Vaya Sin Dios

When I was still a believer, I read H. Richard Niebuhr's "Christ and Culture" (a useful book, even for a nonbeliever). Niebuhr made reference to book called "Jesus of Nazareth" by Rabbi Joseph Klausner, who made the argument that the Jews were right to reject Jesus because he was a threat to the social order. From the quotes Niebuhr used, Klausner appeared to cast doubt on the notion, commonly expressed by secularists, that while Jesus may have been divine he was nevertheless a great "teacher" with a coherent and attractive ethic. Since I have my own doubts about this proposition, I was wondering if anyone who has read Klausner can tell me if this book is worth tracking down. Also, if anyone knows of any other works that criticize Jesus's ethics (as opposed to refuting his divinity or his very existence) I would be very interested.

Anat

Klausner was no Rabbi. He was a secular person with anticlerical, national-Jewish (right wing) views. At least as remembered by his great-nephew, novelist Amos Oz. IIRC Klausner argued that Jesus could be viewed as continuing the anti-establishment position of the Biblical prophets.

Toto

Klausner is cited by Josh McDowell here

Joseph Klausner as cited in Josh McDowell, editor, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 133.

It would be interesting to know if this is correct.

The book is available on Amazon: Jesus of Nazreth and other places for less than $20.

Vaya Sin Dios

Thank you for the correction.

Vaya Sin Dios

It would be interesting to know if this is correct.

Here is the relevant passage from Niebuhr describing Klausner's argument:

"For civil justice [Jesus] substituted the command to nonresistance, which must result in the loss of all social order; the social regulation and protection of family life he replaced with the prohibition of all divorce, and with praise of those who 'made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake'; instead of manifesting interest in labor, in economic and political achievement, he recommended the unanxious, toilless life exemplified by birds and lilies; he ignored even the requirements of ordinary distributive justice when he said, 'Man, who has made a judge or divider over you?' Hence, Klausner concludes, 'Jesus ignored everything concerned with material civilization: in this sense he does not belong to civilization.' Therefore his people rejected him; and 'two thousand years of non-Jewish Christianity have proved that the Jewish people did not err.'" (Christ and Culture, 1996 50th anniversary edition, pp.3-4)

Now this would appear to contradict what McDowell wrote.

Toto

There is a dissertation on Klausner here which I have not read.

andrewcriddle

Klausner's 'Jesus of Nazareth' has an interesting section discussing the Talmudic references to Jesus and their (limited) historical value.

If you are interested in this question the book is probably worth tracking down for that alone.

Andrew Criddle