3.3 Who is Jesus of Nazareth?

Clip from PBS Frontline, From Jesus to Christ

Roles of Jesus’s Ministry

• Begin: “The difference I see between John the Baptist and Jesus is…”
• End: “Somebody is going to kill this man.”
• Transcript available at pbs.org
• Complete episodes available at pbs.org

Titles Given to Jesus

• Rabbi – one who follows and teaches others to follow Jewish law
• Eschatological prophet – spokesperson sent by God to prepare people for the kingdom of God
  • Miracle worker
  • Healer
• Messiah, Son of David, Son of God – king who conquers the Romans
• Son of Man – heavenly figure sent to judge
• Lord – sharing the status of God

Sources About the Life of Jesus

• New Testament
  • Letters of Paul and others
  • Gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
  • Book of Revelation
• Indirect Context
  • Archaeology, Dead Sea Scrolls
• External accounts of the Jesus movement by ancient historians

Different Approaches to the Gospels

• Gospels relate theological interpretations
• Historical Jesus scholarship distinguishes:
  • what the life of Jesus came to mean to Christians vs.
  • the possibility of reconstructing a biographical account using historical sources and methods
• Gospels relate historical facts