The dearest friend on earth is a mere shadow compared to Jesus Christ. (Oswald Chambers)
Thinking about the musings from Day 32: The Validity Of Judaism…
I would submit to you that the for some readers, getting to this point in these readings may leave you just as confused and unconvinced about the meaning of life, (and more to the point, your role in the universe), then before you began this journey. If you have been reading these belief systems in the order that I have presented them:
Day 18: The Basics Of Polytheism/Animism;
Day 19: The Validity Of Polytheism/Animism;
Day 20: The Basics Of Hinduism;
Day 22: The Validity Of Hinduism;
Day 23: The Basics Of Buddhism;
Day 24: The Validity Of Buddhism;
Day 25: The Basics Of Confucianism;
Day 26: The Validity Of Confucianism;
Day 27: Daoism…Or Is It Taoism?;
Day 29: The Validity Of Daoism…Or Is It Taoism?;
Day 30: The Basics Of Judaism;
Day 31: The Basics Of Judaism – Part 2 and;
Day 32: The Validity Of Judaism
then perhaps maybe you have ranked them differently than before you started. In addition, you may still find issues with one, more, or all, of these belief systems.
So far to date, there are three big takeaways that can be concluded after reading the basics and the validity of the six belief systems already covered:
1) Polytheism and Hinduism center around believing in many, and ultimately a potentially infinite amount of, gods and goddesses;
2) Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism focus on believing in a philosophy and;
3) Judaism is about believing in a single god, or monotheism.
If you were a student in my AP World History class prior to the 2019 CollegeBoard redesign, you would be aware of the fact that there is one more belief system that needs to be covered before the Foundations unit, (8,000 BC – 600 AD), ended:
Christianity.
Does Christianity qualify under the human continuity of…
Someone Upstairs Runs The Show?
Absolutely.
First and foremost, we need to define who a Christian is. I would submit to you that the definition of what it means to be a Christian would best be described as one who ‘believes in the teachings, beliefs, and practices of Jesus of Nazareth’.
That begs the question then…who is this Jesus of Nazareth?
I would submit to you that the best way to answer this question is to delve into a brief history of the birth, life, death, and most basic teachings of, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth was born in the Middle East just over 2,000 years ago, in the town of Bethlehem, which is located in present day Israel. The New Testament, which is the second part of the Holy Bible, (which follows the Old Testament and the Torah, in the first half), records his birth in the Books of Matthew and Luke:
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (Matthew 1:16 KJV)
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, (Matthew 2:1 KJV)
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7 KJV) and,
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11 KJV).
The New Testament is not the only resource documenting the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth. There is also outside, independent documentation that records the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in this region….
In the interest of time and space here, that outside information will be the focus in a later writing.
It is important to note that the geographic region in which Jesus of Nazareth lived in was under the occupation of the Romans at the height of the Roman Empire. Below is a map of the Roman occupation under Herod the Great, just a few decades before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Notice that Bethlehem is located in the southern, yellow portion on the map, in the region known as Judaea:
https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/herod-the-great-kingdom.jpg
For some of you looking at the map, an obvious question may come up:
Why is Jesus referred to ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, when Matthew 2:1 states that he was actually born in Bethlehem?
That answer is simple: Bethlehem was where he was born. Nazareth was where he lived.
The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth is well documented throughout the New Testament. This evidence was gathered by 4 authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is important to note that historians generally agree upon the fact that at the time of the writings of these 4 authors, (also known as the Gospels of Jesus), were all written within the first century AD.
I would submit to you that what is interesting of note comes from the following New Testament verse, Acts 2:22 (KJV):
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
‘As ye yourselves also know’. In other words, these 4 authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were all under the microscope, (which is of course ironic, since the microscope was not discovered until around 1590 AD), when writing about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. I am sure that these four authors were keenly aware of the fact that if they were writing inaccuracies regarding Jesus of Nazareth, these inaccuracies would have been called into question during their lifetimes.
I would submit to you that after reading what Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all documented about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, the following conclusions could be made:
Jesus of Nazareth was either a great man…
a great teacher, (or as the Jews would refer to him as, a rabbi), and/or…
a great prophet.
At the bare minimum.
There is a fourth consideration that could be concluded as well.
Jesus of Nazareth was a radical.
Is it possible that Jesus of Nazareth could qualify as a radical?
It is possible to consider Jesus of Nazareth a radical based on these three concepts that he taught:
1) Boundless love;
2) Unceasing forgiveness and;
3) Unending mercy.
Obviously, these messages and actions would at times put him at odds with the different Jewish religious leaders of the day:
1) The High Priests, (religious and secular leaders of the Jews);
2) The Jewish Council, (Sanhedrin), and Rabbis, (teachers);
3) The Pharisees, (believers in immortality of the soul and addressed issues above and beyond the written Law of Moses, given to him by their god, Yahweh);
4) The Sadducees, (conservative in that they believed exclusively in the Torah, and rejected life after death and hence were at odds with the Pharisees); and;
5) The Essenes, (were perhaps the most extreme and liberal with the Jewish religion).
So, was Jesus of Nazareth a radical?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are having a difficult time understanding the birth, life and teachings of Jesus. Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided as to the validity of the birth, life and teachings of Jesus. Instead, embrace the idea that after this brief overview of the birth, life and teachings of Jesus, perhaps there is something inside of you nudging you to push on. To learn more. Embrace the idea that you have journeyed this far in such a short period of time and have learned far more than you could possibly have dreamed of just one short month ago.
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. (Luke 18:27 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 33: The Basics Of Christianity.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: