apocal 2

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Drexel University *

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155

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History

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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Jojo Oshinowo-Mustapha HIST 155: The Historical Jesus Winter Term 2023 The Apocalyptic Prophet Bart Ehrman’s Approach to the Historical Jesus Bart Ehrman is a well-known English-language scholar of the historical Jesus who uses textual criticism of Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew scriptures, as well as other religious writings, to study the historical Jesus and the early Christian movement. In his article "Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet," Ehrman explores the idea that Jesus saw himself as an apocalyptic prophet who believed that the end of the world was imminent. One significant factor that Ehrman assesses is the idea of apocalypticism in the Gospels. He argues that all of the Gospels contain some form of apocalyptic teaching, but that they differ in the degree to which they emphasize it. For example, the Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus as a more apocalyptic figure, with a greater emphasis on the end of the world and the coming of the Son of Man (Mark 13:24-27). In contrast, the Gospel of John places less emphasis on apocalypticism and more on the divinity of Jesus (John 1:1-3). In assessing the source tradition, Ehrman uses the criterion of multiple attestation to identify independent traditions in which sayings or acts of Jesus are found. These include the hypothetical Signs text, the Passion text, non-Christian lore, the sayings found in Marcan Q, the material found in Matthew, Luke, and John's Gospels, and the material found in the Gospel of Thomas. Ehrman also notes that the authentic letters of Paul may be another independent tradition, though they have little to say about the historical Jesus. Ehrman also discusses several criteria of assessment that scholars use to evaluate the historicity of individual events in the Gospels. These include coherence, discontinuity,

embarrassment, multiple attestation, rejection and execution, and tendencies of the developing synoptic tradition. Of these, Ehrman argues that multiple attestation is one of the most convincing criteria, as it suggests that a story has its roots in an older, oral tradition that predates the written Gospels. In conclusion, Ehrman's analysis of the Gospels and other source material highlights the complex nature of the historical Jesus and the diverse traditions that have shaped our understanding of him. Through the use of textual criticism and evaluation criteria, Ehrman provides a valuable perspective on the historical Jesus and the early Christian movement.

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