Faith and Higher Criticism

Quote: adam and eve thread

Tough crowd here, Padre, again I marvel at your persistence, it's admirable. Stick around, [this is] a thread about Higher Criticism. My wife picked up a couple of books ...

The Gnostic Gospels
by Elaine Pagels
http://www.amazon.com/Gnostic-Gospels-Elaine-Pagels/dp/0679724532/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394443185&sr=1-4&keywords=elaine+pagels


Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
by Reza Aslan
http://www.amazon.com/Zealot-Life-Times-Jesus-Nazareth/dp/140006922X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394443217&sr=1-1&keywords=zealot

If FrGamble hasn't been chased off, I would hope he will post some advice. I warned her it could trouble her faith to tackle Higher Criticism. Sure enough, it seems to have done so. To me, it's a sign of immaturity to react that way, so I am working on that. I mean, she can be a Freethinker if she wants to be, but this kind of knowledge should not be what starts it.

To show what I mean about immaturity, very common cynicism ... you hear it in bars and everywhere else ... revolves around the simple fact that the Gospels were written well into the latter part of the first century. For an amazing number of these Barstool Scholars, that does it! It means it is all BS! These erudite gentlemen of course have never heard of Oral Tradition.

Far from being chased off I find it more comfortable here on DT to talk about these things.

It is interesting actually that your wife and I happen to be interested in the same topic at the same time. I recently have been inspired to do a personal study on the "historical Jesus". Some authors use this search for the historical Jesus of Nazareth to separate him from what they often call the "Christ of Faith". They like to imagine they are two people, a human historical figure and a myth. I'm working my way toward two classic two volume tomes about this topic: "A Marginal Jew" by Fr. John Meier and "Jesus of Nazareth" by Pope Benedict XVI. I just finished the historical figure of Jesus by E.P. Sanders and am reading now "A misunderstood Jew" by Amy-Jill Levine. One more book that would be a joy for your wife to read and just came out is by James Martin titled, "Jesus: A pilgrimage"

The key I think in looking at higher criticism of the Scriptures and history of Jesus' day is to find balance. For every challenge I might read in Sanders or Levine or Meier there is a counterpoint by Pope Benedict. Far from troubling my faith it has rounded it out and helped make it more real, you might want to say more mature. I love your analogy of the barstool scholars who have heard some little fact that they think invalidates the whole of the Gospels, they need to do some higher criticism study. Often when these same scholars are asked to name the four Gospel writers or when roughly did Paul write his first letter and to whom? They just parrot again their one historical fact and desperately hold onto it like a life preserver keeping them from drowning in deeper truths.

Quote: FrGamble

For every challenge I might read in Sanders or Levine or Meier there is a counterpoint by Pope Benedict.

Thanks, Padre. I have suggested C.S. Lewis to her

In my opinion you simply can't get better than C.S. Lewis!

Bill O'Reilly, in his best seller 'Killing Jesus', concentrates
on what it was like for Jews living under Roman occupation.
This is rarely discussed by Christians I know, and had to have
a huge daily impact on everything Jesus did.

Quote: Evenbob

Bill O'Reilly, in his best seller 'Killing Jesus', concentrates
on what it was like for Jews living under Roman occupation.
This is rarely discussed by Christians I know, and had to have
a huge daily impact on everything Jesus did.

And his followers as well; frequently what you read all over the New Testament is colored by the need to avoid angering Roman authorities.

Quote: FrGamble

In my opinion you simply can't get better than C.S. Lewis!

Good!

Padre, I wonder how often you run into someone like my wife. She believes in God, but was always a little circumspect about Jesus as an adult. Not what she is reading is reinforcing that.

Quote: odiousgambit

And his followers as well; frequently what you read all over the New Testament is colored by the need to avoid angering Roman authorities. .

More than anything else, Jesus was a political figure.
He was executed for political reasons, not religious
reasons. If you look him that way, it changes everything.