“Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnation of God in Christianity, is one of history’s most compelling, multi-faceted, and elusive figures. How was this charismatic first-century Jewish teacher recognized as “God incarnate?” First, he seemed divine to his followers during his lifetime. His apostles and disciples experienced him as extraordinary – many left their conventional lives and risked everything to follow him. They experienced a “presence of the sacred” while with him. Second, Jesus embodied the aspirations, dreams, and hopes of some of his Jewish contemporaries, leading them to view him as the prophesied Messiah. Third, Jesus’ apostles and disciples experienced him as an ever-present divine reality after the event known as Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after his death.
Jesus’ extraordinary significance for Christians is apparent in the testimony of his early followers who spoke of him in the most exalted terms imaginable. As the “Son of God,” the “Word /Logos made flesh,” Jesus embodies what can be seen and known of God in a perfect human life. As the “Living Water” and the “Bread of Life” he nourishes his followers. As the “Lamb of God” he constitutes the perfect sacrifice. Finally, as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) and “ the Light of the World” (John 8:12) he enlightens humans about the nature and will of God, and about the path to eternal life.
The presence of Jesus after the event of Pentecost is a central affirmation of early Christianity, of the Gospels, and of the New Testament. It is also the core message of Easter. This leads to a distinction made by biblical scholars, between the “pre-Easter Jesus” and the “post-Easter Jesus” (this is a term from Marcus Borg, a preeminent biblical scholar and an influential voice in progressive Christianity). The “pre-Easter Jesus” is frequently referred to as the “Jesus of history.” The “post-Easter Jesus” is called the “Christ of Faith.” Biblical scholars point to the differences between the depiction of Jesus before his death and what Jesus became after his death. Whereas the pre-Easter Jesus was finite and mortal – though able to work extraordinary miracles – the post-Easter Jesus is a divine reality, God incarnate. The belief that Jesus had been both fully human and fully divine was implicit and widely felt in the centuries after his death, though not finalized and made an official doctrine until the fourth century CE. Most prominently, it was the Church Council of Nicaea — convened by the Emperor Constantine in 325 CE with the purpose of stopping the warring among Christian factions over the nature of Christ — that formulated this belief also known as the Nicene Creed.
The adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire by the Emperor Theodosius in the late fourth century CE led to additional changes and theological adjustments within the new faith. For example, the so-called fall/redemption theology — also known as the doctrine of atonement — gained increasing importance, especially in the Latin West, partly because it served the power needs of the imperial Church by reinforcing its role as mediator between God and humans. According to this doctrine, the entire human race was tainted by Adam’s fall, and the death of an ordinary human could not possibly constitute an acceptable sacrifice. The Church now taught that God’s grace could only be received by offering the sacrifice of a perfect human life. Thus, Christians came to believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross to redeem the sins of humankind.
Along with key passages from the Pauline letters, John’s reassuring proclamation that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” provided the theological rationale for the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. This doctrine in particular emphasized the uniqueness and exclusivity of Jesus’ sacrifice, suggesting that the inexhaustible reality of God had been manifest in just one perfect human being, who was then required to give his own life to atone for the transgressions of all.
This key passage from John doesn’t have to be read within the context of the traditional fall/redemption theology. It could equally be interpreted as referring to Jesus’ incarnation or his life as a whole. According to this progressive view, the divine manifested in the physical body of Jesus Christ so that humans might fully awaken to the divinity at the core of their own being by following this inspirational example. Such an understanding shifts the focus from a predominantly static hope of salvation in a presupposed afterlife to a more dynamic vision of the Christian life — a vision that involves a process of self-discovery, spiritual transformation, and active participation in this world.
Jesus’ encounter with John the Baptist involved a baptismal ceremony that led to what we may call a grand epiphany. This apparent rebirth from “water and spirit,” along with a purported supernatural event that included the audible voice of God, drove Jesus into the wilderness where he faced what biblical scholars refer to as the three “temptation narratives.” Shortly after his baptism by John and this sojourn in the wild, Jesus began a public ministry that lasted between one and three years. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus attracted a great following by curing the sick and — according to scriptural accounts — displaying his mastery over the laws of nature. Involvement in this miracle tradition gives dimension to the esoteric-mystical core of Jesus Christ’s teachings as recorded by both the canonical and the non-canonical Gospels (in particular the so-called Gnostic scriptures). In my discussion I will focus on the following interconnected key themes: Jesus’ image of God and his experience of God, love and forgiveness, Jesus and the Self, and Jesus’ social vision of “God’s Kingdom.”
