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How the Jesus Movement Began
 The gospels focus on the adult life of Jesus, and all of them start the
story of Jesus with the story of John the Baptist. This prophetic Jewish man,
depicted in the Ravenna mosaic to the right in his characteristic (and uncomfortable!)
camel's hair cloak, preached a fire and brimstone message of the coming judgment,
and if Josephus is to be believed, he was very popular. Jesus appears to have
gotten his start with John, and then taken off on his own. His teaching shows
some relation to the preaching of John, but also contrasts it.
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of the readings for today, the stories of the baptism and the temptation of Jesus,
are laid out synoptically — that is, with the parallel versions of the passage
in each gospel in parallel columns. As you read synopses §18
and §20, use the Two-Source
Hypothesis to figure out what the likely source is for each synopsis. Then, within
each synopsis, mark the text to indicate material that is shared and material
that is unique (some people use different types of lines, colored pencils, or
text boxes to indicate what they've found; whatever you do, aim for a visual representation
that allows you to see the chief similarities and differences at a glance). Once
you've done that, try to determine in cases where there are two or three versions
what the earliest version of the story is. Use the criteria of embarrassment and
dissimilarity rather than simply the scholarly thesis that Mark is the earliest.
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remaining gospel readings deal with stories of Jesus' first followers and deeds. We'll
analyze these together in class, focusing special attention on the question of
Jesus' relationship to Mary Magdalene. (The fragment to the left is a gospel fragment in Coptic in which Jesus refers to Mary Magdalene as his "wife." It was first publicized in September 2013; now many think it is a hoax.)
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- The reading in Crossan & Reed's book today paints a portrait of two types of kingdom: the commercial kingdom advanced by Herod the Great and his heirs, and the covenantal kingdom that some Jews longed for in contrast. As you read this chapter, concentrate on the visual and practical ways that Jewish kings and tetrarchs signalled their loyalty to Rome and their power over nature and their own people through urban construction projects. Be able to discuss what principles a covenantal kingdom is based on in contrast. Finally, consider the primary reading about Jesus and whether our gospel authors are presenting Jesus in ways that mimic or contest the commercial kingdom of the Herodians and the Romans and their "gods."
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- Assigned Readings
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- Presentations
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- Further Reading
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- For bibliography on Mary Magdalene, click here.
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- Murphy,
Catherine M. John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age,
Interfaces. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press/Michael Glazier,
2003.
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- Meier, John P. "Part I: Mentor." In
A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, vol. 2, Mentor, Message,
and Miracles (ABRL; New York: Doubleday, 1994) 19-233.
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- --------. "Part
I: Jesus the Jew and His Jewish Followers." In A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, vol. 3, Companions and Competitors
(ABRL; New York: Doubleday, 1994) 19-285.
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- Stegemann, Ekkehard
W. and Wolfgang Stegemann. "Jesus' Followers in the Land of Israel
in New Testament Times." In The Jesus Movement: A Social History
of Its First Century (trans. O. C. Dean, Jr.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995)
187-220.
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- Tatum, W. Barnes. John the Baptist: A
Report of the Jesus Seminar. Sonoma, California: Polebridge Press,
1994.
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- Taylor, Joan E. The Immerser: John the Baptist
Within Second Temple Judaism, Studying the Historical Jesus. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1997.
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- Links
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- The
Five Gospel Parallels - An online synopsis hosted at the University of
Toronto that allows you to view the four canonical gospels along with parallels
in the Gospel of Thomas and the letters of Paul, in various combinations.
- Women
in Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries - Karen L. King's essay on
the earliest female followers of Jesus, including Mary Magdalene. Part of the
larger Web site for PBS/Frontline's "From Jesus to Christ" (WGBH, 1998).
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- Sources
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- Photographs:
- The Body of Christ, detail from the mosaic in the Arian Baptistery,
Ravenna, 500-550. Fig. 103 in Thomas F. Mathews, The Clash of Gods: A Reinterpretation
of Early Christian Art, rev. ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University
Press, 1993) 133.
- The Gospel of Jesus' Wife, from "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife," Harvard Divinity School (2014 Update), online, http://gospelofjesusswife.hds.harvard.edu.
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