Who was Jesus of Nazareth? An Introduction to Christology

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Who was Jesus of Nazareth?

An Introduction to Christology

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? How did Jesus conceive his relationship to God and his mission to the world? How did the early church envision Jesus' life and mission? Were there differences between Jesus' understanding of himself and that of the early church?

The exploration of these questions has engendered some of the greatest debates in biblical scholarship and "quests" for the "historical Jesus," the most controversial of which have often caught the media's eye and launched into notoriety university scholars, including the group of scholars known as the "Jesus Seminar."

We explored some of these questions in seven sessions from Mar. 10, 2002 to May 12, 2002 using Father Raymond E. Brown's (Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary NYC) An Introduction to New Testament Christology, Paulist Press, 1994. Father Brown's goal was to enable "readers to understand the issues and why there is a debate, and thus to gain the biblical background to read further and reflect with discrimination on modern proposals."

Sessions	Downloads*
Sessions	PDF Format	Rich Text
The Christology of Jesus
1. Introduction. Cautions about Expectations and Presuppositions of Jesus' Divinity and Humanity	Overheads (28K)	Overheads (30K)
2. What Can Be Discerned About Jesus from His Words Concerning Issues Other than the Kingdom and Himself	Overheads (63K)	Overheads (79K)
3. What Can Be Discerned About Jesus from His Deeds and Words Proclaiming the Kingdom of God	Overheads (43K)	Overheads (43K)
4. What Can be Discerned About Jesus from His Words Concerning Himself	Overheads (38K)	Overheads (45K)
The Christologies of New Testament Christians
5. Christologies Expressed in Terms of Jesus' Second Coming or Resurrection	Overheads (41K)	Overheads (46K)
6. Christologies Expressed in Terms of Jesus' Public Ministry	Overheads (36K)	Overheads (44K)
7. Christologies Expressed in Pre-Ministry Terms	Overheads (94K)	Overheads (54K)
*Overheads from entire series in a single PDF file*	Overheads (307K)
To download an overhead set or handout, click and hold (Macintosh) on the link in the bright blue box under the desired format, or right-click (Windows) the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link as." Information on the format of the downloadable files can be found here The session titles correspond to chapters in Father Brown's An Introduction to New Testament Christology.* Presentations were by David Monyak.

Primary Reference

An Introduction to New Testament Christology. Raymond Edward Brown. Paulist Press. 1994.

Other References

A Marginal Jew : Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume 1. The Roots of the Problem and the Person. John P. Meier. Doubleday, 1991

A Marginal Jew : Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume 2. Mentor, Message, and Miracles. John P. Meier. Doubleday, 1994

A Marginal Jew : Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume 3. Companions and Competitors. John P. Meier. Anchor, 2001

Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 1. The New Testament and the People of God. N. T. Wright. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1996

Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2. Jesus and the Victory of God. N. T. Wright. Augsburg Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1997

Christology Revisited. John Macquarrie. Trinity Press, 1998

Jesus. A New Vision. Spirit, Culture, and the Life of Discipleship. Marcus J. Borg. Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1987

Jesus : A Revolutionary Biography, John Dominic Crossan, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1995

The Challenge of Jesus : Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is. N. T. Wright. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1999

The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant, John Dominic Crossan, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1993.

The Meaning of Jesus : Two Visions, Marcus J. Borg, N. T. Wright, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 2000

Who Do You Say That I Am? Christology and the Church. Ed. by Donald Armstrong. Wm. B. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999.