Posted on 08/10/2013 6:28:57 AM PDT by NYer
.- Although a controversial new book on the “historical Jesus” is topping best-seller lists, claims made by its author are tired when it comes to New Testament scholarship, a Scripture professor says.
“There's basically not a lot new,” Dr. Andre Villeneuve from Denver's St. John Vianney Theological Seminary said of Reza Aslan's recent “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.”
“It kind of re-hashes what's been said in the last – not just 20 or 30 years – but the last 100 or 200 years about the search for 'the historical Jesus,'” he told CNA in an Aug. 6 interview.
“He creates this artificial split between the alleged Jesus of the Gospels and the Jesus of history, as if they would be radically different figures. That again is nothing new, it's been done for decades and even centuries.”
Aslan's book shot to the top of best-seller lists following a roundly criticized July 26 Fox News interview in which his credibility was attacked because of his Muslim religious identity.
“The critique that he's a Muslim is really out of place,” Villeneuve said. “It's not that because you're a Muslim that you can't write a book about Jesus … it's not fair to says he's trying to push the Islamic view of Jesus in the guise of scholarship.”
Villeneuve pointed out that Aslan's positions on Jesus do not always correspond with the Muslim perspective – and that he in fact parts with Islamic belief by acknowledging the crucifixion of Jesus and rejecting the virgin birth.
But in that same Fox News interview, Aslan also claimed to be an expert in religious history, calling himself “a Ph.D. in the history of religions” and “a scholar of religions with a Ph.D. in the subject.”
His doctorate, however, is in sociology, and while he examined the sociology of religions, his expertise – that is, the subject of his dissertation – is the jihadist movement of 20th century Islam.
Aslan is also associate professor of creative writing at University of California-Riverside, based on his master's degree in fiction. He also holds a masters of theological studies, and a bachelor's degree in religions.
“It doesn't seem like New Testament studies would be his specialty,” Villeneuve stated.
Aslan portrays Jesus as the frustrated leader of a rebellion against Roman occupation of Jewish lands, and that he was nothing but a failed revolutionary and zealot.
“That puts Aslan more or less in the liberation theology camp, of seeing Jesus as someone who radically challenged the Roman occupation, and in favor of the poor, the marginalized, the dispossessed – really interested more in social justice than anything else.”
Villeneuve said it's “completely fair” to think that the Romans might have perceived Jesus in such a secular way, but that there is a “big difference between how Jesus saw himself, and how the Romans perceived or understood Jesus.”
“As far as Jesus' point of view goes, it's preposterous to put him in the Zealot camp.”
Villeneuve noted Aslan's contention that Jesus never considered himself to be God, because “that was never heard of in ancient Judaism … he claims the idea of the divinity of the Messiah was completely foreign to Judaism in Jesus' time.”
“This is false,” Villeneuve explained. Among others, Daniel Boyarin, an Orthodox Jewish scholar, has noted that the idea of the Incarnation, “and even of … some plurality in the godhead, were concepts present in Second Temple Judaism.”
Boyarin, he said, points to the book of Daniel and to the apocryphal book of Enoch for the presence of the idea of a divine Messiah being present in the Judaism of Jesus' time, and added that “Aslan does not refer – I'm not sure he's even aware – of these positions.”
“The idea that the divine Messiah was present in Second Temple Judaism would be very important to find out and know, before you start dismissing it and saying 'divine Messiah' was a completely Greek, pagan concept."
While granting that “Zealot” is “thoroughly researched,” Villeneuve said that it seems to have been researched in such a way that “he's influenced by the Jesus seminar school,” which in the 1980s and 90s had proposed Jesus as nothing more than a rabbi, sage and healer.
Aslan's view is dismissive and prejudiced against the very possibility of supernatural occurrences, rejecting the miraculous “because these things just don't happen.”
“Be careful of these anti-supernaturalist prejudices,” Villeneuve advised, “and these revisionists really following the fad of questioning the Christian faith because it's the popular thing to do.”
“There are dozens of good books written about Jesus every year, but whatever will question that will be more readily accepted.”
