Jesus The Enigma

1755 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Quest of the History of Jesus

In trying to uncover the historical facts surrounding Jesus, many scholars are lacking much physical evidence that is typically associated with proving that an event or person existed. The biggest source of information on Jesus lies within the New Testament of the Bible. The New Testament provides a glance into the beliefs, sayings and works of the man that is believed to be the son of God. It does not, however, provide a clear time frame for when those things were accomplished. The Bible is written more as a theological account rather than a historical record (Harris 281).With little to no additional resources to confirm Jesus’ existence and doings, it becomes almost impossible to confirm via modern methods what Christians believe as an absolute truth.
JESUS THE ENIGMA - DETERMINING HIS TRUE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS
In trying to understand who Jesus was, what he did, and what he said, most people turn to the Bible for guidance and answers. Within the four Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, one can find a vast amount of information to help with this quest. This information, however, can lead to confusion when one discovers the many disparities between each of the individual accounts presented in these gospels. Many times when a person reviews all of the gospels side by side, they find that they end up with more questions than answers regarding the type of person that Jesus really was.
One of the biggest difficulties in using these four gospels to obtain a better understanding of Jesus’ thoughts and actions, is that not all of the authors had a direct physical relationship or contact with Jesus. Most of the authors depended on oral teachings and using a combination of written documents already in existence to develop their gosp...

... middle of paper ...

...ke sense to accept. Other things when considered from a mental, emotional and spiritual aspect make sense.
In conclusion, I believe that I do not need to experience Jesus in the way that the physical world requires, to know that He exists and that He is my savior. There are many things that I have accepted as truth, without concrete physical evidence. Although I have questioned the reasoning behind these things, I lack the ability to find a logical answers. I do, however, understand that at some point, we all have to give in to faith and hope that what we understand as truth is in fact truth. Faith and belief in Jesus cannot be quantified or qualified through the devices of this world. Only through deep introspect can we find understanding, confirmation and belief in Jesus. This alone develops our own truth about who Jesus really was, is and will be forevermore.

Show More
Related

  • Three Synoptic Gospels

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    The contents of the Bible have dealt with controversy in regards to its inerrancy since publication, and will surely continue to. Historians progress to learn more about biblical stories in order to provide evidence for the reliability of information. Many believers today understand that not everything in the Bible has been factually proven. An outstanding topic many scholars pay attention to lies within the four gospels. The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, replay essentially the same story with minor inconsistencies, while John portrays Jesus in an entirely different way. The differences in each gospel are due to how each gospel entertains different portrayals of the life and understanding of Jesus himself, in order to persuade

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Jesus

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright is a conversation of sorts between, “The Leading Liberal and Conservative Jesus Scholars” as they “Present the Heart of the Historical Jesus Debate.” In the introduction, the scholars note that the inspiration and writing of the book grew out of friendship. The book is evidence of the public and private conversations between these scholars and friends, sharing in Christian faith and practice as they work through these complex issues in hopes of understanding each other better. Both, “…acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, and [we] regard the no-holds-barred study of his actual history as a vital part of what we mean by that” (viii).

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of William James's 'The Will To Believe'

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    hat for a belief to be true knowledge, it must be supported by evidence. Evidentialism also claims

    Read More

  • Christian Scriptures Essay

    492 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the origin of nearly everything the Christian Church teaches about Jesus. The Gospels, in turn, serve as the scale or test of truth and authenticity of everything the church teaches about Jesus. It is said that the Gospels are the link between Jesus of Nazareth and the people of every age throughout history who have claimed to be his followers. Although the Gospels teach us about Jesus’ life they may not provide concrete evidence that what they speak of is true there are several other sources.

    Read More

  • The Gnostic Gospels

    2152 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. Paperback.

    Read More

  • Jesus: The Importance Of The Resurrection Of Jesus

    407 Words  | 1 Pages

    Groothuis conveys to his readers, “It is the supremely significant event in providential history. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is explained on the basis of a supernatural event brought about by God.”2 The resurrection in relation to theistic worldview focus on the character of God as it relates to the human race. Therefore, if our background belief is a well-established theism, it will promote historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus with a more open attitude than would an atheist or

    Read More

  • Gospel Of John Research Paper

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New Testament teaches about who Jesus is and what he did on the earth. John wrote the last of the four gospels which recount Jesus’ life and what is to come. The gospel of John is somewhat different from the other three gospels, in that it is more symbolic and less concrete. For example, John expresses Jesus as the Passover Lamb when Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not. This gospel is showing that Christianity is moving away from the long-practiced Jewish traditions. John’s gospel can be laid out into four parts: the prologue or the incarnate word, signs of the Messiah with teachings about life in him, the farewell teaching and the passion narrative, and the epilogue or the roles of Peter and of the disciple whom Jesus loved. The Gospel of John is arguably the most

    Read More

  • The Apologetics of Christianity

    2766 Words  | 6 Pages

    Moreland, J.P., and Wilkins, Michael, ed. Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

    Read More

  • Book Review and Reflection of Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.

