Having little biblical background of the Christian lord, Jesus Christ, and yet having endured myriad quotations and descriptions of Jesus throughout my growing-up years in the heart of the bible belt (Memphis, Tennessee), I hope to verify the bible’s accounts of Jesus. I want to discern for myself whether the accounts of Jesus should be taken literally or figuratively. In reading the accounts of Jesus, I expect to see either contradictory or similar portrayals of Jesus. I expect to gain insight to the Christians perspective of Jesus as their savior; and will try to understand how certain words could and have been taken out of context to support particular Christian claims. Overall, I want to know the accounts of Jesus for myself so that I will have the capability to discuss his death and regarded importance with people of Christian faiths. I want the cognizance of Jesus to support my own beliefs regarding him and the Christian religion; so that I no longer have to compliantly agree with conservative Christians in religious conversations due to my unfamiliarity with the Jesus depicted in the bible.
Upon reading his letters on the accounts of Jesus, I am deeply disturbed by Paul’s numerous contradictions, jarring hypocrisies, blatant anti-Semitism, and demeaning antifeminism. Even more troubling is Paul’s consistent failure to not ever quote Jesus, but to make the recipients of his letters rely solely on the fact that God and Jesus consecrated him, Paul—according to Paul, himself (of course). Paul believes that he has been chosen, much like Abraham, Noah, Moses and the Prophets to carry out Jesus’ demands of how people should live until Jesus returns. However, unlike Abraham, Noah, Moses, and the Prophets, Paul does not dictate t...
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...ow may potentially re-marry according to the Lord, but not if she wishes to abide by the judgment of Paul and remain “holy” (1 COR 7:34-39). If Christ were Paul, Women wouldn’t stand a chance.
Paul believes he is preaching the gospel truth of Jesus’ return. He believes he is speaking, from Christ, the guidelines for redemption. But nothing more than beliefs are Paul’s words. Throughout his letters he incessantly contradicts himself and the Old Testament. He disapproves boasting about wisdom and knowledge, while hypocritically boasting about his supposed gospel. He slanders the Jewish faith by condemning the act of circumcision. And lastly, he degrades women by defying them of their individual and bodily feelings. He limits them to the control of man, either a husband or Jesus. Paul’s letters of Jesus are not holy, and they do speak on behalf of the holy. Amen.
The contents of the Bible have dealt with controversy in regards to its inerrancy since publication, and will surely continue to. Historians progress to learn more about biblical stories in order to provide evidence for the reliability of information. Many believers today understand that not everything in the Bible has been factually proven. An outstanding topic many scholars pay attention to lies within the four gospels. The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, replay essentially the same story with minor inconsistencies, while John portrays Jesus in an entirely different way. The differences in each gospel are due to how each gospel entertains different portrayals of the life and understanding of Jesus himself, in order to persuade
Paul the Apostle is the central figure in many New Testament writings. Many historians have attributed fourteen New Testament letters to Paul’s writing; seven of these letters are uncontested meaning historians are sure that Paul wrote them, the remaining seven are contested. Paul was not always a Christian; in fact, he persecuted Christians before Christ came and temporarily blinded him. Upon seeing Christ, Paul devoted his life to Christianity and set out to spread the teachings of Christ. Scholars often credit Paul’s leadership to the ability of the Church to become Hellenistic in one generation. Paul also answered specific worries and questions that his converters may have had in many of his writings; one of these writings is 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul set out to deal with the many believers in Corinth who are divided into the followings of Paul or Apollos rather than Christianity as a whole. The converts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were divided during times of worship because of jealousy invoked by the spiritual gifts received from the “Spirit”; the worships and the church became a place to boast who is closest to God, instead of a place of worship, interpretation, and love. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Paul set guidelines in times of worship to heal the divide among his converts present in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
Hall, Gerald. "Jesus' Crucifixon and Death." Academics' Web Pages. School of Theology at McAuley Campus. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.
Jesus, a name known by billions throughout the world. To each, this name means something different; savior, friend, philosopher, prophet, teacher, fraud, fake, liar. Some even believe that He is just an imaginary character from the minds of those who wrote about Him. The Westminster Dictionary of Theology describes apologetics as, "Defense, by argument, of Christian belief against external criticism or against other worldly views" (Apologetics 31-32). Though there are still many mysteries that surround the ongoing debate about Christianity, evidence can now prove some of what Christians took by faith before. Now, more than ever, there is information to prove the existence of this man that walked the earth more than two thousand years ago. Little remains of His life and works except for that which is contained within the pages of the Holy Bible. Throughout the past century alone, there have been numerous discoveries, both scientific and archeological; to further prove the existence of a man called Jesus and reinforce the Bible as a legitimate historical document. The validity of Christianity and Jesus Christ himself has been the center of religious controversy for centuries. Though His identity has not and probably never will be proven, He did exist. This paper will use apologetics to prove this so. Sufficient evidence proves the existence of Jesus and forms a firm basis for Christianity.
