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Old 08-09-2012, 12:58 AM   #1
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Default Historical Jesus at SBL

The full program guide can be found here

There are several historical Jesus sections, illustrating the current trends in scholarship.

Quote:
Historical Jesus


Theme: Jesus beyond the apocalyptic – non-apocalyptic divide: options and openings

Robert Miller, Juniata College, Presiding
Robert Miller, Juniata College, Introduction (5 min)
Anthony Le Donne, Lincoln Christian University
Jesus and the Problem of Epochal Romanticism (25 min)
This essay will situate Wrede, Schweitzer and other early adherents of the “Jesus as Apocalyptic Prophet” thesis within German Romanticism and suggest that this view of history defined much of the vernacular for modern Jesus studies. It will then examine an often overlooked element of the Jesus tradition, what this study will call Jesus’ “greater than” rhetoric. In doing so, the author will (largely) avoid the terms “prophet,” “apocalyptic,” and “eschatological” for heuristic purposes. Thus this essay will explore the possibility of epochal aggrandizement in the Jesus tradition without hinging the notion on the vernacular of Romanticism.
Pieter Craffert, University of South Africa
What Are Apocalyptic Gospel Texts Evidence For? (25 min)

James Crossley, University of Sheffield
Jesus and the World Turned Upside Down…and Back Again (25 min)
... Instead of endless attempts at finding our favourite Jesus and how important Jesus-the-individual was, this approach will hopefully point to ways in which social historical explanations of the Jesus movement and Christian origins can be pursued without the relentless reliance on the nineteenth century Great Man view of history so embedded in historical Jesus scholarship.
Thomas Kazen, Stockholm School of Theology
Apocalypticism as world view and linguistic metaphor: Attempting a cognitive approach to Jesus’ utopian language (25 min)
Stephen Patterson, Willamette University, Respondent (25 min)
The character of Jesus’ apocalypticism has been analyzed and debated since the birth of modern biblical studies. Dividing lines have been established and the trenches are dug deep. Either Jesus is regarded as an apocalyptic prophet or as a subversive sage. There seems to be no way out of the present stalemate...
Quote:
Historical Jesus


James G. Crossley, University of Sheffield, Presiding
Anthony Le Donne, Lincoln Christian University
The Criterion of Coherence: Its Development, Inevitability, and Historiographical Limitations (30 min)
...I argue that Coherence was applied in Jesus studies before the prominent years of Form Criticism, but became a sub-criterion of Double Dissimilarity within the programs of Bultmann, Käsemann, and Perrin. I then argue that Perrin’s application of Coherence as a sub-criterion to Dissimilarity is beyond repair and that both criteria should be abandoned. However, I suggest that recent adaptations of Social Memory theory might provide new life for the more general principle of Coherence as employed from Weiss to John P. Meier. The chief problem with its present use is that New Testament studies works from a premise of binary (or ternary) opposites as they conceive of the divide between Jesus’ context and Christianity’s context. As long as Jesus historians think along the lines of binary opposites, the Criterion of Coherence will continue to be misleading. Thus Perrin’s use of the criterion is beyond repair and Meier’s use must be rebuilt from the ground up.
Brian Pounds, University of Cambridge
Uses and Limitations of the 'Criterion of Crucifiability' (30 min)

The 'criterion of crucifiability' has been used as a means of dismissing or validating entire reconstructions of Jesus and to argue for or against the historicity of given stories in the gospels. ...
Gunnar Samuelsson, University of Gothenburg
Crucifixion in Early Christianity (30 min)
... The striking ambiguity of the older texts is far more present in the younger texts – and depictions – that is commonly assumed. By that the detailed knowledge of what struck the historical Jesus on Calvary might basically be without support.
Michael Zolondek, University of Edinburgh
What Makes a Royal Messianic Claimant?: The Preliminary 'Messianic Question' (30 min)

