Jason Ruys
Major World Religions Final
February 18, 2011
13 PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS:
1. Jason Ruys
2. Jason Ruys
3. jruys@student.mtsac.edu
4. How many posts did you complete after the midterm?
Week 4
Post 7 - 2/9/11 2:19 PM
Post 8 - 2/2/11 8:58 PM
Week 5
Post 9 - 2/14/11 9:24 PM
Post 10 - 2/14/11 9:25 PM
Week 6
Post 11 - 2/15/11 7:37 PM
Post 12 - 2/15/11 8:25 PM
Interactive/Current Event Post - 2/18/11 8:26 PM
5. What reading did you complete in full in this course thus far? Be specific?
Week 4
The Gnostic Mystery
Chapter 6 – Smith Book
The Koran
Islam websites
Karen Armstrong interview
Week 5
Chapter 7 – Smith Book
BBC Website on Judaism
False Testament
Week 6
Triumph of Christianity
Chapter 8 – Smith Book
Biblical Scholarship - Crossan
6. New Testament
7. Out of all the reading that you were assigned what reading would
you recommend for future world religions classes? The Koran. It would offer a better understanding to Islamic beliefs and it would help fix a stereotype that exists towards this religion.
Which books? which articles? which chapters? is there reading that
you would absolutely not recommend? why? False Testament. I would not recommend this reading to anyone who is Christian. It does offer insight that maybe the Bible isn’t all that factual after all. The thing that it lacks is the how and the why to many of the arguments.
I am very interested in
your response to Huston Smith's book....did this book work for you for an online class? Honestly, no. Yes, it offered more knowledge but everything else was online.
8. Films: List all of the films you watched in week 4-6. Do you have a favorite and why? Did you skip any films and which ones?
Week 4
Islam video 1
Week 5
Judaism video
Ricky Gervais video was removed…
Yale Lecture – Studying the Old Testament
Week 6
Who Wrote the Bible
Yale Lecture – Historical Jesus
Crossan Videos
9. What field trip did you complete? Where and when? Did you attend a service there?
February 5, my wife and I went to the Hindu Temple of Las Vegas and witnessed the Sri Balaji Abhishekam service. “Abhishekam is the process of bathing the deity. The Moorthi of Sri Balaji is cleansed with Water and Milk, followed by devotee recitation of Sri Vishnu Sahasranam and finally Arhana is performed.”
10. Which Religious Literature did you complete this term? (make sure to have completed at least four total for the semester; place this on your website under religious literature; this will make up part of your course grade)
Tao
Analects of Confucius
The Koran
Pali Buddha
11. Did you complete any extra credit in the course thus far? Be specific. (Make sure to include all extra credit in the e.c. section of your website.)
12. Please list what "grade" you received on your midterm examination. Was there any material you were asked to MAKEUP and did you? Include the makeup work on your website and clearly label it!
I believe that I was given a high B with the possibility of a low A.
I was instructed to write more about Confucius and place it under the makeup work label on my website.
13. Of all of the religions we studied this term, which religion (outside of your own; Eastern or Western) impacted you the most and explain in depth why? Offer personal insights how this alternative philosophy changes your thinking in some way.
Jainism is one religion that stood out to me more than the others. This is probably due to the field trip to one of their temples. I was intrigued by the worshipping methods of this people. I was also intrigued to learn more about them while writing my paper. They are a unique and peaceful people. Using their teachings would really help bring peace to this crazy world.
Religion Final Question 1 -
Muslim’s believe that it is through the great prophet Muhammad that Islam reached its definitive form. There is no other greater prophet than The Seal of the Prophet: Muhammad. He was born into the leading tribe or Mecca in 570 A.D., and was his name means, “highly praised.” We are told the angles of God opened his heart and filled it with light. His parents died while he was young so his uncle raised him. He married at the age of 35 to a woman named Khadija. Being mature for his age, Muhammad was a businessman and with his prudence and integrity he impressed Khadija which lead to a long life of love for the couple. After 15 years, Muhammad frequented a cave often to ponder and seek solitude. That is when his ministry began. Allah, the Muslim’s God, the only God, spoke to Muhammad and the perhaps the greatest phrase in the Arabic language was discovered: La ilaha illa ‘llah! There is no god but God. Muhammad continued to meditate and pray to Allah, receiving inspiration and direction for the Meccan people.
The Koran or God’s “standing miracle” is, in the eyes of Islam, the most grammatically perfect book that defies belief. It was through Muhammad that this book was produced. Over 23 years, Muhammad received direction on what the book should say and the contents the book should hold. For this reason, the words are most often times uttered out of the mouth of Muslims when speaking about Muhammad, “blessings and peace be upon him.”
