C21 Resources a service of boston college fall 2008 Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures daniel j. harrington, s.j. & ability to undertake serious technical re- four Gospels are the products of a fairly author of the very well received Jesus of christopher r. matthews search and to communicate the results of long and complex development from Nazareth (2007), in which he attempts to modern scholarship to nonspecialists. Jesus through the oral and written trad- bring together modern historical-critical mong the various significant itions of the early church to the Gospel study and the insights of the Christian issues addressed by the twenty- The most authoritative Catholic writers (Evangelists), while insisting that theological tradition, while insisting that A seven writings that make up document on biblical study is Vatican II’s they tell us the honest truth about Jesus. Jesus’ divinity is the key to understand-ing the New Testament, two fundamental 1965 Constitution on Divine Revelation the Gospels. questions are, Who is Jesus? and Why (Dei verbum). This document describes This October, bishops from all over is he important? The four Gospels look the Scriptures as the word of God in hu- the world will convene in Rome for a syn- Next to Jesus, Paul is the most impor- like biographies (at least in the ancient man language and as the soul of theology, od on “The Word of God in the Life and tant figure in the New Testament, and his sense) and provide much information and insists that the church’s preaching Mission of the Church” to examine the understanding of Jesus has shaped Chris- about Jesus’ life, teachings, activities, be nourished and ruled by Scripture. It practical pastoral effects of Dei verbum tian theology throughout the centuries. and death. However, none of them tells encourages interpreters to be sensitive to and to explore how biblical study and Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed the the whole story about Jesus. In fact, they the literary forms and cultural assump- spirituality can be better encouraged period from June 29, 2008 to June 29, 2009 all draw us back to the haunting question tions of the societies in which the biblical among ordinary Catholics. Pope Benedict as the “Year of St. Paul.” Intended to mark that Jesus posed to Peter and the other authors wrote. It recognizes that the himself (Joseph Ratzinger) is also the the 2000th anniversary of Paul’s birth, disciples, “But who do you say that I the goal is to promote among Catholics as am?” (Mark 8:29). well as Protestants and Jews an increased appreciation of Paul’s life and writings. In recent years, that question has occasioned thousands of scholarly books This issue of C21 Resources also marks and articles. This development from 1985 the return of New Testament Abstracts to to the present is sometimes called the sponsorship by Boston College. This jour- “Third Quest of the Historical Jesus.” The nal provides an objective report of cur- “First Quest” took place from the late 18th rent scholarship published in many to the early 20th century, and was bril- different languages. In recent years, it liantly catalogued by Albert Schweitzer. has covered 2,100 articles and 800 books The “Second Quest” refers to a brief per annum. It was founded in 1956 period in the mid-1900s when some when Weston College was the School students of Rudolf Bultmann rejected his of Theology of Boston College. Since skepticism about Jesus and contended 1968, it has resided with Weston Jesuit that we can know a good deal about Jesus’ School of Theology in Cambridge. Now teachings. The first two quests were carried with Weston’s reaffiliation with Boston on almost entirely by liberal German College, it has become part of the new Protestant historians and theologians. The School of Theology and Ministry. The Third Quest, by contrast, has been both editors of this issue have worked together international and confessionally diverse, for many years on New Testament Abstracts. and has given special attention to the Jewishness of Jesus. We believe that the essays that follow provide a sample of some positive and con- This issue of C21 Resources seeks to structive research on Jesus today. The art- make accessible some of the best modern icles first appeared in journals intended scholarship on encountering Jesus in the for the general public and so represent Scriptures. Its focus is wider than the his- popularizations of more technical mate- torians’ quest. These essays try to explain rial. We hope that they may serve as a not only who Jesus was in the 1st century good introduction to one area of modern but also what he might mean in the 21st biblical scholarship and as a help for The Empress Zoe mosaics on the eastern wall of the southern gallery of Hagia Sophia date from century. Most of the contributors are the 11th century. Christ Pantocrator, clad in the dark blue robe, is seated in the middle against a readers in answering Jesus’ own question, Catholic scholars who have proved their golden background, giving his blessing with the right hand and holding the Bible in his left hand. “But who do you say that I am?” b o s t o n c o l l e g e | c 21 r e s o u r c e s | f a l l 2008 Jesus: What’s Fact? What’s Fiction? C21 Resources by daniel j. harrington, s.j. Major Sources introduces different characters, and focuses more on Jesus as the revealer and Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. he question of Jesus’ identity The four Gospels are the major revelation of God than on the kingdom. Christopher R. Matthews is central to us as Christians. sources for what we know about Jesus. T Because Christianity is an Nevertheless, they do not allow us to write These four Gospels became part of incarnational faith—centered on Jesus, a full biography about him. Rather, the the church’s list of approved books the Word of God who became flesh and Gospel writers (Evangelists) were primarily (canon) because of their wide use, ortho- J.A. Appleyard dwelt among us—it is important to learn interested in Jesus’ religious significance dox theological content, and association as much as we can about the Jesus of and his impact as a moral figure. with the apostles. Jonas Barciauskal history. He lived in the land of Israel Ben Birnbaum during what we now call the first century. Mark’s Gospel, written around a.d. 70, Other Sources Cynthia Dobrzynski The question of his identity still has great perhaps at Rome, tells the story of Jesus’ relevance for us in the early 21st century. public ministry in Galilee, his journey The noncanonical Gospels attributed Robert Imbelli Just consider the recent media attention with his disciples to Jerusalem, and his to Thomas, Peter, Mary Magdalene, Barbara Radtke received by Mel Gibson’s The Passion of short ministry there, as well as his passion, Philip, and others did not become part the Christ and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci death, and resurrection. Mark gave special of the church’s New Testament canon. Code. When Jesus asked his disciples, attention to Jesus as the suffering Messiah This was due in part to their lack of wide “Who do people say that I am?” he and to the mystery of the cross. usage, sometimes unorthodox theologi- Progressive Print Solutions got several different answers: John the cal content, and relatively late dates Erinkate O’Donnell Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets. Even of composition. when Peter identified Jesus correctly as the Messiah, Jesus felt the need to Christians believe These sources now often serve as the redefine messiahship in terms of his basis for works like The Da Vinci Code and C21 Resources is published by the coming passion, death, and resurrection. that there is a close other, often sensationalist, interpretations of early Christianity—some even by Church in the 21st Century Center A Difficult Question continuity between the well-known scholars. They may contain at Boston College, in partnership some early authentic traditions, though with the publications from which While important, the question about earthly Jesus and the it is often difficult to isolate these from these articles have been selected. Jesus’ identity is difficult to answer. It is their less credible content. Likewise, while there are stray sayings attributed C21 Resources is a compilation of hard to know the whole story about any Christ of faith and that person, even someone who has lived in to Jesus in other early Christian writings, the best analyses and essays on key our own time, let alone someone who the two cannot be it is almost impossible to prove they challenges facing the Church to- lived 2,000 years ago. originated with Jesus. day. They are published with the totally separated. The only substantial ancient des- intent of stimulating discussion and The major sources about Jesus—the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and cription of Jesus apart from Christian thought among bishops, priests, John—were written in light of the authors’ sources appears in Jewish Antiquities by deacons, religious, and lay mem- convictions about Jesus’ resurrection and Between a.d. 85 and 90, Matthew and Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian in bers of the Catholic community. continued existence with the one whom Luke independently produced their own the late first century a.d. But the explicit he called Father. The claims that these revised and expanded versions of Mark’s statements about Jesus’ identity as the authors made about Jesus (such as “Jesus is Gospel.