Before you begin, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has visited and supported me. I will be posting more essays and works very soon from my upper division college courses. If you like my work, and want to support me, please check out the links to the right and read my other blog posts or support me by clicking the link below:







Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A term paper on Christology.

I wish I could go back with the knowledge I have now and absolutely tear this paper up. By that, I mean I would write a kick-ass paper compared to this.


Christological emphases are based throughout the gospels. Sometimes, however, many questions arise due to dissimilarities among the various writers. These differences can cause questioning among any readers of the bible, even the faithful. Those who expect the Bible as the literal word of God definitely come face to face with this problem. Although these differences do exists, the similarities among the gospels are greater. Therefore, each of the gospels can be used concurrently to strengthen faith, rather than weaken it.

            Upon reading the four different synoptic gospel accounts, it becomes blatantly obvious that none of them are exactly the same. Matthew and Mark do seem to be highly similar in the recounting of the death of Jesus. In Matthew and Mark both, before Jesus dies, he “cried in a loud voice ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Whereas in Luke, Jesus also “cried out in a loud voice” but, Instead said “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” In John, however, Jesus simply says “It is finished.” Other similarities are seen among Matthew, Mark, and Luke, being the fact that Simon is addressed as being a helper to carry Jesus’ cross; this fact is excluded from John’s account. The temple being torn into two is another difference that is in all three gospels except for Luke. Other dissimilarities include the centurions who witnessed Jesus dying. Matthew and Mark the centurion says “Truly this man was the son of God.” In Luke the Centurion is quoted for saying “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” In John this centurion is never mentioned, but a completely different detail is added in that does not appear in any of the other gospels. John tells us about a soldier who thrust a spear into Jesus’ side and water flowed out. Aside from the obvious similarities, like the fact that Jesus died, Matthew and Mark are very similar, in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Jesus is crucified with 2 criminals but, the way he is treated by the revolutionaries in each of the gospels are different.

            Each of the writers of the gospels places a specific emphasis on a certain event or events in each of the stories. For instance John heavily emphasizes who Jesus appeared to after he was risen and the events of his death were not greatly emphasized. John’s gospel is definitely a high Christology because by Jesus saying “It is finished” shows us that Jesus knew that his purpose was to save the world from sin. Luke’s gospel puts most of his emphasis on the appearance of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and the disciples. Luke’s gospel is without a doubt of High Christology. Throughout his gospel, Jesus hints to the fact that he is divine. In Luke before Jesus dies, he is talking with the revolutionaries and one asked to be remembered when Jesus arrived in the Kingdom. Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” simply showing that Jesus does know he is divine. In Mark, the main focus is on the Crucifixion of Jesus, Marks Christological emphasis is a suffering Jesus, low Christology, and focusing on the crucifixion helps to emphasize this. Matthew also focuses on the Crucifixion of Jesus, and Matthew’s Christology is also Low Christology, emphasizing the same as Mark.

            When reading the Bible, it is often very easy to begin to question faith. It should be kept in mind though, that’s all faith is, faith. Faith is trust in something because you as a person believe it to be true. Although the gospels vary greatly as you read through each one, it should not be cast aside as untrue. Many people take the Bible as the true spoken word of God, or actual factual accounts. If this is the case, then it they can be scarcely judged as key examples to this type of writing. (Fitzmeyer, 9) The most common way to explain the differences in each gospel is the “Q” source, or Quelle. Matthew and Luke both draw from this source whereas mark does not. The differences occur because of other independent sources believed to be had by the individual writers. (Fitzmeyer, 9) The differences among each of the synoptic gospels could prove that they were not written to be factually accurate but for some other reason, faith. The gospels are so different because of each of the sources, and the fact that they were written at different times, in different places, trying to affect different audiences. Christ was a man who did in fact exist. Christ shows up in many non-Biblical texts and manuscripts. Even though some of these are obscure and vague, it still proves that Jesus was real and he was sentenced to death by Pilate. So, the fact that each gospel may vary in details the fact does not change that Jesus died for our sins, thus instead of reading the Bible as the literal word of God, it should be read to strengthen ones faith by studying these differences and coming to know the truth much closer.

            The Gospel of John is the story that resonates the most with me because it is seemingly independent from the other 3 gospels. It talks about fulfilling scripture passages and you just get the feel of more of an epic, a greater feel of glory.

            The provided painting Crucifixion is by a German Artist Matthias Grunewald. It was an altarpiece dated at 1503. Matthias lived from c1475-1528 (Pioch) and was born in Wurzburg. In 1504 he became a resident of Seligenstadt where he worked and completed most of his paintings. During his lifetime he was a court painter for an Archbishop until 1514, and then after the Thirty Years War began, he became the court painter for Albrecht von Brandenburg. He married in 1519 and had a son named Andreas, whom he later apprenticed to Arnold Rucker. In 1528 Grunewald died in Saxony. (Dictionary of World Biography: The Renaissance) This painting, Crucifixion, by Grunewald uses various symbols and effects. First the lighting on Jesus and the angle of all surrounding figures gives a sense of rising. The lamb with the cross is obviously the Lamb of God, who died for our sins. The suffering of Jesus and the lamenting characters represent the human nature of Christ, only to be contrasted by the lamb and the lighting which give allusion to the divine Christ.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bible

Dictionary of World Biography: The Renaissance, Salem Press 1999

July 27, 2002 Nicolas Pioch (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/grunewald/)

No comments:

Post a Comment