Muslims believe there is only one god: The God Allah. It is through him that everything is done. Muslims are a god-fearing people but his compassion and mercy are cited in the Koran 192 times while his wrath and vengeance is cited 17 times. Muslims believe that it is Allah who created the world. It is also believed that the human self is entitled to self-respect and healthy self image. Though Allah is the only god, the true, one and only god it is not him who performs the final judgment. The Koran states that souls judge themselves. Speaking of the final judgment, “...it is one’s own actions that rise up to accuse or confirm.”
Islam counsels to lead a clean life full of integrity and good works. The Koran states that Muslims are to walk the straight path. The 5 main beliefs of Islam are: There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet, to keep life in perspective, charity, ramadan, and the pilgrimage. Muslims are counseled to not drink alcohol, steal or gamble. Sexual impurity is a sin. They are counseled to not eat a lot of meat. They pray five times a day: upon rising, afternoon, mid-day, sunset and before retiring.
The film narrated by Ben Kingsley was very interesting and educational. There was nothing in there that was new to me on Islam, but it was enjoyable to watch. There is such a difference in reading and in watching and I learned a lot in this film. It was neat to hear other experts’ opinions of Islam, Muhammad and the beliefs of Muslims. I enjoyed watching this video.
Religion Final Question 2 -
In every religion there are groups or parties that drift away from the essential truths of that certain religion. Within Islam there are three main branches that have divided into separate groups: Sunnis, shi’its and Sufis, or the mystics of Islam. The Sufis are a dedicated, spiritual people who are devoted to worshipping Allah in a different way than the majority of Muslims. After Muhammad died, a group of Muslims were drawn to the spiritual side of the Koran and started wearing wool garments, hence the name, suf, meaning wool. They were also drawn to the idea of doing more to worship Allah. To them there was an inward side and an outward side. To worship more, they developed three routes: mysticism of love, ecstasy and of intuitive discernment. Mysticism of love is often used as words or poetry. Ecstasy is described as being in a different physical state or a state of drunkenness. These two routes lead to the third route which can be described as mental knowledge.
Sufis may be described as taking the average Islamic idea a little farther. For example, when entered into a Mosque, one removes his shoes. The mystical idea would be to remove all clothing. Muslims believe that, “There is no god but God” but he mystical idea would be, “There is nothing but God.”
My wife visited Turkey a few years ago and had the experience of witnessing The Whirling Dervishes. She said it was one of the most unbelievable and awe inspiring things she’s ever seen. She sat in a room for one hour, watching men twirl around in organized, drifting circles as they went to a different place physically and spiritually to worship Allah. She had a new appreciation for Islam when she left that country.
Karen Armstrong is a humorous and very intriguing woman. She has done her studies and seems to know a lot about Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In speaking about The Sufi Movement she says, “...when you had encountered God, you were neither a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim...” She goes on to talk about how you were in any church belonging to any religion because they all come from God and when you meet God, you’ve left everything behind. What she finds appealing about Islam is its pluralism. She likes how the Koran praises all the prophets of the past. She talked about Muhammad and how he was sent to the Arabs to fulfill his divine mission. She is very interested in the fact that there are so many similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. When she was in Jerusalem she regained her love for religion and what religion was trying to do.
Religion Final Question 3 -
There are many thought provoking similarities between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It is very interesting to learn about how they broke off into their own beliefs that ended in their own religions. These three religions have many of their own branches that have differing beliefs but as a whole they have many things in common. They all believe in one God. They all believe in doing what they believe is right. They all believe in charity, doing good to all men, living a healthy and virtuous life, a life here-after and in prophets. However, there are many simple but drastic differences to them all. Here are a few examples.
Islam and Christianity believe the Bible up to a certain point. In the Book of Genesis, God created the world. Adam and Eve were the first humans on the earth. They had children which led to Noah who had a son named Shem. The children of Shem led to Abraham. Abraham married Sarah and the had a son named Isaac. Abraham also married another woman named Hagar who had a son named Ishmael. Sarah then commanded that Hagar and her son Ishmael be cast out. Up to this point the Koran and the Bible agree. According to the Koran, Ishmael left and went to Mecca where his descendants are Muslim. Isaac stayed in Palestine and his descendants were later Jews.
Islam and Judaism pray multiple times a day. Muslims pray five times a day while Jews pray three times a day and four on holidays. For both religions there is a set recited prayer. For Christians there is not set schedule, time or amount to which a prayer should be said. Christians also pray freely, saying what they want.
Islam and Judaism believe that Abraham was a good prophet who had sons. Judaism believes that God told Abraham that his posterity will be long on the Earth. Islam doesn’t talk about Abraham’s posterity in the Koran.
To be a Jew, you are born a Jew. To be a Christian you can convert. To be a Muslim you are also born, speak a Arabic and are taught to believe the way a Muslim believes.
With all three religions, there are in most cases, religious clothing that is worn among the dedicated members or tribes. There are also buildings, temples or churches to which its followers go to for worship. All religions believe in one or more Gods and all religions believe in living a life dedicated to that God.
