Raymond Brown - the Death of the Messiah

I have always wanted to use these two words in a sentence: "encyclopedic" and "magisterial." So here's my chance.

Anyone interested, really interested, in what is known about the death of Jesus should have the work of Catholic biblical scholar, the late Raymond Brown in their library: The Death of the Messiah, From Gethsemane to the Grave, A Commentary on the Passion Narrative in the Four Gospels (Volume 1 and 2).

From the arcane to the obvious, this two volume set, first published in 1993, is truly magisterial and encyclopedic. The paperback edition logs in at a combined page count of 1,664. Heavily footnoted and with a massive bibliography, this is not the kind of book that you sit down and read cover to cover; it is simply overpowering in its detail. The scope of Brown's research is amazing.

Save up your pennies and get this into your library. You'll be using it for years to come.

James on Jesus

James McGrath, Associate Professor of Religion at Butler University, asks: "What does it mean to be a follower of the historical Jesus?" His reflections deserve a look. Here's a sample to encourage your review: "Following the historical Jesus is not about attempting to define Jesus' nature - as though we could. It is about investigating a human life, passionately." (Click here.)

The Last Week - SIX: Friday

Key ideas from the Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.

Friday, what is now called Good Friday, was the day of Jesus' execution. The authors raise the question: Was his death the will of God? Their answer is a responding "No." But from one vantage point, the death of Jesus was inevitable because that is what domination systems did to those who challenged them. Here are three quotes that sum up the "why" of Jesus' death:
1. ". . . Jesus's passion for the kingdom of God led to what is often called his passion, namely, his suffering and death."
2. "Good Friday is the result of the collision between the passion of Jesus and the domination systems of his time."
3. "Jesus did not die for the sins of the world. . .he was killed because of the sin of the world."

My Jewish Learning

If you want to know more about modern Judaism, I have a great website for you to visit. My Jewish Learning is filled with a rich variety of articles and features on Jewish culture. From the best in Jewish cookbooks to details on a Passover Seder, this site is full of attention-grabbing graphics that highlight topics you'll want to take time to explore. Take a minute and visit the Home Page. I think you'll want to bookmark this one.

Take the Hermeneutics Quiz

Last year, I took a self-assessment quiz published in Leadership journal that was created by New Testament Professor Scott McKnight. "The quiz," in the author's word, "is designed to surface the decisions we make, perhaps without thinking about them, and how we read out Bible and don't red our Bible."

I found it helpful, and now you can take it free online. See where you fall on the theological spectrum when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Check it out here. One caveat: You probably should take the test first and then read Scott's explanation and scoring instructions.

Let me know if your theological placement seemed on target.

Where To Find Out About Different Kinds of Stuff

Jane Hart, e-learning professional, has put together a terrific list of learning websites. She labels the list "100+ Free Websites to find out about Anything and Everything" The next time you're trying to find the right piece of information for a class, a presentation, or a paper, or you just want to learn something new, check out this list.

YouTube EDU

You can now hear a number of biblical scholars such as Marcus Borg, John P. Meier, Bart Ehrman, etc. on YouTube. Go to YouTube EDU and in the search window type in the name of the scholar you are seeking. Here is a short example from Duke University featuring E.P. Sanders, a prominent historical Jesus scholar.