Not-So-Secret "Secrets"

U.S. News and World Report recently released a Collector's Edition magazine titled “Secrets of Christianity”. The magazine purports to reveal these secrets and explore the questions raised by them. The introductory article states, “Like massive desert sand dunes that shift and re-form, some of the most cherished beliefs about early Christianity are collapsing, and fresh ideas are replacing them.” Not surprisingly, there are few (if any) “secrets” revealed in this magazine. In fact, most of the material covered has been discussed ad nauseam in the last couple of years.

The first, and, as the article claims, “most compelling”, questions raised are “Did Jesus really exist, and if so, who was he?” I must say that it seems slightly irresponsible to even raise the first question. There is very little debate anymore that Jesus existed. Practically all scholars agree that Jesus existed in history as a real person. I think this question has been more than sufficiently answered. The same is not entirely true of the second question. While I feel it has certainly been sufficiently answered, there is yet much debate regarding the identity of Jesus.

Unfortunately, this magazine offers little in representing that debate. The first section, entitled “Who Was Jesus?”, would be more appropriately titled, “Who Does James Tabor Say Jesus Was?” Indeed, the first article in this section focuses on Tabor's view that Jesus intended to set up an earthly kingdom restoring Israel and conquering Rome. True, a few gratuitous quotes from other liberal scholars are thrown in at the end of the article. (They even include a quote from Anne Rice. That's right, the fictional novelist and author of “Interview with a Vampire” weighs in for U.S. N&WR.) However, most of the article's concepts come from Tabor.

As if that weren't enough of Tabor's perspective, the third article is an excerpt from Tabor's book, “The Jesus Dynasty”. The point of this article seems to be connecting four of Jesus' apostles to his brothers. In like manner, the fourth article is a brief presentation of the Talpiyot tomb evidence delivered in the program aired by the Discovery Channel titled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”¹, of which Tabor was a main contributor.

I don't just want to “beat up on” Tabor. As a matter of fact, he is highly credentialed. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christian Literature from the University of Chicago. He is Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He previously held positions at the University of Notre Dame and the College of William and Mary. He's no dummy. However, the application of his knowledge has fallen short, even by the standards of liberal scholars. In the U.S. N&WR article, Paula Fredriksen is quoted characterizing his work by saying, “It sounds like a creative reimagining of the historical material, more like historical fiction than history.” Either way, too much of one perspective seems off balance.

Only the second article had a glimmer of balance. This article is an excerpt of a debate on the Resurrection of Jesus between New Testament scholar, N.T. Wright, and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Depaul University, John Dominic Crossan. Unfortunately, only two pages (which amount to one if the graphics were removed) were dedicated to this topic. However, Wright managed to make the point that the ability of the authors of the Gospels to maintain foundational revealing details surrounding the resurrection despite “their very different language and the obvious apparent surface inconsistencies” is best explained when viewing these accounts as true. Not the most convincing argument, I'll grant, but something is better than nothing. Crossan's long-winded response? “The resurrection is a metaphor” [paraphrase]

Of course, this debate is nothing new. The issue can be traced back to the very time period when Jesus walked the earth. He, himself acknowledges this point of contention: “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-16)

Thomas echoed this belief when he said of Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) And what about Jesus? Who did he claim to be? Referencing the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, Jesus said "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58) That they all understood his claim to be God was evidenced in the fact that immediately after, the religious leaders tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy.

I suppose U.S. News & World Report could have saved a few bucks if they had just consulted what God's word established two millennia ago. But then what would I have to write about? Fortunately, God's word is constantly reinforced by history, archeology, science, and philosophy. The same is the case with the identity Jesus. Who is Jesus? My response is the same as that of Thomas: My Lord and my God!

¹ For an analysis of the Talpiyot tomb evidence: http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7125