Religion Final Question 4
Christine Hayes - Studying the Old Testament -
Contrary to what I would say is popular belief, the ancient near eastern civilization with the most impact on their time was actually the Israelites. They were a population of no consequence during this time. They were a small kingdom that divided into two even lesser kingdoms. During this time there were stronger civilizations. We hear about these through other writings. These other civilizations had their gods as the Israelites had theirs. People and civilizations were conquered often in ancient times. Conquered people would trade their god for the conquerers god. The cultures would inter-marry and entire cultures were lost.
The Israelites had a radical view of god. Their view of an utterly transcendent god with absolute control over history made it possible for some Israelites to interpret even the most tragic and catastrophic events such as the destruction of their capital and the exile of their remaining peoples. This they taught to be part of god’s plan for the Israelites
We find that the traditions of the Bible did not just appear. They have deep roots that go into surrounding lands. She shares the same realization that Crossan does in that the stories of the Bible are actually stories that were taken from another story and retold with a new twist. We also find in the Bible a display of basic discontent with the surrounding cultures.
The presuppositions of the Bible would be dispelled if we read it and studied it. There are many sayings that we use in our lives that we don’t understand where they come from, i.e. - “An eye for an eye.”
THE BIBLE IS NOT...
1 - Bible is not a book. It is a library/anthology
2 - Pious tales - Psychological tales about real people. This is a book about humans and their behaviors. It is not about superhuman people. Real people with real conflicts and desires.
3 - For Children - The Bible is not for children. The subject matter in the Bible are not for naive optimists. The Bible is full of themes and stories that show that the world is cold and crude.
4 - Theology - It is not a book of theology or a manual of religion. Religions have taken stories and spun their own take on them. It is an account of the people of Israel and not an account of the divine
5 - Author - The Bible does not claim to be written by god. The Bible has been transmitted orally and then in written form. It has been revised, censored, edited and adjusted over the years.
The professor expresses her hopes that the class can be purely academic and not a class based on faith. Adhering to the articles of faith of anyone’s religion could present an issue to anyone who is religious and is trying to study the Bible objectively.
Many religions argue over what books can be considered “canons.” Her class is to old incorporate the 24 books that are common in all Bibles. They are contained in the Hebrew Bible. It is also called the Jewish TaNakh.
The Septuagin - The Greek translation of the Bible. This is a version of the Bible that has become more accepted among Christian religions over the years.
The end of the video covers administrative information about the class and where to find course books/information.
Religion Final Question 5 -
1 - Judaism At A Glance -
This section offers a high level view of Judaism. It points out that Judaism is one of three Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Islam are the others. Judaism originated in the Middle East approximately 3,500 years ago. Judaism was founded by Moses but can be traced all the way back to Abraham. Jews believe that they are a people with a covenant with the Lord. Their most important religious text is contained in the Torah. They worship in synagogues and are taught by rabbis.
2 - Beliefs -
This section has many different subsections that express the beliefs of Judaism. The article describes the Jewish faith as one where a personal relationship with god is possible. Even though a personal relationship with god is possible, the Jewish faith focuses on the community and not the individual. Together they are bound by their faith. The Jewish faith also centers around the family. There are events in which a family can celebrate a stage in the life of their child, i.e. a circumcision. Family meals are also encouraged.
Becoming a Jew is not easy if you were not born Jewish. If you were to leave Judaism for another faith, you would still be considered a Jew. Interesting how one cannot “rid” themselves of their Jewish ties if one choses another faith or lifestyle. Like we have learned reading about Catholicism, there are Jews and Ultra-Orthodox Jews. Ultra-Orthodox or haredi Jews are those who align themselves strictly to the Jewish faith.
Jews have many different views of god. Here are a few: he is transcendent, he does not have a body, he is omnipotent and omnipresent.
Clive Lawton offers a 17-year-old perspective on Jesus through the eyes of a Jew. He describes the thoughts and understanding of Judaism and Christianity at such a young age. He describes how for many Christians it is hard to question Jesus or to acknowledge Muhammed. That is because it is not a central teaching of Christianity. That also applies to the relationship of Jews and Jesus.
Another subsection to Beliefs is about converting to Judaism. It is pretty intense. When one converts to Judaism, they embrace the culture and history of the Jews. One does not only study the doctrine, but they must be approved by a Jewish court to be considered a true convert. There are also two ritualistic requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to fully convert to Judaism. For males they need to be circumcised. If they are already circumcised, a drop of blood is drawn to symbolize the circumcision. The next ritual is that of immersion in a Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) while the corresponding prayers and performed. Inside Judaism, there are some who do not accept converts to Judaism. It is an ongoing “battle” between the orthodox and non-orthodox Jews. This subsection also lines out the major things that need to take place prior to becoming a Jewish convert.
3 - Customs
This section describes what the Sabbath is for the Jewish community. It outlines some of the customs that occur on the Sabbath. One of these customs is eating three meals, one of which must include bread. For men, prayer includes an added bonus. Men where a box called a tefillin around their arm and forehead during morning weekday prayers. This box contains scriptures from Deuteronomy and Exodus. This tefillin is only constructed by the approval of a rabbi.