    Read More

  • The Gospel According to Luke

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book of Luke, found after the books Matthew and Mark, focuses on the ministry of Jesus Christ but it also gives us a look into His birth and growth in totality. In this chapter we see a historical account of some of the journeys that Christ experienced. It is important to keep in mind that the Bible and all of its books do serve as historical accounts but each book is unique in the fact that they incorporate a theological timeline. The Bible is, conceivably, the most important book that has ever been written. It gives the world eyewitness accounts to historical events that helped not only shaped a region of the world but the whole entire world. It is nearly impossible to go through some formal societal education and have never once read a part of the bible or have heard a story that adapts from the stories within the bible. The bible has helped formed institutions, associations and so much more. By reading the Gospel of Luke we are truly reading what is meant for us to read as Christians. The principal plot in the book of Luke is the life of Jesus Christ, his sacrifice, His ability to beat death and remain perfect as the son of GOD despite being human as well. Jesus is seen as the perfect savior for humans in the book of Luke. Luke not only gives multiple examples of the power of Jesus but also it gives us a look at The Lord’s triumph over temptation. Luke also depicts Jesus as a man/GOD who had a very deep concentration on people and relationships. The book of Luke gives Jesus a loving characteristic but doesn’t shy away from showing that at times Jesus got angry too. Jesus showed a great deal of compassion to the sick, those in pain, the poor, and unambiguously the sinful. Jesus had genuine love for everyone. Throughout this...

    Read More

  • The Differences In The Gospel Of Mark

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    God’s written law is something that is and should be continuously turned, to not only when Christians find themselves in need, but also throughout in one’s daily life. The four gospels tell to story of Jesus’ life and his teachings he gave while on the earth making it possible for there to be a true example of Christ-like faith. The proposition that there are differences in the story of Jesus and in his teachings seems to question the basis upon which the Christian faith is found upon. Rather than proclaiming the gospels as falsehoods because on the differences they possess, by analyzing the differences in the context of the particular gospel it can be understood that the differences are not made by mistake, rather as a literary device. While

    Read More

  • The Four Gospels

    1960 Words  | 4 Pages

    All four gospels present Jesus as both the Son of God and son of man. They all record His baptism, the feeding of the 5,000 from five loaves and two fishes, Mary's anointing of the Lord Jesus, His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal, trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. However, each writer does so in a slightly different way, recording additional details or emphasizing one aspect more than the others.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Jesus in the Gospels of Mark and John

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mark’s gospel and John’s gospel contain many differences from the beginning, but both end with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The gospels of John and Mark represent Jesus as two different people. The disparity is that Mark represents Jesus as a servant while John portrays Jesus as a divine being. However, one must realize the two texts are meant to read by different audiences during different time periods. Each description presents a particular aspect of the life of Historical Jesus.

    Read More

  • The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    These three tests when applied to the Bible show it as the most historically reliable text known to man, thus the events found upon the pages of the Bible are actual historically proven events.      In light of these facts, there are still many theories other than that of the Biblical account. Three of them include the "Visionary" theory, the theft theory, and the wrong tomb theory. The first theory is that of Strauss, that the appearances of Jesus after His death on the cross were "visions generated by the imaginations of the disciples (Ramsey 48)." This may be the easiest of all the theories to discredit. First of all, it does not take into account the inability of the disciples to grasp this idea that Christ was alive and to recognize Him for who He was (Ramsey 48).

    Read More

  • Jesus Public Ministry Essay

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gospel of Luke centralizes the components of Jesus’ divinity, humanity, and ministry which contribute to the perception of Jesus portrayed by the narrator of Luke. Jesus’ divinity is demonstrated through his healings and miracles throughout the Gospel. His humanity is represented through the infancy narrative and also at the beginning of his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, Jesus’ public ministry serves as the most effective and important element of his life because of the essential teachings that he speaks of that give inside evidence to the formation of the modern day church.

    Read More

More about Jesus The Enigma

Open Document