David Shaules, California Lutheran University
The Institution of Communion (30 min)
The institution of communion poses a difficult problem for the study of the historical Jesus. It is early and well attested, predating the Gospels in Paul, being found in the synoptic tradition, and even hinted at in John. This early and multiple attestation supports its historicity, however, accounts of the institution are dominated by theological overtones that seem more likely to reflect the beliefs of the early church than those of the historical Jesus
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Old 08-09-2012, 01:47 AM   #2
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The institution of communion poses a difficult problem for the study of the historical Jesus. It is early and well attested, predating the Gospels in Paul, being found in the synoptic tradition, and even hinted at in John. This early and multiple attestation supports its historicity, however, accounts of the institution are dominated by theological overtones that seem more likely to reflect the beliefs of the early church than those of the historical Jesus
Is there such a thing as communion?
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Old 08-09-2012, 02:36 AM   #3
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The institution of communion poses a difficult problem for the study of the historical Jesus. It is early and well attested, predating the Gospels in Paul, being found in the synoptic tradition, and even hinted at in John. This early and multiple attestation supports its historicity, however, accounts of the institution are dominated by theological overtones that seem more likely to reflect the beliefs of the early church than those of the historical Jesus
Is there such a thing as communion?
Sure, there is. At least in France, with the catholics.
"First communion" is a ceremony for young teenagers (12-13). They are offered a consecrated host by a priest, and must swallow it without chewing it, because it contains the body of Jesus Christ.
Some time later, another ceremony is "confirmation", another communion.
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Old 08-09-2012, 03:10 AM   #4
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The institution of communion poses a difficult problem for the study of the historical Jesus. It is early and well attested, predating the Gospels in Paul, being found in the synoptic tradition, and even hinted at in John. This early and multiple attestation supports its historicity, however, accounts of the institution are dominated by theological overtones that seem more likely to reflect the beliefs of the early church than those of the historical Jesus
Is there such a thing as communion?
Sure, there is. At least in France, with the catholics.
In France, where thousands were massacred, and the Vatican struck a medal to celebrate? What does this have to do with BC&H? How can anyone with a sense of history confuse the most egregiously coercive, criminal organisation of history with the meek artisan of Nazareth, real or imagined?

But anyway, not catholics; Catholics. The difference is akin to that between Jehovah's witnesses and Jehovah's Witnesses. Of course wealthy Catholics want there to be such as thing as communion. If communion does not exist, how will they maintain psychological and social control of the poor Catholics?

So for the scholar, the question remains. Is there actually such a thing as communion? What is the evidence for it? Is there more certainty that communion exists than there is certainty that Jesus existed?
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Old 08-09-2012, 04:08 AM   #5
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I like that the SBL supports open discussions. From the article,
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Facilitating broad and open discussion from a variety of critical perspectives
.
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Old 08-09-2012, 05:47 AM   #6
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In France, where thousands were massacred, and the Vatican struck a medal to celebrate? What does this have to do with BC&H? How can anyone with a sense of history confuse the most egregiously coercive, criminal organisation of history with the meek artisan of Nazareth, real or imagined?
Oh, there were also thousands of Catholics massacred by Protestants (Calvinists, to be precise). All of them partisans of the meek artisan of Nazareth, real or imagined.
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Old 08-09-2012, 06:18 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by sotto voce View Post

In France, where thousands were massacred, and the Vatican struck a medal to celebrate? What does this have to do with BC&H? How can anyone with a sense of history confuse the most egregiously coercive, criminal organisation of history with the meek artisan of Nazareth, real or imagined?
Oh, there were also thousands of Catholics massacred by Protestants (Calvinists, to be precise).
Calvinists were (and are) Catholic-lite. They merely 're-formed', re-grouped under another tag. Works-justification again, but this time without the increasingly risible panoply, and the increasing scandal.

Calvinists joined with Catholics in drowning 'Anabaptists', describing their murder as 'their third baptism', surely the most gruesome and astonishing cynicism of all time. Calvinists of course also believe in 'communion', as well as professing (loudly) justification by faith; while making sure that everyone hears their condemnation of papism, of course.

The only proponents of communion mentioned so far have credibility only as antichrists; which tends to argue against its validity. It's not proof, though.
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Old 08-09-2012, 06:39 AM   #8
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Toto,

While I can see some insight to be gained from these presentations, I am not a little disappointed in the fact that they insist on couching the presentations in prolix technical language that is specific to only one group, biblical scholars and divinity students. It is almost never presented in language that reaches out to non-professional scholars or post-graduate students of theology.