Eruvs are areas where Jews may pass the Sabbath. In these areas they are permitted to carry certain objects. Outside of these areas they are not allowed to carry any object. These Eruvs must be completely enclosed by natural means and provide a way for Jews to keep the Sabbath holy in their eyes. Keep in mind that eruvs are areas for the orthodox Jews to pass their Sabbath. In the United Kingdom there is a little controversy surrounding these eruvs and if they should be permitted.
Orthodox Jewish men are identified as those who wear a kippah or yarmulke on the crown of their heads. This offers a signs of devoutness to god and the faith. These skull caps offer an outward expression to the world of their faith.
4 - History
Judaism has roots that are very deep. They are central to the Old Testament and this continues through the Bronze Age. Judaism is a very structured religion with ties to Saul, David and Solomon. Around 920 BCE there was an event that split the Jewish people into groups. Around 600 BCE Jews were exiled to Babylon. Around 300 BCE Jews began to grow in numbers and strengthen. Also at this time the King of Syria desecrated their temple and laws were established to eliminate the Jews in the area. This created a revolution that is the reason behind the celebration of Hanukkah. Years 1 through present day CE the Jews have been tried and tested. They have overcome all odds with corrupt leaders and are still a large religion to this day.
There are two covenants that the Jews believe god has made with them. The first is when a male is circumcised. This is a symbol of the first covenant that god made with abraham. The second covenant is with the people as a whole, not the individual. This section also describes the importance of several Jewish prophets, i.e. Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, David and Joseph. This section also describes how the Jews were exiled from Britain and have since celebrated over 350 years since their return.
5 - Holocaust
This section talks about how starting in the 1930’s the prejudices against the Jews become stronger over time. These prejudices included banning Jews from parks and schools. In 1939 the execution of the Jews began with the Nazis taking away the handicapped children and using them as guinea pigs in their euthanasia program. As time progressed, so did the methods of execution. Jews were round up into ghetto housing and some died in these housing units due to the living conditions and lack of nourishment. Despite all these horrible acts, there were many charitable acts that people did to help the Jews during this time. Kindertransport is one of those things that many people contributed to to ensure the safety of Jewish children. Although many men, women and children did perish during the holocaust, many did survive through these hardships.
Yom Hashoah is a day that is set aside each year to commemorate the holocaust. Candles are lit and memorial events are held throughout the world. In Israel a siren sounds for two minutes and all activity stops in order to show respect to the people who lost their lives during the holocaust.
6 - Holy Days
Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur are days recognized by the Jews for repentance. Jews can seek out those they have offended and apologize. Jews do not believe that it is up to them to forgive. They believe that power is in god’s hands only. Tashlich is the ceremony where their sins are cast away.
The Passover is a story found in Exodus. This is a commemoration of the ten plagues and god sparing the Jews. They partake of a meal of unleavened bread, bitter herbs while dipping their food in a liquid and while sitting in a reclined position. These four items serve the purpose of recalling the time of the exodus.
Shavuot is to commemorate when the Jews received the Torah on Mount Sinai. This traditionally coincides with the Christian festival of the Pentecost.
Tisha B’av is a solemn occasion that falls some time in July or August that commemorates all the tragedies that have befallen the Jews over the years. It is observed through prayer and fasting.
Hanukkah is the festival of lights used to commemorate the Jew’s struggle for religious freedom. Potato pancakes and deep fried doughnuts are traditional food for this time. A customary game for this time is the dreidel. Gifts are also given.
Purim is a time to commemorate when the Jews lived in Persia and were saved from extermination by Esther. This is a time of celebration. The story of Esther is read and noise is made when the name of Haman is read.
Sukkot is what is celebrated to commemorate the time the Jews spent away from the promised land. Sukkot is translated to mean hut. Jews are encouraged at this time to live in huts or in their own residence.
Tu B’Shevat is the “New Year for Trees.” Jewish tradition forbids partaking of the fruit of a tree the first four years after it is planted. The fourth year the fruit is given as a tithe. This celebrates the blessing of the tree bearing fruit.
7 - Ethics
The Jews, I understand, to have a conservative stance on abortion. It is reviewed on a case by case basis. It is acceptable if life of the mother or the fetus is in jeopardy or if it is a result of incest or rape. Any other situation would need to be reviewed. Just getting an abortion due to negligence is not permitted.
The Jews are not in favor of living “an eye for an eye.” The Torah does teach this, however Jews seek alternate forms of retribution for offenses.
Contraception is an interesting topic for the Jews. Birth control methods, such as the pill, are encouraged for women. Men are discouraged from using any form of birth control as to not “waste the seed.” Couples are encouraged to multiply and replenish the earth.
The Jews have an interesting stance on war. It is permissible at times. These times include self defense, when all efforts at making peace were made, obligatory wars and defensive wars.
