The Jesus Movement
Ask Me Anything
Week 1: The Jesus Movement
What role does the church play in faith? My church has been fortunate enough to surround me with a great environment, but it can be a dangerous place in a way. Do we need to change the church culture?
Why do people assume God was white?
If you must accept the Christian God to go to heaven then heaven itself would be predominantly white. Does this say something about Christianity (perhaps some bias? đ)?
Jesus of Nazareth
Very little is known about the actual history of Jesus, simply because history usually isnât set up to write and discuss the lives of relatively average humans. Jesus lived as most have throughout human historyâpoor and in less than desirable conditions. All of our information about Jesus was second-hand, and well after the crucifixion. Therefore the best way to uncover who Jesus was, is through how his followers talked about Jesus.
Jesus was born into the Roman empire, which was under the rule of Ceaser Augustus at the time. He grew up and lived in Nazareth, which was a political hotbed. There was a lot of radical political activity, and thus violence from Rome to squash any potential revolts. One scholar equated Nazareth of that day to that of Brooklyn in the 1960s. Nazareth was essentially a Suberb of Sepphoris, which was the capital in Galilee. We often think of Jesus living in a very removed, remote area; however, he would have been in and around very sophisticated urban life. In the ancient world, there was no middle class, it is likely Jesus was part of the artisan class with him being a carpenter.
The current emperor, Augustus, was commonly referred to as the son of God. Virgil commonly wrote to that effect. In fact, at the time of Jesusâs birth, there was a common coin that called Agustus the son of God and claimed that he brought peace to Rome and quiet to the provinces. The main difference between Augustus and Jesus was that Augustus was a powerful emperor, and Jesus was a homeless preacher. This is one thought as to why Herod wouldâve reacted negatively to Jesus being referred to as âson of Godâ. It was more of a threat to the state than anything else.
Judaism was very diverse at this time. There were a lot of different sects that all interpreted their faith differently in light of the political turmoil. The revolutionary groups believed that they needed to overthrow and destroy the Roman empire. A lot of these radical groups believed in the coming of a messiah that would redeem Isreal and bring about the end of the world.
Jesusâs Ministry
In his ministry, Jesus proclaimed the good news primarily in the smaller towns and villages throughout Galilee. He seemed to avoid big towns, until the end of his ministry, likely because people wouldn't have liked or related his message. Jesus spoke mostly in agricultural parables that wouldâve heavily related to the mistreated and abused of society and not the rich.
An integral part of Jesusâs ministry was performing miracles; however, in this time period, there was actually nothing spectacular about being a miracle worker. At the time, the most prominent figures were miracle workers, including Vespasian, a former Roman Emporer. The thing that was special was that it was a lower-class Jew. His stories were endearing to the poorer agrarian class.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God. This is both fully religious and political in nature. it is also a dangerous critique of the Roman empire, insinuating that the roman kingdom is not the system intended by God. Everything Jesus is doing is politically dangerous. Followers likely would have expected Jesus to eventually be killed by the state.
Leading up to The Death
Leading up to the Crucifixion, Jesus goes into Jerusalem which was a very risky move. Passover in Jerusalem wouldâve been heavily monitored by the Roman empire. The Prefect, Pontious Pilate (26-36 CE), would come to Jerusalem to monitor the celebration. The temple wouldâve been heavily guarded, in an effort to prevent any revolts or uprisings. It is during the Passover that 3 of the 4 gospels tell the story of Jesus flipping the tables. It is one of the few stories that appears in all 4 Gospels, which is significant. Assuming that this did happen during the Passover celebration, it wouldâve been the event that put Jesus on the Roman radar. One scholar stated that Jesus preaching of the world ending during this very charged holiday wouldâve been like screaming fire in a crowded theater.
In general, uprisings were very common, so Pontious Pilate probably wasn't looking too closely at Jesus specifically. The crucifixion itself was capital punishment, intending to send a message to other Roman citizens to get in line. The Jews did not kill Jesus, that is a misconception.
The Spread Of Christianity
The time after Jesus wouldâve been dark and disheartening. Followers believed the kingdom was supposed to come, so when it didnât, they all began to interpret the Jesus event within their own contexts. This is when people start to grapple with the tragedy of the crucifixion and ask âwhy?â. During this period, Christianity is still Judaism, it was a Jewish movement seeking a Jewish Messiah.
The early church took place around a table, everyone would contribute to the banquet. It is in these house churches that we start to see Christian rituals like baptism and communion take shape. Women would've owned the houses a lot of these houses. During the early Jesus movement, women were allowed more fluidity (for a while) given power and roles! This would not have been full equality but allowed women power and roles in some areas. It was very unstructured and diverse, so this couldâve depended on location. This early movement was very diverse. Everyone was trying to interpret the Christ event.
In the early days, there were a few reasons that Christianity spread: Roman infrastructure, Paulâs Mission, and the Jewish Diaspora. The Jesus movement was born into a dying nation. People were scared of the world ending, and so a message of hope, peace, and afterlife was comforting for people. The roman roads, which were originally created for the Roman army, allowed for ease of access, ensuring that Paul was able to have a very widespread mission.