DCH

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The full program guide can be found here

There are several historical Jesus sections, illustrating the current trends in scholarship.

Quote:
Historical Jesus


Theme: Jesus beyond the apocalyptic – non-apocalyptic divide: options and openings

Robert Miller, Juniata College, Presiding
Robert Miller, Juniata College, Introduction (5 min)
Anthony Le Donne, Lincoln Christian University
Jesus and the Problem of Epochal Romanticism (25 min)
This essay will situate Wrede, Schweitzer and other early adherents of the “Jesus as Apocalyptic Prophet” thesis within German Romanticism and suggest that this view of history defined much of the vernacular for modern Jesus studies. It will then examine an often overlooked element of the Jesus tradition, what this study will call Jesus’ “greater than” rhetoric. In doing so, the author will (largely) avoid the terms “prophet,” “apocalyptic,” and “eschatological” for heuristic purposes. Thus this essay will explore the possibility of epochal aggrandizement in the Jesus tradition without hinging the notion on the vernacular of Romanticism.
Pieter Craffert, University of South Africa
What Are Apocalyptic Gospel Texts Evidence For? (25 min)

James Crossley, University of Sheffield
Jesus and the World Turned Upside Down…and Back Again (25 min)
... Instead of endless attempts at finding our favourite Jesus and how important Jesus-the-individual was, this approach will hopefully point to ways in which social historical explanations of the Jesus movement and Christian origins can be pursued without the relentless reliance on the nineteenth century Great Man view of history so embedded in historical Jesus scholarship.
Thomas Kazen, Stockholm School of Theology
Apocalypticism as world view and linguistic metaphor: Attempting a cognitive approach to Jesus’ utopian language (25 min)
Stephen Patterson, Willamette University, Respondent (25 min)
The character of Jesus’ apocalypticism has been analyzed and debated since the birth of modern biblical studies. Dividing lines have been established and the trenches are dug deep. Either Jesus is regarded as an apocalyptic prophet or as a subversive sage. There seems to be no way out of the present stalemate...
Quote:
Historical Jesus


James G. Crossley, University of Sheffield, Presiding
Anthony Le Donne, Lincoln Christian University
The Criterion of Coherence: Its Development, Inevitability, and Historiographical Limitations (30 min)
...I argue that Coherence was applied in Jesus studies before the prominent years of Form Criticism, but became a sub-criterion of Double Dissimilarity within the programs of Bultmann, Käsemann, and Perrin. I then argue that Perrin’s application of Coherence as a sub-criterion to Dissimilarity is beyond repair and that both criteria should be abandoned. However, I suggest that recent adaptations of Social Memory theory might provide new life for the more general principle of Coherence as employed from Weiss to John P. Meier. The chief problem with its present use is that New Testament studies works from a premise of binary (or ternary) opposites as they conceive of the divide between Jesus’ context and Christianity’s context. As long as Jesus historians think along the lines of binary opposites, the Criterion of Coherence will continue to be misleading. Thus Perrin’s use of the criterion is beyond repair and Meier’s use must be rebuilt from the ground up.
Brian Pounds, University of Cambridge
Uses and Limitations of the 'Criterion of Crucifiability' (30 min)

The 'criterion of crucifiability' has been used as a means of dismissing or validating entire reconstructions of Jesus and to argue for or against the historicity of given stories in the gospels. ...
Gunnar Samuelsson, University of Gothenburg
Crucifixion in Early Christianity (30 min)
... The striking ambiguity of the older texts is far more present in the younger texts – and depictions – that is commonly assumed. By that the detailed knowledge of what struck the historical Jesus on Calvary might basically be without support.
Michael Zolondek, University of Edinburgh
What Makes a Royal Messianic Claimant?: The Preliminary 'Messianic Question' (30 min)

David Shaules, California Lutheran University
The Institution of Communion (30 min)
The institution of communion poses a difficult problem for the study of the historical Jesus. It is early and well attested, predating the Gospels in Paul, being found in the synoptic tradition, and even hinted at in John. This early and multiple attestation supports its historicity, however, accounts of the institution are dominated by theological overtones that seem more likely to reflect the beliefs of the early church than those of the historical Jesus
DCHindley is offline  
 

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