Jews also have a defined way on preparing/killing animals for human consumption. A shochet is a person that is trained in the correct method of slaughtering an animal. The animal has its throat slashed with a chalaf or sharp knife. The animal is allow to bleed and is inspected for evidence of suffering. If this in not performed correctly, the meat is not declared as kosher.
Jews believe in the sacredness of life and do not support any methods by which any person takes a life, even if it is their own. The decision to end one’s life is god’s decision and his alone. This belief results in the encouragement of organ donation to continue life for another if someone passes on.
8 - People
Abraham is regarded as the patriarch of the Jewish faith. He is responsible for Jews worshipping only one god. Isaiah was one of the prophets of old that prophesied of many events that were to transpire. Not much is known about him but some argue that the book of Isaiah is not entirely his work, but a compilation of many authors.
Moses did many things for the Jews. A few of these things are bringing the Jews out of bondage, bringing the ten commandments and teaching the Jews their faith. Joshua succeeded Moses when he passed on. Joshua is responsible for destroying the city of Jericho not by violence but by faith alone.
Joseph is a fun story because they made a musical about it. Joseph is an example to the Jews for his obedience and the guidance he provided to the pharaoh to preserve Egypt during the famine. David is an example to the Jews from an early age. He becomes king and starts bringing a relationship with god into society. David brings the Ark of the Covenant to the center of the city so a place of worship is established. He made the heart of the city the heart of worship.
9 - Rites
One rite is that of circumcision for boys. This takes place during the initiation ceremony called Brit Milah. Typically men attend this and this ceremony is to commemorate the covenant god made with Abraham. At this ceremony the baby boy is also given his name.
The other rite is that of the wedding. Weddings can take place on any day except the Sabbath. That is between sundown on friday to sundown on saturday. A week before the wedding it is customary for the groom to have a party called Ufruf while the bride participates in a ritual bath called a Mikveh. They are wed under a canopy called a chupa, traditionally with the groom in a black suit and the bride in a modest white dress. The couple fasts before they are wed and after the wedding, during the ceremony, 7 glasses of wine are drunk to signify god’s creation of the world in 7 days. The ceremony ends by the groom stepping on a glass.
10 - Subdivisions
Conservative Judaism - This falls half-way between orthodox Jews and reformed Jews. This is also called Judaism without the fundamentalism.
Liberal Judaism - This form of Judaism tries to make everyone equal. For example woman have essentially no limitations with regards to position in the church. They can be rabbis if that is what they chose.
Orthodox Judaism - These are Jews that are strict observers of the laws of Judaism.
Reform Judaism - This is a relaxed form of Judaism where services are not entirely in Hebrew anymore. English is permitted for understanding of the members.
Humanistic Judaism - They dont believe that there is no god, they just go on without one. It is more about Judaism being a culture and not just a religion.
Modern Orthodoxy - This is the union of Orthodoxy and accepting modern desires to be part of the world but not of the world.
11 - Texts
The Talmud is a written text containing the oral law of the Jews. This can be broken down to 6 sections. Seeds, festival, women, damages, holy things and purities. The Torah is the first part of the Jewish Bible. Throughout the week small portions of the Torah are read. God gave Moses the oral law and he relayed this to the people.
12 - Worship
Prayers are offered up a minimum of 3 times per day. There are many different prayers for many different occasions that can be said. In some synagogues men and women are separated (Orthodox) and in others they can sit together (reformed). Women typically cover their heads and men don kippahs. There are readings and prayers in this service. Jews are encouraged to meditate and internalize the teachings. This will help them become more pure.
Religion Final Question 6 -
I would argue that the main argument to False Testament is that of skepticism to the Bible being anything more than a compilation of good stories. He provides a lot of information and studies that back up this argument. Here are a few.
He states that, “Judaism appears to have been the product not of some dark and nebulous period of early history but of a more modern age of big-power politics in which every nation aspired to the imperial greatness of a Babylon or an Egypt.” After reading from him, Crossan and watching the Yale lecture on the Old Testament it makes me wonder if the Bible is precisely this; a political battlefield. These other readings/videos have done nothing more than back up this claim to a small town trying to hang with the bigger cities and their power.
In addition to speaking on the actual time and place that biblical cultures lived in comparison to what research shows and refutes (ie. The exodus never happened. That is backed up by mounting evidence such as border defenses or lack of camp sites), he also speaks about biblical figures. Given the knowledge we have today about Israelite origin, research leads us to believe that a character such as Abraham never existed. Crossan and the professor in the Christine Hayes video acknowledges this also. Bible stories can be just reiterations of stories that were told years prior but told in a way that would be more appealing to the current followers.
David is another example of someone that could possibly not have existed. We read about David and his insatiable habits and desires. He drank from the most exquisite of goblets and had the finest things made from all sorts of precious metals. In all the years of research, not one goblet or artifact has ever been recovered to argue his existence.
