One of Drane's opening remarks to this chapter is that there are serious students of the Gospels who will say that they "reveal nothing of importance about Jesus, [and] we need to take serious account of their arguments." (p. 218) It's not that I want to be disagreeable with everything that comes my way in life, but I really don't take the author's side on this one.
Sure there are challenges to be found in the messages: at best they are each Greek written translations of Aramaic oral moments in time, and plenty of their stories overlap - yet somehow diverge at times. But, that's all minor stuff isn't it? Drane is right to point out that even today we have news media and legal systems that generate and procure differently sourced, and told stories of same incidents in life.
Maybe Drane is right when he says that "Western thinkers have often imagined that only people like them are capable of making rational assessments of" (pp. 222-3) historical information. Perhaps many of us are intellectually imperial in our ways of thinking, but that doesn't really get the heart of Drane's point that many think the Gospels have nothing significant to offer about Jesus' life. Using the language and context of His day, Jesus claimed to be no one shy of God-with-us. Either the Gospels did shout out the good news, or Jesus was a lying lunatic. Any way you look at it - that's significant.
Paul, I agree, we need to look at the big picture of what the Gospels were trying to do and quit nit-picking
ReplyDelete"I really don't take the author's side on this one."
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you are disagreeing with Paul.
Tammy, while agree that the big picture is important, so are the details. Sermons look at and expound details— and new testament scholars look at and study the details. Nothing wrong with that.
I disagree with his position that we need take carefully look at the arguments of those who say that the Gospels reveal nothing of importance about Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThe Gospels reveal that Jesus equated Himself with God - that is important - that to me makes their arguments less than interesting - therefore I disagree with Drane that anyone should need to examine them at all.