Bulletized

Is Easter Historical?

• • Livestream finding you. I'm John Hamer, released from self-imposed quarantine after returning to Canada from Australia. Here at CentrePlace, we are still practicing self-isolation and disinfecting.
  • Normally, on Tuesday evenings, our history, theology, and philosophy group would gather here for a lecture, also livestreamed.
  • Tonight, in honor of Holy Week and the upcoming Easter celebration, we'll discuss the historical accuracy of the Easter narrative.
  • Academics generally agree that a historical Jesus was crucified, so that's not in question. We'll examine what academic disciplines like history and literary criticism can tell us about the rest of the narrative.
  • I'm John Hamer, coordinator of this meetup, with a background as a historian, mapmaker, and theologian. I serve as pastor of the Toronto Congregation of Community of Christ here at CentrePlace.
  • Our mission is to invite everyone into the community, continually learn and grow, abolish poverty and needless suffering, promote peace and justice, and live life meaningfully together.
  • Even though we can't be physically together, we are connecting via livestreams and discussions. If you have questions, Leandro will relay them to me, and I'll answer them.
  • Next Tuesday, Leandro will give an updated lecture on "Before God Was God," which was very popular on YouTube. He'll explore what history and literary criticism reveal about early understandings of the Israelite God before monotheism.
  • We invite you to our Easter service, livestreamed this Sunday at noon Eastern, 11 AM Central, 10 AM Mountain, and 9 AM Pacific.
  • Many amazing ministers from around the world will participate, including Scott Murphy of the First Presidency of Community of Christ (disciples' generous response), Apostle Lachlan Makai (prayer for peace), Apostle Robin Linkhart (presiding), and John Dehlin of Mormon Stories podcast (peace lesson).
  • Our topic tonight is "Is Easter Historical?" I'm from Minnesota, and the Coen brothers' movie "Fargo" starts with "This is a true story," though it's fiction.
  • We often confuse historicity and truth. Something happening doesn't necessarily mean it expresses truth. Conversely, an allegory like Plato's Cave, though not historical, can express profound truths.
  • Modern bias often dismisses "myth" as having no meaning or value. However, we are beginning to recover the importance of narrative, even calling ancient Greek myths "sacred stories."
  • My background is as a historian, but I don't want to privilege historicity. Meaning and purpose conveyed through narrative are more important.
  • The Easter narrative is Christianity's core sacred story. Its value comes from its meaning and annual retelling, not necessarily from historical verification of events.
  • We need to distinguish the historical Jesus from the "Jesus Christ" concept. The historical Jesus is approached through academic disciplines like history, literary criticism, and archaeology. These tools give us the most likely approximation of what happened, given the sources.
  • Multiple academically defensible positions of the historical Jesus are possible, but none can be conclusively proven due to insufficient evidence.
  • The "Jesus Christ of Scripture" actually comprises multiple visions. The four canonical Gospels present distinct accounts, as do other canonized writers like Paul.
  • We tend to lump them together, ironing out contradictions to create a composite. However, understanding individual authors' contexts and communities is crucial.
  • The "Christ of Theology" is distinct. Theologians have developed insights into God through the lens of the Trinity's second person. This is different from scriptural narratives and historical findings.
  • The Passion Narrative in Canonical Accounts (Mark's Gospel):
    • The four canonical Gospels are anonymous but attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
    • The Passion story (Holy Week) occupies a significant portion: 15% of Matthew, 20% of Mark, 20% of Luke, and 40% of John.
    • Matthew and Luke likely used Mark's text, so there's strong agreement among the Synoptic Gospels.
    • There's also overlap between Mark and John's Passion accounts, suggesting John's author was aware of Mark's story, even if not directly editing it.
  • Mark's Account Summary:
    • Sunday (Palm Sunday): Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey colt, acclaimed by crowds as a royal act.
    • Monday: Jesus overturns money changers' tables in the temple. Local authorities are concerned about his popularity.
