Jesus in History and in Faith

Jesus in History and in Faith

We can know Jesus through the time-bound culture of His time, and through the witness of many saints along the historical continuum of the Catholic church's multifaceted spirituality.

Introduction

Before Catholicism and Protestantism, and before all organized and institutionalized Christian religions came into existence, Christianity began in the person of Jesus and a band of disciples who followed Him closely. Though Jesus and all existing written material on Him are varied - some in agreement with each other, while others with conflicting views - the canonical sources on His life and mission are in the four gospels written by the evangelists Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. These scripture accounts are then secondly supported by many socio-historical information that provide additional background to the person, life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. Scholars in the Roman Catholic Church are privileged to have all these sources in order, and are able to know Jesus not only through the Word proclaimed in the Eucharist, but also through the many theories proposed by those who undertook specialized and accurate studies surrounding the cultural (Jewish religion) and historical (1st century A.D.) contexts in which Jesus lived.

The four gospels

A majority of those who study the Scriptures attest to the truth that the four gospel accounts on Jesus are not totally the entire account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Their studies reveal that these gospel accounts are many levels of meaning apart from the person of Jesus Himself. These levels of meaning comprise the lived experience of Christian communities who practiced the teachings of Jesus and who transcribed in written form the many accounts and stories of Him. Some of those who gathered these accounts and stories were eyewitnesses of Jesus Himself; many others were disciples and followers of those eyewitnesses. It was only in about the year 70 A.D. that more substantial accounts were gathered and edited to be used in the life of the Christian communities. Starting with the evangelist Mark (feast April 25), then Matthew and Luke, and then John, these gospel accounts were written down in a form that has gone through many editions and translations - painting many dimensions on the person of Jesus not only for Roman Catholics but for all Christians as well.

Historical situation in Jesus' time

The region where Jesus lived and preached was Palestine. In 63 B.C., years before Jesus was born, Palestine was under the Romans. Herod at this time was the king of the Jewish people. It was in Herod's reign that Jesus was born. By modern calculation, that may be around 4 B.C. King Herod died and his kingdom was eventually divided among three sons: Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip. Herod Archelaus could not quell the restlessness of his people. So, Rome deposed Archelaus and placed a Roman procurator in his stead. Jesus was about 12 years old at that time. This was the beginning of direct Roman rule - a turbulent epoch that almost led to the destruction of the temple, the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation in 70 A.D. It did not last long and the complete destruction of the temple, the city and the nation eventually happened in 135 A.D. This event affected the first communities of Christian who followed and were influenced by the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth.

Non Christian sources of Jesus' life

Even though there was destruction around that time, other non-Christian sources survived the destructive trend and recorded the life of Jesus. There is much evidence of Jesus in the recorded writings of Tacitus in 117 A.D. (Annales XV, 47); Pliny the Younger in 112/113 A.D. (letter to Emperor Trajan); and Suetonius in 120 A.D. (Vita Claudii, ch 25). The Jewish writer Josephus Flavius in 93/94 A.D. also made statements about Jesus in Antiquitates XVIII,5,2 and XX,9,1. These historical records on Jesus are not Christian accounts. This all the more help to understand that Jesus was also known to have lived by the non-Christian writers of that time.

The Shroud of Turin

Fast-forwarding now to modern times, we are given the evidence of the Shroud of Turin. This shroud was discovered in Europe and is popularly thought to be the genuine burial shroud of Jesus. The relic has an incredible imprint of a body of a bearded man who upon scientific investigation of the image show that he has been beaten, crowned with thorns, and pierced with nails through the wrists and feet. Radio carbon dating has been done on the relic, and the results show that the cloth of the shroud may have been produced during the Middle Ages. Also, the burnt marks on the sides of the imprinted body are said to be caused by a fire that may have occured in a monastery that preserved the shroud also during the Middle Ages. This scientific discovery caused quite a stir among those who already believed in its authenticity as the burial shroud of Jesus. Whether the man in the Shroud of Turin is really Jesus or not remains a mystery to this day. Devotees of the Shroud believe that the imprint, which is clearly unexplainable, may have resulted from the great light that transpired when Jesus was resurrected. A lot of specialized studies are still needed to mark the authenticity of this proof of the existence of Jesus.

The only person pre-announced

The gospel accounts give us many aspects of Jesus and His life. Historical records also tell of a man who lived in Palestine, preached and was crucified under Roman rule. The relic of the Shroud of Turin, though still unsubstantiated as authentic, can lead to see that a man indeed lived, underwent a cruel beating, and was nailed on the wrists and feet. But there are other sources besides all these. In the history of world religions, only the person of Jesus was pre-announced. World religions in history are full of men who claim that they came from God: Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Lao-tze, and many others. There were no predictions of birth about these men, but there were many predictions on the birth of Christ. These predictions are first seen especially in the Old Testament - particularly in relation to the account of the virgin birth of the Messiah. And in the New Testament we find Wise Men from the East in search of the birth of a King. From this historical points of view alone, the uniqueness of Jesus sets Him truly apart from all other founders of world religions because His birth is the only one that was pre-announced.

The faith of the martyrs

Our capacity to know who Jesus is, is both by reason (from historically written records or artifacts) and by faith (from the witness of Christians in the history of the growth of Christianity). Socio-historical evidences on the life of Jesus, help to understand by reason, that Jesus indeed lived during that time when Israel was ruled by Rome in 1st century Palestine. He was the fulfillment of the awaited Jewish Messiah prophesied in scripture and in many Eastern literature. However, the Jews at the time did not conceive of a Messiah in the likeness of Jesus. They awaited a political Messiah who would deliver them from bondage from a foreign power. Since Jesus did not fulfill their conceptions and perceptions of a Messiah, He was rejected by His own people. But despite all rejection, and despite being executed to death on the cross, Jesus was brought to life again by the power of God the Holy Spirit. The following events after the Resurrection slowly led to the Pentecost experience that transformed the followers of Jesus into courageous witnesses of God's kingdom. Their witnessing also led to their sacrificial death. And this is what is really remarkable about Jesus and the Christian faith: starting from the martyrs [Stephen, Peter and the apostles] as recounted by Scripture, history is dotted and studded with heroic and noble stories of martyrs who gave up their life out of faith in the person of Jesus. The long historical records of many Christian martyrs death truly are convincing evidence that Jesus of Nazareth lived in our human history and made Himself known to many through faith. Why would a small band of apostles go to the extent of preaching about Jesus in different lands and then sacrificing their lives if indeed they believe that Jesus died and rose again for all?

Related resources:

• "Life of Christ", by Fulton Sheen
• "Shroud", by Robert K. Wilcox
• "A History of the Church", by August Franzen and John P. Dolan
• "Jesus Before Christianity", by Albert Nolan