He is able to boldly state this due to his research concluding that the Israelites are now thought to be a culture developed on the west side of the Jordan River rather than that “band of invaders” that battled their way into the Holy Land. Christine Hayes explains the size of Israel very well in her lecture on the Old Testament. The Bible is written in the perspective of an Israelite. This perspective could have been biased. The perspective could have been one that is similar to a fishing story. The fish is never as big as told by the fisherman.
Using those few examples it is easy to understand why it would be called False Testament. He is arguing that the Bible might just be a compilation of stories. Nothing more. Some of the characters could be nothing more than fictional accounts taking material from other stories.
Religion Final Question 7 -
I elected to answer question #6 in lieu of this question.
Religion Final Question 8 -
Christianity, as we know, is centered around the belief in Christ. Christ, Smith states, was born somewhere around 4 B.C. in Palestine and grew up in Nazareth. As he grew he began to preach among the people. His teachings for many were too radical for that time. Christians believe that he was crucified and resurrected on the third day. It was not until after his ascension that his popularity grew and Christianity took hold of many individuals.
Christianity struggled after Jesus departed and left the Apostles to run the show. The Romans we not too fond of them and they struggled until 313 A.D. It was at this time that Christianity was finally recognized as a religion and had equal rights with other religions in the Roman empire. This church/faith stayed single until approximately 1054. This is the year that the church/faith divided from the Roman Catholic Church to the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. There was another division of the faith when the Western Church and Protestant Church were formed around the 16th century.
Over time, the Roman Catholic Church formed in part because of the members wanting someone to define the truth and error to the teachings. This helped lead to the establishment of the doctrine of papal infallibility. He would offer the guidance and answers that the members needed. The Church also established the Sacraments to help the members learn the doctrine and practice the doctrine.
The Eastern Orthodox Church broke from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054. Although they are different, they share more than they differ. Some of these doctrinal differences lie with the items that the Catholics believe are developments to the Bible, whereas the Orthodox believe they are simply additions. Eastern Orthodox believe that through the Church they can attain salvation. That is only if the individual is working to save not only themselves, but the entire Church.
The hardest split to understand is the split of the Protestant Church from the Roman Catholic Church. There are many outside factors to consider, however faith and the Protestant principle encouraged their split in the 16th century. The movements of the heart, mind and will are what makeup the Protestant faith principle. The Protestant Principle, as Smith states, “Philosophically, it warns against absolutizing the relative. Theologically, it warns against idolatry.”
All these religions formed as a result of individuals and then groups questioning the “group-think” of their own religion. They all have a common belief in Christ, they just differ in how they believe He should be worshiped.
Who Wrote the Bible
Lawrence Schiffman states how one can notice the human interference in the Torah.
Questioning the Bible/Torah and where it came from is a taboo topic among the religions that use this text.
It is believed that the Bible first started through sharing stories and genealogies around campfires.
The Old and New Testament comprise the Bible. The Apocrypha is sometimes included as an addendum to the Bible.
The Dead Sea Scrolls is a crucial discovery of ancient text that “backs up” the Bible. Many of these documents are those that are included in the Bible. Several of the manuscripts are different renditions of each other. They give the example of the Book of Samuel and how it is better and longer in the scroll version because many copies were in circulation. On the other side, the Book of Jeremiah is worse.
There was a scroll that was written on copper, suggesting that it was kept in the temple due to the temple having the nicer things of the world. The scrolls were probably hidden by a group of people who did not intend to leave these treasures hidden for long.
There have been discoveries leading people to believe that the Torah was not entirely written by Moses. For example, how could he write about his own death? It could have been him writing or it could have been written by Joshua.
There are portions of the Bible that are called “doublets.” There are stories that use one name of God and a doublet of the same story using another name of God. Something must have been going on.
The early European translation of the Hebrew Bible is the reason that Jehovah is used in lieu of Yahweh
The video starts to share the story of David and Solomon of the Bible. One of which was the separation of the two kingdoms and the formation of Judah and Israel. This division created a priest in each Kingdom. These priest begin to keep records for the Church and essentially both priests are writing the same history. This is possibly the reason for having the same stories written a different way. The Assyrians conquered the north kingdom and corrupted many teachings.
Josiah is reminded of how there should only be one god and many other laws. Josiah starts a cleansing due to his acknowledgement of the laws found in Deuteronomy. Isaiah is the book that describes the coming of a Messiah
Modern Jewish belief is that the Torah is the word of God written entirely by Moses. Questioning this belief to some Jews believe that this is questioning the divinity of God.
One of the gentlemen in the video spends some time defining the Bible and visiting the Holy Land while doing so. One thing I found interesting was that people go to Jerusalem and try to re-create the walk that Jesus made with a cross on his back. They actually carry a cross in the streets.
Egypt has proven to be one of the best places for these ancient texts to survive the elements due to its dry heat. Many manuscripts have been found here. That includes the discovery of the oldest piece of the New Testament written on papyrus.
