Jesus Seminar Paragraph Marcus J. Borg attests in his book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time that Jesus comprises two distinct personas; “the pre-Easter Jesus” and “the post-Easter Jesus” (20). He further implies that it is necessary for us to be able to differentiate between these identities, and cites and commends “the work of a group of scholars known as the Jesus Seminar” in dutifully analyzing and clarifying these necessary distinctions (21). Borg states that the Seminar “[has] met twice a year for the sake of voting on the historical accuracy of the sayings of Jesus” (21). By using a color-coded system for each disputed Jesus-saying, the Seminar is able to reach a general consensus on the validity of such statement, and whether
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Borg closely relates to Jesus’ stance on compassion to his usage of subversive wisdom. In order to understand Jesus’ wisdom, it is necessary to understand “conventional wisdom” (75). It “is the mainstream wisdom of a culture…a culture’s understandings about what is real and how to live” (70). Jesus’ wisdom was “subversive and alternative wisdom” which “questions and undermines conventional wisdom” (70). More specifically, Borg explains how Jesus “directly attacked the central values of his social world’s conventional wisdom: family, wealth, honor, purity, and religiosity” (81). Furthermore, Jesus often expressed his subversive wisdom by means of parables (70). One parable – and probably the best known – that blatantly demonstrates subversive wisdom is the story of the Good Samaritan (54). The Levite and the priest, both apt personifications of the purity system, pass by the injured man, not wanting to risk “impurity” by approaching him (55). The Good Samaritan, however, shows empathy – and consequently purity in God’s eyes – to the injured man (55). This demonstrates subversive wisdom because the Good Samaritan and the impure injured man are portrayed as the heroes of the story, two people whom the purity system was condemn as sinners and impure …show more content…
Borg’s book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time is an assessment of the teachings and beliefs of Jesus Christ unlike any other. I have been a Christian my whole life, but I nevertheless greatly appreciated the thoughtful analysis and logical conclusions Borg applied to challenge the traditional arguments that Christian practitioners of Aishlinn’s Principle generally cling to. Even as a traditional Christian, I never found myself too perturbed or offended by the arguments Borg laid out, especially regarding subversive wisdom. In fact, I actually found it refreshing to hear an alternative viewpoint on the teachings of Christ that actually made sense, even if they were totally new to me. Such concepts like subversive wisdom, the authenticity of various Jesus-sayings, the ideas of pre-Easter Jesus and post-Easter Jesus, and the purity system were completely new to me, and significantly shaped my understanding and interpretation of my own Christian beliefs. I especially liked the sections on subversive wisdom: analyzing Jesus through the lens of his being a mouthpiece of subversive wisdom helped clarify some of the abstraction I have always felt towards his parables and sayings. I also appreciated how Borg managed to weave together every new concept or original idea of his with those he had already introduced to the reader; for example, his chapter on Sophia greatly emphasized the femininity of Sophia, hearkening back to the subversive wisdom of Christ – as females
Borg closely relates to Jesus’ stance on compassion to his usage of subversive wisdom. In order to understand Jesus’ wisdom, it is necessary to understand “conventional wisdom” (75). It “is the mainstream wisdom of a culture…a culture’s understandings about what is real and how to live” (70). Jesus’ wisdom was “subversive and alternative wisdom” which “questions and undermines conventional wisdom” (70). More specifically, Borg explains how Jesus “directly attacked the central values of his social world’s conventional wisdom: family, wealth, honor, purity, and religiosity” (81). Furthermore, Jesus often expressed his subversive wisdom by means of parables (70). One parable – and probably the best known – that blatantly demonstrates subversive wisdom is the story of the Good Samaritan (54). The Levite and the priest, both apt personifications of the purity system, pass by the injured man, not wanting to risk “impurity” by approaching him (55). The Good Samaritan, however, shows empathy – and consequently purity in God’s eyes – to the injured man (55). This demonstrates subversive wisdom because the Good Samaritan and the impure injured man are portrayed as the heroes of the story, two people whom the purity system was condemn as sinners and impure …show more content…
Borg’s book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time is an assessment of the teachings and beliefs of Jesus Christ unlike any other. I have been a Christian my whole life, but I nevertheless greatly appreciated the thoughtful analysis and logical conclusions Borg applied to challenge the traditional arguments that Christian practitioners of Aishlinn’s Principle generally cling to. Even as a traditional Christian, I never found myself too perturbed or offended by the arguments Borg laid out, especially regarding subversive wisdom. In fact, I actually found it refreshing to hear an alternative viewpoint on the teachings of Christ that actually made sense, even if they were totally new to me. Such concepts like subversive wisdom, the authenticity of various Jesus-sayings, the ideas of pre-Easter Jesus and post-Easter Jesus, and the purity system were completely new to me, and significantly shaped my understanding and interpretation of my own Christian beliefs. I especially liked the sections on subversive wisdom: analyzing Jesus through the lens of his being a mouthpiece of subversive wisdom helped clarify some of the abstraction I have always felt towards his parables and sayings. I also appreciated how Borg managed to weave together every new concept or original idea of his with those he had already introduced to the reader; for example, his chapter on Sophia greatly emphasized the femininity of Sophia, hearkening back to the subversive wisdom of Christ – as females