tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post3742404536069284380..comments2024-03-19T00:26:30.753-07:00Comments on The Jesus Blog: Book: I (Still) BelieveAnthony Le Donnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01282792648606976883noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-86199885600040957532015-07-24T17:32:09.046-07:002015-07-24T17:32:09.046-07:00I'm hearing two very different voices comming ...I'm hearing two very different voices comming out of Dunn. One very critical of Christianity. The other claiming to support it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-45191285289757988932015-07-22T10:51:07.836-07:002015-07-22T10:51:07.836-07:00In order to address also the vast conservative/apo...In order to address also the vast conservative/apologetics approach to Biblical studies I'd encourage a Volume II: "Why I am (still) a scholar" :)Lollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11864715619219885761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-73698372997102996182015-07-21T01:53:56.166-07:002015-07-21T01:53:56.166-07:00James D. G. Dunn—Notable biblical and historical J...James D. G. Dunn—Notable biblical and historical Jesus scholar, still a Christian, but he seems to have plenty of questions concerning the authority of Scripture. For instance he argues that The Gospel of John's narrative is not reliable, nor the claims it makes for Jesus' quasi-divine status. (In his earlier work, Evidence for Jesus, Dunn didn't imagine that Jesus spoke even one word reported in John.) Dunn admits there is little to support the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke, and little evidence that Jesus supported a mission to the gentiles, and no evidence that Jesus saw himself as any kind of messiah (the term does not even appear in Q), nor is there much left of the "Son of Man," except for a few uncertain eschatological allusions. Dunn argues that Jesus did not claim any title for himself. Jesus may have believed that he was going to die, but he did not believe he was dying to redeem the sins of the world. "If Jesus hoped for resurrection it was presumably to share in the general and final resurrection of the dead." There is astonishingly little support for what Jesus' last words were. There is a certain squirming as Dunn admits that Jesus believed in an imminent eschatological climax that, of course, did not happen. "Putting it bluntly, Jesus was proved wrong by the course of events." Then he goes on for four pages trying to argue that we shouldn't be too concerned about this. Dunn's account of the resurrection notes all of the weaknesses of the tradition: The link of Jesus' resurrection to a falsely imminent general resurrection, confusion as to what sort of Jesus the witnesses were seeing, a persistent theme of failure of the witnesses to recognize Jesus (in Matthew 28:17 the disciples are seeing him in Galilee yet "some doubted," not just Thomas), confusion as to where they were seeing Jesus (in Jerusalem and Galilee? on earth or in heaven?). Which is not to say that Dunn does not affirm the resurrection -- he does, but since he admits so many weaknesses and doubts concerning the written accounts he seems to prefer a visionary explanation.Edwardtbabinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13036816926421936940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-90745573250122956682015-07-20T01:46:53.675-07:002015-07-20T01:46:53.675-07:00Dunn seems to have been particularly influential? ...Dunn seems to have been particularly influential? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com