Researchers have identified that the Bible has been written by many scribes. The stories of the scribes/writers of the Bible are not all written or found.
Religion Final Question 9 -
Quoting my post #7 from week 4, “Gnosticism is many things. That is because there is no set “religion” or “leader” defining its principles. There are many schools of thought; four of those being Marcion, Basilides, Valentinus and Mani. The Gnostic movement pulls from Zoroastrianism, Judaism, neo-Platonism, Christianity, possibly Hinduism and other mystical philosophies. Of these philosophies, Christianity and Gnosticism seem to be associated together more often. Those who were Christian and Gnostic claimed to have the “truth” in the teachings of Jesus. Many did not like this and felt as though this union of Christianity and Gnosticism was a destructive force to the faith. In fact, as the movement progressed, any thought of Gnosticism was condemned and thought of as heresy. It is because of the charge of heresy that writings of Gnosticism are not to be found at this time. They have been destroyed.
Gnosticism was not and is not limited to Christianity. Gnostics can also be found in Judaism. However, it is thought by Birger Peasron, and expert in Gnostic studies, that Jewish Gnosticism is not recognizable as part of Judaism as Christianity is with Gnosticism. He also believes and teaches that the Gnostic movement was a way for those who were Christian and Gnostic to become part of Christian circles/communities. This was accomplished by sharing “secrets” of the “true” teachings of Jesus. These “secrets” are the reason to skeptic’s belief that Jesus Christ came into play as a savior figure.
Many Gnostics have reversed the roles of “good” and “evil” in Christian teachings claiming to have a “deeper meaning” to the teachings. For example, the story of the creation found in the Bible; god, being the creator, is thought of to be of evil origin, therefore creation is evil. This is one example of Christian teachings that have been “undermined” by Gnostic beliefs.”
Tim Callahan asserts that Christianity prevailed through Roman history for three main factors: “1 - the broad base of its appeal to those searching for what was lacking in Rome’s state religion; 2 - acceptance of all people of whatever social station, race, or gender; 3 - its belief that the Kingdom of God was at hand.”
He continues to describe how there were also many other alternate religions that flourished during the Roman era. There were three main aspects that these alternate religions appealing to those who were searching during this time: “1 - a god who transcended the material cosmos and stood separate from it, 2 - a muth of bodily triumph over physical death, and 3 - a rigorous code of ethics.” Christianity was the only belief system at the time that offered all three.
Christianity also seemed to prevail due to strength in numbers. Other belief systems were possibly “choked out” or “suffocated” due to the over-bearing population of Christians. Another key factor to its survival is due to its apocalyptical beliefs. Why would Christians revolt against a system that they know is going to be replaced when the world is destroyed?
After viewing both of these texts, I believe that gnosticism has failed for a few reasons. My number one reason for believing it has not succeeded is due to there being no “head” or “director” to follow. Even though its principles can offer new insight to doctrinal principles, there is no organization to follow. Many people crave being told what to do and what to believe. It makes life easier being a lemming for many. Few want to stand out or make decisions that could possibly alienate themselves from society. The second reason I believe it has not taken hold of many is because of the many controversial teachings that go against mainstream beliefs. There are similar beliefs, but it is almost as though it is like a relationship of a parent with a child. No matter what the parent tries to tell the child, the child will do the opposite.
Religion Final Question 10 -
John Dominic Crossan brings to light for me a question that I have never asked. He question goes something like this, with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, why would we ever question the story of Jesus? He argues that most people who read/study the Bible and the four gospels, they are reviewed in a vertical and consecutive manner. Reading the Bible this way gives the opinion that the gospels are in harmony and unity, one with another. Crossan contends that the gospels need to be read and studied using a horizontal and comparative manner. By doing this one will find disagreement among the gospel records.
He provides an example of the existence of another gospel, the Gospel of Thomas. This writing does not identify itself as a gospel until the end. This writing is more or less a quote book of what Jesus said during his ministry. There is no order to this and it is completely void of any miracles, deeds, account of the resurrection or the crucifixion. Crossan argues, that since there is another gospel, there could be other gospels. In addition to this belief, he argues that this gospel, due to its lack of organization or stories was not aloud to join the other four gospels in the Bible. It was more of a secret work due to its different style in writing.
Crossan locate the “hostorical Jesus” through three vectors and using triangulation to identify him. These three vectors are 1 - Cross-cultural anthropology, 2 - Greco-Roman and Jewish history and 3 - Literary or texts. Cross-cultural anthropology is searching for what is common between one society at one point in history with another society at a different point in history. By searching history to know the ins and outs of the cultures during those time periods we are eliminating Jesus from the equation. We are creating a methodology that permits study of cultures without creating a biased opinion of Jesus.
Greco-Roman and Jewish history has to be reviewed in order to understand what was going on around the time of Jesus. We look at the Jewish and Greco-Roman history together because the Jews were under Roman rule during this time in history. Crossan particularly likes the historian Josephus and his separate and parallel accounts of this period.
