Preface
This books is based on the author’s four
lectures given in February 1954 at the University College of Wales,
Aberystwyth.
Chapter 1: Introduction
A brief history of the church’s dependence
upon its founder for the last nineteen centuries.
Chapter 2: The Documents
What the gospels say about the founder of
Christianity and some of the problems in knowing the reality of the events
chronicled.
Chapter 3: Personal Traits
The sayings of Jesus indicate an individual
mind. What is the nature of that mind — its style, its characteristics, its
manner and mode?
Chapter 4: The Teacher
Jesus’ teaching is oriented in a direction
which differentiates it from rabbinic Judaism. His whole approach to morals was
different from that which prevailed among Jewish teachers of his time. His
critics rightly divined that his teaching threatened the integrity of Judaism
as a system in which religion and national solidarity were inseparable.
Chapter 5: The People of God
Violent convulsions had disturbed society for
more than a century. Then Jesus came proclaiming, “The time has come, the
kingdom of God is upon you!” This was interpreted as having revolutionary
implications. This misunderstanding persisted to follow Jesus until the end. He
was put to death as “King of the Jews.”
Chapter 6: The Messiah
Jesus’ action towards his being called
“Messiah,” and other symbol. “Christ,” or “Messiah,” is here neither a personal
name nor a theological term, but an index to an historical role.
Chapter 7: The Story: (I) Galilee
A chronicling of the events of Jesus life —
his childhood, his occupation (learning his father’s trade), his baptism,
various human aspects of his life in the turbulent history of first-century
Palestine.
Chapter 8: The Story: (II) Jerusalem
The travels of Jesus during his ministry after
his baptism. He evidently left the Galilee area and probably did not return.
Speculation of his various travels and confrontations is outlined leading to
his final journey to Jerusalem.
Chapter 9: The Story: (III) The
Sequel
An evaluation of the beliefs, ideas and
speculations about Jesus after the crucifixion. Clearly something had
changed his followers. There is no answer as to what actually happened, but we
do know that starting from there the church embarked on the far-reaching
intellectual enterprise which is the building of a Christian theology, and
philosophy of life, upon the foundation thus laid, and that is an unfinished
story.