Villeneuve offered Benedict XVI's books on Jesus of Nazareth as resources that “really answer a lot of these claims” and show that “not only in the Gospel of John, but in the Synoptics, you see a man who is definitely taking on this authority that goes way beyond that of the rabbis and scribes of his day.”
The irony, he said, is that Aslan “proposes Christianity is revisionist,” that the earliest Christian community, as Jews, “were completely willing to go into apostasy” and preach things “contrary to what Jesus actually believed.”
“When we really try to think along those lines of what Aslan's trying to make us believe, it's really somewhat preposterous actually: that all these early martyrs and disciples were willing to die as martyrs for what, according to him, was a colossal lie, or myth.”
“I would submit that Aslan's book is a fad that will pass away, and he's not the first, not the last, but the Gospels will still be around in 20 years, when everyone will have forgotten his book.”
Ping!
Reza Aslan claims that Jesus was a political revolutionary and Zealot because he told his follower to takw a sword with them when they traveled.
Obviously he is not a student of the ancient Middle East, in which there were plenty of highway bandits but no functioning highway patrol or 911.
Are the Swiss, with mandatory arming of all males, a nation of “Zealots?”
——Laughable and ridiculous.
“Aslan” and “Aslam” mean “lion” in Turkish and related languages.
Our deacon in Oklahoma used to say, “There are no new heresies.” Every brilliant, new, wrong idea about Christianity can be found in the first 3 or 4 centuries.
So in other words, what we would really be seeing as a new heresy is really a replaying of the old ones?
Yes. There are the “Jesus was not fully man” sort, with a subset of “Jesus wasn’t a man at all.” There are the “Jesus was not fully divine” sort, with a subset of “Jesus was not divine at all.” There are “Nature of the Trinity” sort, with a subset of “completely non-Trinitarian.” And so on.
A quick glance at this article suggests we’ve got a, “Jesus was not divine at all,” guy. Writers who recast Him as a political revolutionary usually fall into this category.
Great book shows many of the early heresies from the first to the fourth century and how many are recurring today.
Thanks. Looks interesting. One of my sons read a Church History book when he was quite young and memorized all the heresies, but he’s forgotten them now.
Quote:
“... Aslan... claims the idea of the divinity of the Messiah was completely foreign to Judaism in Jesus’ time.’”
_________________________________________________
Not true.
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.
[Immanuel means “GOD with us.”]
Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, The Father of Eternity, The Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; WHOSE GOINGS FORTH HAVE BEEN FROM OF OLD, FROM EVERLASTING.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word [the Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was GOD.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Hebrews 1
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high...
Quote:
“... Jesus never considered himself to be God...”
_________________________________________
Not true.
Please see, for example:
http://www.josh.org/resources/study-research/answers-to-skeptics-questions/did-jesus-claim-to-be-god/
To anyone interested:
The gospel (good news) of eternal salvation:
The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died on the cross as our substitute.
He paid the penalty for our sins.
He took the punishment that we deserve.
God’s provision of eternal salvation is a free gift (Eph. 2:8,9).
God, through Jesus Christ, did everything.
All you do is accept that free gift.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
The Bible explains how to be saved (how to receive the free gift of eternal salvation):
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He who BELIEVES on him is not condemned: but he who does not BELIEVE is condemned already, because he has not BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Romans 4:5
But to the one who does not work, but BELIEVES in Him who justifies the ungodly, his FAITH is reckoned as righteousness
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by FAITH without the deeds of the law
John 6:28-29
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to BELIEVE in the one he has sent.”
John 6:47
(Jesus Christ said) He who BELIEVES in me has everlasting life.
Acts 16:31
BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved
Acts 10:43
Every one who BELIEVES in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
John 11:25-26
(Jesus Christ said) I am the resurrection and the life. He who BELIEVES in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and BELIEVES in me will never die. Do you BELIEVE this?
Yes! Thank you for posting this.
Travelers: Your hotel room should have a Gideon Bible in the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed. It contains in its first pages references to the verses below, an outline of the plan of salvation, and how to accept Christ as your Savior.
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