We’ll learn how Jesus’ God is a caring God of abundance who is described as an archetypal “Father” in the scriptures, and also, in metaphors, is reminiscent of the “Mother” archetype. The pre-Easter Jesus was a Jewish mystic who led a life that was fully centered in God. Jesus’ God was not an article of belief, but an experienced reality that was illuminated in core teachings about unconditional love and the spiritual power of forgiveness. This was not the first time love and forgiveness have been taught in a wisdom tradition – but Jesus articulated these principles with a passion that has brought them to the forefront of human consciousness. The process of going within and exploring our essential Christ nature is alluded to in the Gospels with many different metaphors that Jesus uses such as, for example, the image of the “mustard seed.” However, we’ll note how Jesus makes it clear that the process of self-discovery involves a long and arduous journey.
Finally, the focus will shift to Jesus’ social vision — a vision that is commonly referred to as “God’s Kingdom.” But what was the content of this vision, and how and when would the Kingdom be established? Disagreement exists over the answers to these questions, but scholars agree that the Kingdom of God is a blessed state of affairs, a transformed world in which the last would be first and the first last. This vision of a Kingdom of God posed a threat to the Roman Empire, who had political control of Palestine during Jesus’ lifetime. Jesus was led to his arrest and execution because of his vision of the Kingdom of God. He gave his life for it.
Those who followed Jesus and called themselves Christians changed history. Important tenets of the Christian faith and Church tradition include the multilayered doctrines of original sin, vicarious atonement, and redemption. Most prominently, this fall/redemption theology — promoted by the imperial Church — led to a new focus of the Christian life centered primarily on Jesus’ passion and his death. I will discuss some essential aspects of the theological controversy that erupted around the problem of the “risen Christ.” The resurrection of a savior figure is an archetypal theme found in many pre-Christian cultures as well (examples include the Egyptian savior-god Osiris, the Greek “god man” Dionysos (Roman Bacchus), the Persian solar deity Mithras, and the Aztec savior-hero Quetzalcoatl). The idea of resurrection will be discussed from a cross-cultural comparative perspective that addresses symbolic references such as the Christian cross and its possible connection to the universal World Tree.
Today, Christianity is the most widespread of all the great religions, with approximately two billion adherents. Nearly two thousand years of history have added an astonishing diversity to this religion, as apparent in its three major divisions: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. It would, however, exceed the scope of this book to discuss the history of the differences between these three divisions in ritual, doctrine, and scripture interpretation, and such issues are already well covered elsewhere. Instead, this volume will focus on today’s progressive independent scholarship, exploring ideas that are considered factual and plausible by most biblical scholars, historians, and archeologists about the man known to history as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’ teachings are discussed within the historical-cultural context of first-century Palestine, and, at the same time, are related to emergent concerns and trends in contemporary spirituality. I am not professing to speak for all Christians and Christianity. For the most part, my text reflects my personal interpretation as based on extensive research and scholarship.
The perception of Jesus Christ has undergone dramatic changes over the centuries. Today, as a result of the evolution of consciousness and culture, we seem to have as many diverse ideas about Jesus Christ and what he represents as there are colors in the rainbow — even among those who call themselves Christians and claim to follow his teachings. For example, if we follow the cultural stages outlined in Integral theory and Spiral Dynamics, then the ethnocentric “traditional Christ” proclaims in authoritarian fashion: “I am the one and only son of God. If you give yourself to me alone, you shall be saved and granted eternal life.” In contrast to this, the “modernist Christ” is an embodiment of extraordinary human skills and a potential that can be strategically applied to achieve great success and abundance. A different conception, the world-centric “post-modernist Christ,” would acknowledge that Jesus’ teachings are one among many paths to the truth, and this path would emphasize egalitarian principles and universal compassion.
Finally, to take it one step further, the “integral Christ” would affirm and celebrate the radical interconnectedness of all life. This last conception is similar to the cosmic Christ hinted at in Paul’s writing, in whom all things are held together (and which is the sacred evolutionary impulse of Christ consciousness that drives the perpetual unfolding of the cosmos and all of life (human and other-than-human) in its multiple forms beyond all conceptions and limitations). Beyond the perception of the universe as an integrated whole, a follower of the “mystical Christ” knows the great diversity of life is an expression of the divine. The Christ of John’s gospel, for example, reflects this mystical awareness when he encourages his disciples to realize their own Christ-like natures.”
~ Isabella Price, Jesus Christ: The Love and Wisdom of a First-Century Mystic
Isabella Price grew up in Zurich, Switzerland, and moved to the SF Bay area in early 2001 where she lives with her beloved husband and two remarkable felines. She is a well-traveled international speaker and author who has been highly successful with her presentations, workshops, and classes at universities, colleges, and various adult education venues. Isabella has participated in many rituals and celebrations across cultures and religions. She also teaches meditation to veterans suffering from PTSD and is a SQ21 Spiritual Intelligence consultant.
Image ~ Mosaic of Jesus Christ, Hagia Sofia in Istanbul
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