Over that past two millenniums, there has been much criticism and many arguments made about the historical significance of Jesus. In the book “The Jesus Controversy: Perspectives in Conflict” there are many new perspectives incorporated through three different authors eyes who each have their own views on Jesus’ role in history. The three professors who wrote this paramount book were Professors John Crossan, Luke Johnson, and Werner Kelber each of who teaches different religious programs at some of the top recognized college institutions. The preliminary writings throughout his book are broken down into three different areas exploring topics such as the historical, theological, and textual problems at core of this theological controversy. Interesting…
In an ever changing world, what is promised initially may not always go as planned when it is put to the test. John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, tells the story of Johnny Wheelwright, a boy growing up in Gravesend, New Hampshire, struggling with identity and faith. But one cannot tell the story of Johnny Wheelwright without including Owen Meany, the tiny, dwarflike boy who is the only reason Johnny believes in God. Owen is a major spiritual character and his actions have direct correlations with those of Johnny’s. Throughout his life, Johnny’s views and feelings are constantly changing.…
John uses the translation of the Greek term Logos, “Word” to describe Jesus’ pre-birth existence in heaven before he came to earth and God’s infinite wisdom personified. In John, Jesus is the human form of God’s heavenly Word, the cosmic expression of divine Wisdom by which God created the universe (Harris 2015). Logos can mean anything from a divine statement to the principle of cosmic reason, a force that oversees and governs the entire universe (Harris, 2015). John diden’t speak of Jesus’ physical birth, but of Christ turning to flesh, or a spiritual Logos. John’s use of the Greek term logos connects Jesus with the creation account of Genesis, for example when he states “When all things began,” it is recalling God’s command from the creation…
Anti-Semitism in the Gospel of John Many people today discredit the validity of the Gospel of John because it includes content that may be interpreted as anti-Jewish. This material could be a reflection of the emerging division between Jewish Christian and Jews. In this paper, I will be inspecting the Gospel of John to validate the presence of anti-Semitic material. Exploration of the historical background of this time will be analyzed to determine the derivation of anti-Semitism within this gospel based on the Gospel of John’s negative representation of the Jews and their traditions.…
Simply Good News: A Response In his book, Simply Good News, N.T. Wright sets out to explain the Gospel–or the “good news”–of Jesus. However, he does so in a way that Jesus and the first century believers would have done, instead of using a modern (and dethatched) context. In so doing, Wright demonstrates the duplicity of the modern view, which renders good news into mere good advice. This is Wright’s main point; the Gospel is not mere advice, instead it is good news that should spark in us a joy, love, and desire for our unique and loving God.…
As the final book of the Old Testament concludes, the statement of God’s justice and the promise of his return through the coming Messiah is clear in the ears of the Israelites. Four hundred years of silence develops, ending with a related message from God’s next prophet, John the Baptist,…
And while trust in human reason and hope for happiness in this world faded during the last centuries of the Roman Empire, a new view of the world began to establish its roots - Christianity. This view had emphasized escape from the world of coercion and a growing connection with higher existence. In response to the decline of Hellenism, Christianity offered a reason worth living to the spiritually disappointed polytheistic followers and the Greco-Roman world: hope in personal immortality. Triumph of Christianity marked a break with classical antiquity and a new stage in the evolution of the West because there was a fundamental difference between the classical and the Christian understanding of God, the individual and the purpose of life.…
John is a mandated client which means that he is required to meet with me against his will. I will need to be understanding and supportive of his situation, acknowledging that this is a difficult situation for all. It would be a challenge to motivate John into becoming actively engaged in treatment but it’s the responsibility of the John, myself and the system of care.…
In today’s world, religion is often a subject where one is encouraged to tread lightly, where constructive criticism has seemingly lost its place to passionate claims of heresy. Thus, it is only fitting that a book co-written by a self-proclaimed modernist, in Marcus Borg, and an undeniable traditionalist, in N.T. Wright, takes the form that we see in The Meaning of Jesus Christ: Two Visions. Each section of the book is broken down into two separate chapters; one written through the viewpoint of Marcus Borg and one as seen by N.T. Wright. What results is a seemingly flawless representation of what the discussions about Christianity should look like when taken from the various independent sects of the larger religion. This book showed its readers…
Determining the Price of Individuality Sometimes ignorance truly is not bliss. Both 1984 by Charles Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are clear indicators-though executed in severely opposing ways- of how individuality is worth dying to save. These two novels reveal at its close that losing your individuality is a fate worse than death. Conforming to the mold of society dissipates original thought, leading to loss of individuality which stems from intelligence. This submission, which Winston finally succumbed to and John faced death to avoid, can be more terrifying than even death.…
Ford 1 Raeya Ford Miss. Fleming NBE 3U1 21, November, 2017 Unhealthy Medicine Wheels In Motorcycles & Sweetgrass Medicine Wheels are a very important idea to Indigenous people throughout Canada, they can represent many things such as east, south, west, and north, or infant, youth, adult, and elder. The Indigenous people tried very hard to keep each section in balance because they believed that if they were to become unbalanced than that person was no longer healthy. In the novel Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor, it's clear that not all the characters have a healthy Medicine Wheel, due to events that had happened in their past.…
What is the difference between between knowledge and the truth? In “By the Waters of Babylon,” John is searching for more knowledge in a place that is forbidden, according to his society. On his journey John discovers more than just knowledge, he discovers the truth. Throughout the story, the narrator explains what he is feeling, this helps the reader understand how his knowledge differs from the truth.…
By The Waters of Babylon is a short story written by Stephen Vincent Benét, first published July 31, 1937. It’s a story written under the threat of a second world war in a world still recovering from the first. Whether you like post-apocalyptic stories or not, this is a story that is certain to resonate with most audiences because of its moral and plot twists. John, son of John-- is this story’s quintessential protagonist. He is to go on a journey and learn the secrets of the world, or in this case, the gods.…
The Gospel of John is one of the four Gospels written to tell the story of Jesus’ life. Just as Matthew, Mark, and Luke have given their accounts of Jesus’ miracles so has John. Though these accounts may have their own way of telling what is important to them, the main fact is that these Gospels were recorded so that we may learn more of the word of God. “In order to understand John’s approach to the story of Jesus, the reader must recognize the centrality of the incarnation of the Gospel” (NIB 1905). The book of John begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).…
Several massive epidemics swept over the Roman Empire and destroyed a large percentage of the population. With these diseases taking control over the lives of the human population, social status and level of education didn't matter anymore. Stark develops three theses to describe the Christian and Pagan responses to the epidemics. The first thesis states that the Christian responded to the ill in a more comforting manner than the pagans projecting a more hopeful future. The second thesis states “Christian values of love and charity had, from the beginning, been translated into norms of social service and community solidarity” (74).…