Paul, The Apostle Peter, and Jesusâs brother James were prominent early church leaders. They frequently met to argue and discuss early church procedures around rules such as diet and circumcision. The earliest new testament book was 1 Thessalonians. It was written as a response to people beginning to die before experiencing the kingdom of God.
In the Mid-60s CE, nearing the end of Paulâs mission, Jewish resistance was quickly growing. Paul was arrested and put to death around 64 CE. James and Peter were also executed in that same time frame. This was a significant loss for the Jesus movement as most of the early generation was dying out.
Shortly after, there was a two-year-long war in Jerusalem, that many people saw as the apocalypse. In August of 70 CE the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans and the people were massacred and the city decimated. This revolt causes people to really rethink the Jesus movement in light of this revolt. Up to the destruction of the temple, Christians were a part of Judaism. The split happens in the aftermath of people trying to rethink and re-interpret their events in light of their historic context. This is when Christianity begins to truly split from Judaism.
The Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
After the destruction of the Temple, Jews and Jesus Followers had to reinterpret their beliefs. Without the temple the priesthood, there rose rabbis, which rose a new kind of Judaism. As for the Jesus Movement, they coped with the tragedy by telling stories of the life and death of their Messiah, Jesus. There was a long history of oral storytelling before the gospel was ever written down. These were shared memories shaped by a common past. Oral tradition is heavily shaped by legend, myth, hymn, and prayer.
The oldest way people talked about Jesus can likely be found in the hymn quoted by Paul in Philippians 2:5-8. This is an example of how oral history and hymns wouldâve been passed down and shared to related and tell of Jesus.
5 Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, 6 who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, 7 but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. 8 And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminalâs death on a cross
It is crucial to understand that the Gospels are not biographies. Gospel means good news. So it wasnât journalism or hard and fast truths about Jesus, rather the authorsâ interpretation of the Jesus event.
In part two of the PBS Documentary, From Jesus to Christ, one scholar says that there are essentially two ways in which we can understand the gospels. âEither the stories of the ancient world were taken literally, and now we are so smart that we know to take them symbolically, or they were all intended symbolically and we are so dumb that we are all taking them literally.â
Gospel of Mark - 70 CE (40 years after Crucifixion)
Gospel of Mark was the first written compilation of the story of Jesus. Mark is written for a Jewish-Christian audience and is trying to interpret the Jesus story in light of the templeâs destruction. Mark portrays Jesus as a miracle-working country-preacher.
Leading up to the crucifixion, Mark portrays Jesus as dark and terrifying. This makes sense when we think of Mark trying ot make sense of the tragedy they have just experienced. He shows Jesus as dying and abandoned by god. Dying and abandoned. On top of that, Mark ends his gospel with an empty tomb and waiting for Jesus.
Gospel of Matthew - 85 CE (55 years after Crucifixion)
Matthew was written 15 years after mark, in the context of the reformation of Judaism after the fall of the temple. Many people moved north after the fall of the temple, Matthew's community felt threatened by some of these changes in Judaism. Matthew traces the lineage back to Abraham and also frequently shoes Jesus preaching about the law on a mountain, which alludes to Moses
In Matthew, Jesus frequently singles attacks the Pharisees, which were not a prominent Jesish sect during Jesusâs life. The Pharisees became prominent opponents within Matthews's life, and there was high tension between the Pharisees and Jesus followers over what should be believed.
Gospel of Luke - 85 CE (55 years after Crucifixion)
Luke was gentile, writing for gentiles. He is concerned with how the rest of the world has learned of Jesus. Luke is Two volumes, Luke and Acts. It is telling us a grander story. It is almost an early Christian romance, with embellishments, shipwrecks. Interesting that this book tries to show the gospel can be compatible with the Roman empire. We see roman guards acting kindly toward Paul. This was written for Greek, roman audiences. We begin to see more antagonistic language towards Jews. This is the first time we see the term "Christians", and no longer Jewish.
Gospel of John - 90 CE (60 years after Crucifixion)
This is often referred to as the spiritual Gospel. It is much more reflective, revelatory, and symbolic. In this book, Jesus is killed on Passover, symbolizing Jesus as the Passover meal. By this gospel, there is a lot more divide and hostility between Christians and jews. John also frequently refers to Jesus as the word of god, which is different from Judaism which sees the Torah as the word of God.
Discussion Questions
If we think about the crucifixion as a capital execution, how does this change the way we talk about Jesusâ death?
Phillippians 2:5-8 is a refrain from an early house church hymn. Knowing that this is one of the first ways that believers spoke about Jesus, what can we see that sticks out and resonates with them?
â5 Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, 6 who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, 7 but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. 8 And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminalâs death on a crossâ
Does knowing more about the context of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) change how you view Christianity? How?
Resources:
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part One (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part Two (full documentary) | FRONTLINE