13AR18-37

( - previous issue - )

Apologia Report 18:37 (1,173)

October 2, 2013

Subject: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

In this issue:

CHRISTOLOGY - much ado about Zealot, by Reza Aslan

GREAT COMMISSION CHURCHES - Wellspring critic waives objections

------

Surprised? Yes, we did say that we might not be able to get out another issue of AR for two weeks. This concern still applies. Only, we spoke a week too soon. Look for the next issue of AR on the week of October 20 (though, if we can resume publication sooner, we will).

------

CHRISTOLOGY

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan [1] -- writing for the New York Times (Aug 5 '13), Dale B. Martin reflects: "People have constructed many different Jesuses. For at least two centuries, scholars and popular writers have mined the Christian Gospels to 'look behind' them, to create a portrait of Jesus, using purely modern methods: the historical Jesus as opposed to the Christ of faith. In his book ... Reza Aslan follows this long tradition, settling on the hypothesis, also around for hundreds of years, that Jesus was a Jewish zealot, a rebel against Rome and the Romans' local agents. ...

"Mr. Aslan's thesis is not as startling, original or 'entirely new' as the book's publicity claims. Nor is it as outlandish as described by his detractors. ...

"A real strength of the book is that it provides an introduction to first-century Palestine, including economics, politics and religion. Mr. Aslan uses previous scholarship to describe the precarious existence of Jewish peasants and the lower classes, and how the Romans and the Jewish upper class exploited the land and the people. He explains not just the religious but also the economic significance of the Temple, and therefore the power of the priestly class controlling it.

"Zealot shares some of the best traits of popular writing on scholarly subjects: it moves at a good pace; it explains complicated issues as simply as possible; it even provides notes for checking its claims.

"But the book also suffers from common problems in popularization, like proposing outdated and simplistic theories for phenomena now seen as more complex. ...

"Given the debate surrounding this book's publication, spurred by conservative reaction as well as its own publicity, you would expect the work to advance radical readings of the Gospels. Actually, Mr. Aslan is too credulous when reading the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. He is rightly skeptical about some passages, like the birth narratives. But he uncritically accepts as fact many other passages, like precisely what Jesus is supposed to have said at his trial before the high priest and full Sanhedrin. In many cases regarding Jesus, as well as Paul and James, Mr. Aslan takes as accurate deeds and sayings most critical scholars would question.

"He also presents as fact what may well be later Christian legend: that Jesus' ministry lasted three years, that we know in what cities the four Gospels were composed, that Peter was already in Rome when Paul arrived there. There may be a kernel of truth in one or another of these traditions, but they are just that: traditions, not necessarily history.

"Some of Mr. Aslan's other claims are just speculations with no supporting evidence, more at home in fiction than in scholarship — for example, that Jesus spent at least 10 years living and working in the city of Sepphoris.

"By profession, Mr. Aslan is not a scholar of ancient Judaism or Christianity. He teaches creative writing. And he is a good writer. Zealot is not innovative or original scholarship, but it makes an entertaining read. It is also a serious presentation of one plausible portrait of the life of Jesus of Nazareth." <www.ow.ly/pj3zj>

In the L.A. Times (Aug 4 '13), Charlotte Allen's criticism is especially significant: "Jesus not only saves; it turns out he also sells.

"UC Riverside professor Reza Aslan's new book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, currently occupies the No. 1 spot on Amazon's bestseller list. The Iranian-born Aslan, who converted from Islam to evangelical Christianity as a teenager, then converted back to Islam, has also received the kind of publicity that every liberal author craves: getting dissed on Fox News.

"In a July 26 interview, Fox religion correspondent Lauren Green peppered him with questions about why he, a Muslim, had written 'a book about the founder of Christianity.' Progressive columnists and bloggers all over America stuck pins into their Fox News dolls, using words like 'atrocious,' 'embarrassing' and 'Islamophobic.'

"In fact, Green's questions weren't so much appalling as they were irrelevant. As Aslan explained to her, Zealot does not present a Muslim view of Jesus. According to the Koran, Jesus was a prophet, born of a virgin (although he wasn't the son of God), but he was never crucified, instead ascending directly into heaven.

"So Aslan's book, which portrays Jesus as a Jewish-nationalist revolutionary with no divine self-conception, departs from the doctrine of both Islam and Christianity. Aslan may or may not be a devout Muslim in his private life, but his book is actually the latest installment in a vast body of literature reflecting the beliefs of a completely different religion: the Church of the Historical Jesus. ...

"The problem is that outside of a few stray references in non-Christian texts of that era, the Gospels and other New Testament writings constitute everything that we know about what Jesus said and did. So the members of the Church of the Historical Jesus cherry-pick the Gospels to find passages supporting their position....

"To be sure, all of the historical-Jesus people put their own idiosyncratic spins onto the basic narrative. Jesus is variously presented as a love-your-neighbor moralist (the Enlightenment view); a cynic philosopher ([John D.] Crossan); a balding, overweight rabbi ([Bruce] Chilton); or a secular sage who hated organized religion (the Jesus Seminar's late founder, Robert Funk). ...

"Aslan, like many of his confreres, scours New Testament scholarship for the most minimalist reading of Jesus he can find, and then presents his findings as historical fact. ...

"What it all boils down to is faith. The Christian New Testament is a document of faith, and for better or worse, it is nearly the only lens we have for viewing the historical figure Jesus of Nazareth. It is understandable that people who don't share that faith but are intrigued by Jesus might hope to detach him from the only context in which he exists. But that effort too involves an act of faith - faith that there was such a thing as the Historical Jesus." <www.ow.ly/pj3QX>

Also see <www.ow.ly/pj4fy>

---

GREAT COMMISSION CHURCHES

"Back from the Brink: An Abusive Church Movement Recovers Its Balance" by Lawrence A. Pile, Director of Cult Education and Research for Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center -- it is big news when a formerly cultic movement is claimed to have regained its health. Few would contradict that the Worldwide Church of God is a good example of this. On the other hand, Living Stream Ministry is an example of such a claim which remains broadly disputed (the group having done little to distance itself from the many cultic teachings of Witness Lee, its founder, or the problematic practices of its past being just one aspect of ongoing concern).

Pile makes an important distinction between Great Commission Churches (GCC) and Great Commission Ministries (GCM). The two are "organizationally independent of each other. Therefore, one should not assume that what I am saying here about GCC applies to GCM. I have had no communication with anyone from GCM for several years."

Regarding GCC, Pile explains that during their origins in the 1960s under founder Jim McCotter, their "emphases seemed to be in the right place." Then, "GCC gradually became more insular and exclusive." This led to "authoritarianism and inconsistent and hypocritical ethical standards. ...

"People were being hurt." Pile gives examples of this. Then he reports on organizational upheaval resulting from internal criticism over negative traits developing within the movement.

"With McCotter's departure [resigning in 1986], it seemed that the remaining leaders - both national and local - slowly began to feel more freedom to move toward reform."

Eventually, "Paul Martin [this publication's founder] and I were invited to meet with two national leaders of GCC...." Pile describes the long process toward balance that has taken place, culminating in 2011 with "the biggest hurdle in the way of reconciliation between the 'ins' and 'outs' [current and former leaders] of the GCC [having] been moved aside." Pile summarizes the progress that has been made since and what is being done to resolve remaining problems as they come to light. The healing experience remains quite raw. However, Pile is convinced that the recovery is real. ICSA Today, 4:2 - 2013, pp8-11.

-------

SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan (Random House, 2013, hardcover, 336 pages) <www.ow.ly/pj272>

--------

( - next issue - )