Lesson 3: The Roles of Jesus

Earliest Christian Art

Jesus depicted as a shepherd in catacomb paintings.

Church Fathers’ Interpretation

Christ’s pierced side symbolizes the Church and sacraments.

Medieval Image of Jesus

Seen as a coming judge and a figure of deep humanity.

Renaissance Image of Jesus

Emphasized Jesus’ human body due to the Incarnation’s importance.

Modern Rationalist Views

Jesus portrayed as an ethical teacher or misunderstood figure.

Jesus in Liberation Theology

Depicted as a social revolutionary or guerrilla fighter.

Feminist Interpretation

Jesus’ gender changed to represent female suffering.

John Dominic Crossan’s View

Jesus as a Jewish magician and wandering philosopher.

Jesus 2000 Contest

Winning portrait showed a dark-skinned, androgynous Jesus.

Popular Christian Devotions

Different groups emphasize Christ as King, Savior, or Logos.

New Testament Christologies

The NT presents multiple perspectives on Jesus.

Mark’s Christology

Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God.

Matthew & Luke’s Christology

Jesus as Son of God from conception.

John’s Christology

Jesus as the eternal Word of God.

Christology & the Creeds

Nicene Creed affirms Jesus as divine and consubstantial with the Father.

Problem with "Christology from Above"

Starts with doctrine rather than historical evidence.

Christology from Below

Begins with the historical Jesus to establish faith.

Diversity in Christian Belief Today

Some focus on Jesus’ divinity, others on his humanity.

Monophysitism in Practice

Overemphasis on Jesus’ divinity, neglecting his humanity.

Historical-Critical Method

Uses historical research to study Jesus objectively.

John P. Meier’s Thought Experiment

Reconstructing Jesus based only on historical sources.

Limitations of Purely Historical Jesus

History cannot prove miracles or the resurrection.

Jesus of History vs. Christ of Faith

Scholars study historical Jesus, but faith follows the risen Christ.

Walter Kasper’s Complementary Christology

Balances historical Jesus and risen Christ.

Role of the Church in Christology

Christology is rooted in Scripture, Creeds, and Tradition.

Catholic View on Scripture

The Bible must be read within Church tradition.

Historical-Critical Christology Principles

The Gospels are faith testimonies, not biographies.

Pre-Critical Christology

The Bible was once accepted as literal history.

Marcion (ca. 150 AD)

Rejected the Old Testament and reduced the Gospels to a version of Luke.

Tatian (ca. 175 AD)

Created the Diatessaron, a single harmonized version of the four Gospels.

Origen (185-254 AD)

Developed allegorical interpretation and the first textual criticism of the Old Testament.

Modern Biblical Scholarship

Developed textual criticism and historical research methods.

Catholic Reaction to Enlightenment

Initially resisted historical criticism.

Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943)

Pius XII encouraged historical and literary biblical studies.

Instruction on the Gospels (1964)

The Gospels developed in three stages.

Dei Verbum (1965)

Emphasized divine inspiration and human authorship of Scripture.

1993 PBC Document

Affirmed the historical-critical method, warned against fundamentalism, and stressed reading the Bible within the Church’s living tradition.

Faith & Reason in Christology

Faith must be historically grounded but not reduced to myth.