    • Tuesday: Jesus teaches in the temple and on the Mount of Olives. His teaching on the Mount of Olives conveys Mark's apocalyptic prophecies, reflecting his concern about the Roman-Jewish War.
    • Wednesday: An unnamed woman anoints Jesus' feet at Bethany with myrrh, prefiguring his death. Disciples misunderstand. Priests conspire with Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, fearing public arrest during Passover.
    • Thursday: Jesus and disciples prepare a Passover meal. Jesus institutes Communion, predicts betrayal, and Peter's denial. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays, resigning himself to God's will; disciples fall asleep. Judas arrives with armed men and betrays Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is illegally tried by the Sanhedrin and convicted for admitting to being the Christ. Outside, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times.
    • Friday (Good Friday): Jesus is tried before Roman procurator Pilate, who reluctantly sends him to be crucified. Romans crucify Jesus at Golgotha between two rebels, mocking him as "King of the Judeans." After Jesus' death, Joseph of Arimathea places his body in a tomb sealed with a rock.
    • Sunday: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome find the tomb empty. An angel tells them Jesus has been raised.
  • Original Ending of Mark's Gospel: Mark's Gospel originally ends with the women at the tomb, without stories of the risen Christ found in later Gospels. Early Christians and scribes found this unsatisfactory, leading to added continuations (short and longer endings). Mark likely ended here because he believed Christ was about to return, reading contemporary events like the destruction of Jerusalem as signs.
  • Time Line:
    • John the Baptist's Ministry: Beheaded by Herod Antipas.
    • Jesus' Ministry: Baptized by John, crucified by Pontius Pilate (circa 30 CE).
    • James the Just: Jesus' brother, leads the "Poor of Jerusalem," stoned in 62 CE.
    • Paul's Ministry: Overlaps with James, executed by Emperor Nero.
    • First Christian Writings: Paul's letters (around 50 CE). Lost sayings Gospel Q (possibly 50s CE).
    • Roman-Jewish War (70 CE): Backdrop for Mark's account, decades after historical Jesus.
  • Early Leaders and Communities:
    • John the Baptist: Ascetic, wilderness preacher, introduced baptism, predicted apocalypse, beheaded by Herod Antipas. Early Christians minimized his baptism of Jesus due to "criterion of embarrassment."
    • Jesus: Teacher and miracle worker in Galilee, introduced shared meals, embraced ritually unclean, crucified by Pilate.
    • James the Just: Jesus' brother, leader of a mendicant community ("Poor of Jerusalem"), sought to reform synagogues to include the ritually unclean, stoned in Jerusalem.
    • Jude: Brother of James (and thus Jesus), possibly led the community to Pella after Jerusalem's destruction, insisted Christians observe Jewish law (opposite of Paul's view).
  • Early Christian Texts:
    • All earliest sources are in Greek, not Aramaic (Jesus' native language).
    • Paul's Greek-speaking churches produced early canonical texts.
    • Writings from the non-Pauline "Jamesian" community (James the Just) also survive: Epistle of James, 1 & 2 Peter (attributed), Revelation, Jude (attributed), and possibly Q and early Thomas.
  • The "Q" Hypothesis:
    • Luke and Matthew used Mark and this lost sayings Gospel, Q.
    • Q consists mostly of sayings, without narrative, explaining why Matthew and Luke organize it differently (e.g., Sermon on the Mount vs. Sermon on the Plain).
    • Q focuses on teachings about God's kingdom, where the poor are included, and the rich are humbled.
    • Q and the Passion: No Passion narrative. One saying about taking up one's cross (Luke 14:27), implying awareness of crucifixion as a model for sacrifice, not salvation. Martyrdom of prophets (John the Baptist, Jesus, James) is an example to follow.
    • Q's Understanding of John and Jesus: Both are heralds of God's coming Kingdom, "children of Sophia" (wisdom, a personification of God in Hebrew Bible). Q includes a saying where Jesus contrasts his ministry style with John's, concluding "wisdom is vindicated by her children."
    • **"Son