Reference to main documents
about Jesus
Reference for prayers about
Jesus
Is it possible to know who Jesus really was?
In my opinion the answer to this question
is probably no, here on earth. I read a while ago that there are as many
interpretations of Jesus as fingerprints, and that statement has a lot of
truth, in my opinion.
A reasonable faith
Since the belief that Jesus was more than
a simple man is a matter of faith, we might aim to have an interpretation that
is, at least, reasonable.
In this document I do not want either to
affirm or deny the divinity of Jesus; that would be up to the readers to
decide. What I want to try here is to analyze the facts and options, in order
that you can make a reasonable decision.
Knowledge based on the Bible
When we base a belief on the Bible, we
have a double problem: a problem of credibility, and a problem of interpretation.
So, when we base our concept about Jesus on the Bible, the New Testament, we
have that double problem.
Credibility. In the documents Bible and Revelation
and Christian faith: facts and consequences, I expressed my view regarding the inspiration,
infallibility and credibility of the Bible; you should read these documents
first. As I said there, you can not take for true everything the Bible says.
Interpretation. Then, when you have found a statement in the
Bible, you have the problem of interpreting it. It is not easy but very
difficult, and risky, to know exactly what a writer intended to say in
something written two or three thousand years ago.
Problems with the gospels
The gospels have problems of their own.
There are conflicting affirmations among them which are not clarified
satisfactorily. In my books Step by Step with the Bible I referred to
this problem.
But, besides this, there is the problem of
the character of the gospels. They are not impartial narratives, because they
were written with the intent of proving, to Jews or Gentiles, that Jesus
was the Messiah and/or that he was God and was risen, physically, after his
death,
Their testimony is not unbiased and
impartial, but partisan. They reflect the mentality of the disciples of Jesus
forty or more years after his death. At that time the image of Jesus had been
transformed, mystified and "divinized," that is, they had made him
Lord or God. (Please see the document Christianity seen from its roots - Gap
between Jesus' mind and later "enlargements" here.)
Special problem with John's gospel
The gospel of John has a particular
problem of its own. Most scholars admit today that the gospel of John contains
useful teachings about Jesus' doctrine, but his narratives are not factual and
historical, but some kind of meditations, reflections, and personal and loving
interpretations or comments from the loved disciple about his Master. The
interpretation of John is still more difficult and controversial than the
synoptic gospels.
Christian churches
When you base your belief on the teaching
of the Christian churches, these in their turn base their teachings on the Bible
and are subject to the same double problem mentioned above, although they may
ignore it.
The divinity of Jesus
Let's start with the interpretation that
holds the divinity of Jesus. This has been the traditional teaching of
Christian churches, mainly after the Council of Nice. In this interpretation
Jesus identifies with God, as the second person of the Trinity. This belief is
based:
1. In the
gospel of John. Particularly
the first chapter where he speaks of Jesus as the eternal Word of God, who
was made flesh (John 1:1-14). Other quotes would be: I and my
Father are one (John
More in the book
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