the Resurrection of Jesus' 56 Reports of Jesus' tomb being found empty Reported 'sightings' of Jesus after his death Transformation of the first disciples and initial spread of the new faith The very high estimate of Jesus which soon became established in Christian faith Claims of belivers since the beginning of Christianity to encounter Jesus alive here and now The Empty Tomb 63 Conflicting evidence Considerations in favour Conclusions Resurrection Appearances 69 Conflicting evidence Considerations in favour Alternative explanations An odd belief But What do We Mean by 'Resurrection'? 73 Conclusions 75 Note on Professor Koester's View 77 4 • Earliest Christianity: One Church or Warring Sects? 79 The Myth of Christian Beginnings 80 The diversity of denominations The Diversity of Christianity in the First Century 82 Two Forms of Earliest Christianity 88 Jewish Christianity Gentile Christianity The spectrum of first-century Christianity Earliest Christianity in the Second and Subsequent Generations 93 Catholic Christianity Jewish Christianity Gnostic Christianity Conclusions 99 Note on the Gospel of Thomas 101 Concluding Reflections 103 Suggestions for Further Reading 108 Index of Biblical References 111 Foreword In 1984 a British TV series from London Weekend Television created a sensation with a sequence of three programs called Jesus: The Evidence. The announced purpose of the series was to give viewers up-to-date information and insights on the historical evidence about Jesus: what can be known about him and how historians evaluate that evidence. Although the series began with a balanced approach to the subject, it became increasingly provocative and controversial by inviting as experts on the subject a predominance of scholars whose views reject, or at least call into question, traditional interpretations of the evidence about Jesus. Further, there seems to have been some intention to make the public think that the scholarly majority was trying to suppress the results of new discoveries and new interpretations, since they ran counter to orthodox views. Understandably, some viewers were an­ noyed at having been apparently deprived of access to new and revo­ lutionary information about Jesus, while many others were shaken by allegedly historical evidence which challenged the traditional under­ standings of Jesus. When the series appeared on public television in the United States, it did not create the stir here that it did in Great Britain, in part because it was not so widely seen. British television offered a follow-up series in an attempt to give more moderate biblical scholars a chance to present their side of the case and to respond to the radicals. As a result the controversy was, if anything, extended and enlarged. Coming in conjunction with the heated debate that arose when a theologian with controversial views on the virgin birth and resurrection was consecrated a Bishop of the Church of England, thoughtful people—in and out of the churches— raised serious questions: Is the traditional faith of the church obsolete? Is the church not being honest with the public? Have such recent discoveries as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic library in Egypt discredited the Gospel picture of Jesus as we have known it? Is the evidence not being candidly presented and discussed? Foreword x The dominant voices among the group of British and American scholars interviewed by the producers of the original British series had seemed to answer these questions in the affirmative. Fortunately, there were scholarly and churchly leaders across Great Britain who raised serious and responsible challenges to these radical conclusions. Among the latter was James D. G. Dunn, Professor of Divinity at the University of Durham in northern England, an active churchman and a prolific writer. Professor Dunn is personally interested in the daily life and faith aspects of Christianity as well as in its intellectual dimensions. It was appropriate, therefore, that the Durham Council of Churches should ask him to give a series of lectures to an interchurch audience on the same topic, "Jesus: The Evidence"—though for publication purposes the title has been given a more positive note. These lectures have been published in Great Britain and are now offered to American readers. The author's style represents an admirable balance between careful, informed analysis of the evidence and the ability to discuss the material with a minimum of technical jargon. There is a refreshing candor in Professor Dunn's approach. He takes his lay readers seriously and introduces them in a lucid way to scholarly examination of the New Testament evidence. The result is an excellent introduction to the study of the Gospels which provides a fine base for exploring other dimen­ sions in addition to the historical questions. There is an abundance of sound advice to the reader about what to look for and what not to look for; about how different the ancient world's approaches to biography and historical reporting are from our own; about the distinctive view­ points presented by each of the Gospel writers; about the ancient meaning of a basic term like "Son of God" as used by and applied to Jesus. One of the most effective sections of the book is the chapter dealing with the resurrection. What is the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? What did the early church writers, especially Paul, mean by the claim? The author makes a powerful case for his assertion that belief in the resurrection of Jesus can be documented very soon after his death, contrary to the theory advanced by some that the idea of the resurrection was set out as a means of bolstering the eroding confidence of Jesus' followers as time passed and the world seemingly remained unchanged. A central contribution of this book is the author's detailed sketch of some of the differences in belief, in organizational structure, and in future expectations that characterized the various groups within the early church—which was nevertheless united in its belief that God had raised Jesus from the dead. By pointing out that differing views were present in the church from earliest times, Professor Dunn warns against the modern tendency—represented by both conservative and ecumeni­ cal movements—to set up a single norm for belief or church organiza- Foreword xi tion. Instead, he pleads for Christians to recognize and to accept one another in spite of the diversity of faith and practice.
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