A Portrait of Jesus
Jesus as Movement Founder
The Jesus movement was spirit-filled, itinerant, joyful, and compassionate.
-Marcus Borg
During
his lifetime, Jesus attracted a following of people who were captivated
by his alternative wisdom and alternative social
vision.
After his lifetime, a full-fledged movement came into existence.
Jesus was a movement catalyst, a movement came into existence around him.
Jesus' purpose was the transformation of the Jewish social world.
Jesus' vision has two aspects - individual and social.
Jesus' message and activities embodied an alternative social vision which is seen most clearly in his open table fellowship.
He ate meals with tax collectors, sinners, outcasts, untouchables.
For Jesus, or for any public religious figure, to eat with untouchables is to make a very sharp edged social statement.
It is deliberate, intentional, and is meant to embody the egalitarian, inclusive social vision of Jesus.
Questions to ponder...
Does the movement continue?
Jesus was the catalyst for a movement with a radical new vision for life and society. Where do you find evidence of that movement continuing today?
The
Post-Easter Jesus
The Post-Easter Jesus is who Jesus became over time through Christian experience and tradition.
Introduction
A Portrait of Jesus Introduction
Research and Scholarship Perspective
Lenses through which Borg sees Jesus
The Pre- and Post-Easter Jesus
Compare Pre- and Post-Easter Jesus
Summaries of the Pre-Easter Jesus
Spirit Dimension
Context: Spirit Persons in Many Cultures
Wisdom Dimension
Context: Wisdom Teachers in Many Cultures
Political Dimension
Context: Social and Cultural World of Jesus
The Post-Easter Jesus
What Difference Does it Make?
Resources for Further Study
Books and Articles by Marcus Borg
FaithFutures Foundation: integrating faith and scholarship
Living the Questions, a progressive 12-week DVD and web curriculum to help participants discover the relevance of Christianity in the 21st Century and what a meaningful faith can look like in today's world. Features Marcus Borg and 14 other scholars and pastors.
New Testament Gateway, created by Dr. Mark Goodacre, University of Birmingham, UK
The Jesus Seminar, created by Dr. Mahlon Smith, Jesus Seminar Fellow and faculty at Rutgers University
Virtual Religion Index, created by Dr. Mahlon Smith, Rutgers University
Westar Institute, official Jesus Seminar site; includes churches open to the scholarship of the Jesus Seminar