From Jesus to Christ

Lecture 5

Oct 9, 2007

 

Read: Perkins Chapter 6

 

I. Easter Key to Understanding Gospels

A. Resurrection

 

1. Showed Jesus to be a VERY SPECIAL PERSON and emissary of God.

2. Since resurrection closely linked to martyrdom, followers focussed on His death as something special.

 

i. He knew such a life would (Jesus' words and deeds) would lead to His death

 

 

Issiah 53, Song of Servant (fourth servant song), God can use suffering of His emissary as a means of reconciliation.

 

Transforming act of God's enemies into an act of expiation / redemption / reconciliation including those who inflicted the harm.

 

ii. Jesus died for others

 

Conviction God raised Jesus, led followers to think End Times upon them.

 

Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits of resurrection.

 

Jewish community had multiple viewpoints / factions about this.

B. Discoveries from Easter

Since Jesus was raised, showed God's stamp of approval on His life.  This reward implied special or divine status.

 

Resurrection and special status understood to be part of final judgement.

 

II. Images of Jesus as Christ

A . The Messiah - Christ

1. Promise of God to maintain line of David forever + Jews subjection to more powerful empires.

2. Royal (Son of David, Son of God) status implied high degree of intimacy with divine.

 

Psalm 110, Mark 12:36, Matthew 22, 1 Cor 15:25

Psalm 2:7, you are my son, baptism stories of Jesus

B. Son of Man "The Human One"

1. Aramaic way of saying a human being.

2. But in this context meant Daniel 7, apocalyptic terms

3. Jesus key actor in great cosmic drama of judgment and salvation.

C. Sophia, Wisdom

1. Paul and Matthew use this term.

2. In some Jewish thinking God's Wisdom was personified.

3. Used language and concepts that were highly metaphorical and showed some similarity to Egyptian goddess.

4. Wisdom of Solomon 6:12 - 8:1, Proverbs 8

5. Applied to Jesus, implication that He enjoys the status of a Divine Being.  Presents way in which God is present in the world.

D. Word, Logos

1. From John 1.

2. In Wisdom of Soloman, Wisdom and Logos are virtually the same.

3. Logos was there before anything created, by It all things created (Wisdom of Solomon)

4. Distance between God and Jesus as Wisdom has thus grown very small.

5. Jesus is God's way of acting in the universe.

 

III. Key Terms and Concepts

 

christology

 

resurrection

 

Messiah

 

Christ

 

sophia

 

logos

 

 

 

 

 

 

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