The rest of this letter to the Philippians is much more praise and thanks from Paul. The interesting part about this and something to remember is that Paul is in fact imprisoned and rather than complaining about his situation, he takes the opportunity to give God the glory. Paul in fact uses the word “joy” sixteen times throughout this letter and overall that is a summary of what he is expressing to the Philippians. Rather than Paul merely rebuking the Philippians and making a laundry list of all the things they were doing incorrectly, Paul was taking delight in knowing that the Philippians were doing God’s will. Along with this, ...
In a self-description of Paul, the author uses his own words as an insight to the view of which he held of himself. He referred to himself as a “planter,” a “Master builder,” a “foundation layer” and considered his ministry as primary. (50) She also states that Paul saw himself as an unskilled public speaker and references (2 Cor 11:6). She says that he was often concerned with his message and how it was received also referencing (1 Cor 2:3-4; 2 Cor 10:10) (49) However, the author indicates that in Paul’s time speech was a necessary foundation of civic life. (60) She states that those who taught “religious and philosophical truths” were expected to use rhetorical writing and speak with eloquence.” (60) Some argue that Paul did not have formal
Prompt 1: Comparisons of the gospels of Luke and Mark Each of the gospels were written for different audiences, with distinctive goals of conversion by their respective authors. However, they told similar stories of the same incidences during the life of Jesus. All four author used different emphasis and literary devices to get their points across. Luke’s rendition of the story of Jesus Christ was literarily the most extraordinary. He used a sophisticated language that was well-suited for the scholarly citizens of the roman empire.
Wright in his book “Knowing Jesus through the Old Testaments” introduces the Jesus Christ from the two sides of his personality, representing him both as a human being and as a Jew. Wright has chosen to analyze the Old Testament for out of his own conviction it should help the reader to better understand the Jesus through the understanding of the Old Testament. The case is the possible information known to the Christians about the life of Jesus might differ from the knowledge that can be obtained through the careful reading and analysis of the Old Testament, which Wright has experienced personally (Wright 8).
Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel different at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the Gospels and Paul’s letters it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining goals and values.
The gospels explain Jesus’ life and death including His identity but also his activities, works, leadership and his suffering. Jesus is seen as a manifestation of God’s relationship with humans. An important fact about Jesus is the humility and modesty associated with his birth, upbringing and death. The fact that such a person ...
Holding true to obedience of God’s laws and proceeding with honesty and integrity may jeopardize Paul’s standing; however, such is the cost of being true to one’s faith and the Christian worldview (DiVincenzo, 2014).
When considering information about Jesus, it is important to consider whether that information has been gathered from above or below. Broken down, the concept of differentiating between “Christology from above” and “Christology from below” essentially means whether or not you examine Jesus as a Godly figure or a humanly figure. The high-descending approach examines Jesus from the holy lens in the sense that “…the Word of God descends from heaven and becomes flesh, is glorified in death, and returns to the Father in heaven,” (McMahon XV) whereas the low-ascending approach demonstrates how Jesus was actually a human. Both approaches can be useful in different ways, but in terms of understanding who Jesus Christ was, the most effective
As Christians in a marriage many have decided to take words within the Bible and use them to their own benefits and scrutinized the meaning of what marriage is about. It already known that God made woman from man and that she is to be his helpmate. And the one reason why marriage is supposed to occurs is to keep believers from sexual sin or sexual immorality. Therefore, God asked for man to find a wife, so that he does not succumb to the sin of sex, which could further lead one into other forms of sin. Yet, Paul makes it clear that it is better to remain a single person because they can stay focused on God and commit themselves to him. Also, the apostle said that he wishes people to remain single because there will be many problems that will arise within a marriage. And he sent this letter to the people of Corinthians because God was not pleased with what he saw in these people. In the times of the Romans it was prevalent for the term of “Corinthian Girl” was loosely used to mean a
A letter written from a loved one is something that is held as a prized possession. This is especially true if the letter contains encouragement or sound life advice from someone who is no longer living. Such a document contains a connection to the past and words of inspiration for the future. The reader of Second Timothy discovers, rather quickly, that this is the case for this body of work. In Pauls’ final letter to Timothy, one will find an imprisoned mentor writing to his protege in order to encourage him to continue the good work and to instill confidence in his Savior. While this letter was written to a young minister in the first century, there are vital points for believers today.