The final vector to Crossan’s method is the literary or textual vector. In this vector one needs to look at all writings from this era that are found in the New Testament and whatever gospels that are not found in the New Testament. In doing this, one can analyze the things found in and out of the New Testament better. At times there are things blatantly not included in the New Testament that are found in the other gospels not found in the New Testament. Using this method, one can more objectively study the historical Jesus.
Now that all this information has been compiled, one needs to start “peeling back the layers” as Crossan says. He also states that it is important for one to start where there are multiple accounts of an event or action. Singular accounts can be true, but how does one verify them? Especially an event or action that has taken place approximately 2,000 years ago. By using this method, it may not prove the exact truth, but it builds a strong case against proving whatever was discovered false.
The following is the summary of the videos that I provided for post 12.
“Video 1 - Death of Jesus - He discusses here how the four gospels seem to rely entirely on one writer, Mark. Mark appears to be relying on the Old Testament. He is not questioning the history of Jesus, he is focusing on the elements of the history of Jesus. There are echos of his story in the Old Testament. It seems as though the overall story is modeled after the Old Testament. Behind the story of Jesus is layers of Old Testament text that has been formed into a narrative story.
Video 2 - Methodology - Cross-cultural anthropology involves many things. The major items are power and privilege. This creates a large discrepancy between the peasants and the elites. In a traditional agrarian society the elites take the surplus of the peasants. In a commercialized/industrialized agrarian society the elites take the land from the peasants. Taking the land makes it easier for the elites to take control of the peasants. This control basically destroys the lifestyle of the peasants.
Video 3 - Compassion and Jesus - Violence is something that plagues the world. Crossan describes how Jesus is not a god of violence. He describes how he says to Pilate that “His kingdom is not of this world.” He describes how if Jesus had his kingdom in this world that his people would be here and there would be no violence. He argues that since God is not a violent god, therefore we should also be non-violent. This is a radical claim because as we know, man is violent.
Video 4 - Fundamentalism - Literalism is someone who takes everything in the Bible literally. Anything that could be taken literally should be taken literally. Fundamentalists say that if you don’t take it literally you’re not Christian. And if you say it shouldn’t be taken literally you are an anti-Christian. He states that there is a “genocidal germ” that exists in fundamentalism. He states how we would need to kill all the people who don’t know the truth or think like we do so that the truth could be preserved and believed. He uses Hitler’s book “Mien Kampf” as an example. Hitler called the Jews a disease and a plague. This led someone to think that we need to eliminate the disease or plague. Thus the holocaust was born.”
Religion Final Question 11 -
Differences between Matthew and Luke with regards to the birth narrative of Jesus. There are little inconsistencies with the two gospel’s versions of the time leading up to his birth with regards to where they were living or visiting before the birth of Jesus.
In order to make the story of his birth work with history, many parts would need to be “fudged” to make the story work.
The trial of Jesus also has its inconsistencies. Mr. Martin introduces the historical knowledge that in that period Romans crucified Jewish trouble-makers without any trial all the time. Was Jesus silent during his trial or did he have dialogue with Pilate? Mr. Martin argues that the Apostles (peasants of that time) would not have been at the trial. They would not have walked into Pilate’s “office” because of their status in society.
He brings up the point of how scholars speaking of the Historical Jesus can be detrimental to Christians and anti-Christians. Speaking to the Christians about the inconsistencies is borderline taking the carpet from right under their feet while the anti-Christians would take this same information and say to any believer that they are foolish for believing such things. Either way, Mr. Martin says both sides would be wrong. History leads us to believe certain things happened certain ways; however we cannot be certain how things actually happened.
Mr. Martin does assert that good scholars in fact believe that Jesus did exist. They are not asserting his miracles and other event happen. They are only agreeing to his existence.
The past is non-existent. All we can experience are different accounts of the past. We can only construct a historical Jesus using the information that we have been provided through our available records.
The title “King of the Jews” is a title that Mr. Martin expresses to be one that was given to Jesus years after his ministry was over.
Mr. Martin discusses 3 main rules to the Historical Jesus.
1 - Multiple Attestations - “More than 1 independent source that has a saying or an event about Jesus.”
2 - Dissimilarity - “When you find something in an early Christian source that seems to go against the very inclinations of the source, it is more likely to be historical.”
3 - Social Coherence - When you see something that would fit/not fit into the life of Jesus.
I believe that Mr. Martin and Mr. Crossan would get along very well. I believe that Crossan’s research methodology is very similart to the of Mr. Martin. Mr. Martin’s method of research falls into Mr. Crossan’s vector of literary or texts. Mr. Martin focuses on the actual writings that are from that time period and studies them in a horizontal way similar to that of Mr. Crossan’s. Mr. Crossan’s method may provide more depth than the method of Mr. Martin due to Mr. Crossan’s study of social studies and history from that era.
