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ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn
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ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.Remembering
JesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn
July10,2010(20100710T22:55:00+00:00)byJamesF.McGrath<http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/author/jamesf
mcgrath>
JamesD.G.DunnschapterinTheHistoricalJesus:Five
Views<http://www.amazon.com/HistoricalJesusFiveViews/dp/0830838686?
ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> isentitled
RememberingJesus:HowTheQuestoftheHistoricalJesusLostItsWay.Dunn
beginsbymentioninghisbookJesusRemembered<http://www.amazon.com/Jesus
RememberedChristianityMakingJames/dp/0802839312?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom
20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> andthenturningattentiontothree
protestsandproposalswhicharemadeinthatbook,butwhichareindangerof
beingoverlookedinthemidstofitssome900pages.Thoseprovidethestructureand
contenttohischapterinthisvolume.
ThefirstprotestisagainstanexaggerateddistinctionbetweenthehistoricalJesus
andtheChristoffaith.Jesuswassuchafigureastoelicitwhatcandeservedlybe
calledfaithfromearlyon,inthepreEasterperiod.Thisleadstothefirstproposal,
whichisthatJesuswasafigurewhomadeanimpact,andthuseventhoughwesee
clearsignsoflaterdevelopmentandoverlaidtraditionintheGospels,wealsosee
materialthatseemstohaveremainedrelativelyunaffectedbysuchlaterdevelopments.
DunnofferstheQmaterialasanexample,sinceitlacksknowledgeofand/orinterest
inthecrucifixionandsubsequenttheologicaldevelopments.Hesuggeststhatittook
shapealreadyduringthepublicactivityofthehistoricalfigureofJesusinGalilee.At
thattime,Jesuswasalreadymakinganimpactonthosewhofollowedhim,andtolook
foraJesuswhomakesnosuchimpactandevokesnofaithis,inDunnsview,a
misguidedandfutileundertaking(p.206).
DunnssecondprotestisagainstunderstandingtherelationshipbetweentheSynoptic
Gospelsexclusivelyinliteraryterms.Cautionshaveoccasionallybeenofferedby
scholars,yettheapproachhasremainedpredominantlyliterary.Dunnprotestsaswell
againstregardingoraltraditionasthoughitwerealmostpreciselythesameasliterary
transmissionofmaterial.Theresultingproposalsuggeststhatwecanandmust
envisagetheearlystageinwhichstoriesaboutJesustookshapeorallyratherthanin
thefirstinstanceinwriting.Inthissection,Dunnprovidesanoverviewofsomekey
characteristicsoforaltradition:hearingasaneventthatcanneverberecoveredinthe
mannerawrittentextcantheroleofcommunityaswellasofkeyindividualsin
transmitting,shapingandpreservingtraditionandthecombinationoffluidity(of
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ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn
wording)andfixity(ofgistandsomeessentialelements).Dunnalsoemphasizesthat
thenotionofanoriginalversionshouldbeabandonedwhendealingwithoral
tradition,sincematerialisthoughtofinthemind,spokenmostlikelyonmorethan
oneoccasion,andheardandremembereddifferentlybydifferenthearers,fromthe
beginning,evenbeforetheprocesscomestoinvolvestilllargernumbersofhearersand
theirmemory(p.215).
DunnsthirdprotestisagainsttheattempttofindaJesuswhoisdistinctivefromhis
environment.InthiscontexthediscussestheearlyqueststendencytospeakofJesus
ashavingbrokenwithJudaism,aswellaofSptjudentum(which,ironically,iswhat
wetendtospeakofaearlyJudaismtoday).TheapriorithatJesusbelongedwithin
Judaismisamoresecurestartingpointforanyquesterthantheassumptionthathe
musthavedifferedfromJudaism(p.220).Doingjusticetoboththecontinuityand
discontinuityisachallenge.ButinthevarietythatwasearlyChristianity,wesee
commonthemeswhicharelikelytostemfromthepowerfuloriginatingandshaping
forcethatbeganandinfluencedthattradition,namelyJesushimself.Ahandfulof
suchcharacteristicsarelisted:teachinginparables,idiomssuchasAmen(usedto
prefacehisownwordsratherthanassenttothoseofothers)andsonofman(which
wewouldotherwisehavetoimaginewascreatedbyachurchwhich,outsideofthe
Gospels,showednointerestintheterm(p.221).ThecharacteristicJesusmaycome
clearlyintofocuseveniftheauthenticityofthisorthatsayingisuncertain,sincewe
aretalkingabouttheimpressionJesusmaderatherthanprecisewordshespoke.
DunnconcludesbymentioningmaterialsuchastheLordsPrayerandtheLords
Supper,whichwouldberatheroddtoimagineLukeorMatthewsimplycopyingfroma
writtensourceasthoughtheywerehearingorreadingitforthefirsttime.Materialof
thiskindwaslivedandused.AndsoDunnclosesbysuggestingthatfaithcommunities
mayinfacthaveanadvantagewhenitcomestopursuingthehistoricalJesus,since
theycanreadilyenvisagetheprocessesthatwouldhavebeenatworkintheearliest
Christiancommunity,whichshapeditslifeandactivityaroundmaterialfromand
aboutJesus,whichwasrepeatedandpracticedinadynamicfashionthathasleftits
imprintonourearliestsources.
RobertPricesresponsemakessomeimportantpoints,emphasizingthataninfluential
andfamousteacherwouldnotonlyhavehisteachingremembered,butwouldalso
haveteachinginventedandfalselyattributedtohim(p.226).Pricementionsthe
possibilitythatnoneofthehadithmayauthenticallygobacktoMuhammad,although
thisperhapsispreciselyDunnspoint:wemaynotbeabletodeterminewithcertainty
whichsayings,ifany,areauthentic,butmayneverthelessbeabletogetasenseofthe
histoicalMuhammadorJesusbytheoverallimpressiontheymadeasreflectedinour
earliestsources,evenifuncertaintyremainsaboutspecificsayings.Atanyrate,Price
himselfoffersasparallelsandillustrationsscenarioswhichonlyseemtoworkona
nonmythicistscenario,andatonemomentIwonderedwhetherhehadforgottenthat
hewasadvocatingamythiciststance.Forinstance,PricepointsouthowPlato
increasinglyusedSocratesasamouthpieceforhisownviews,whileatthesame
timehemostcertainlywouldhaveobjectedtotheideathathewasnotfaithfully
passingonhisteachersinstructioninthelaterworksasmuchasintheearlierones.It
ishardtoimagineaplausiblescenarioinwhichPaul,thecanonicalGospels,thelater
GospelsandarangeofotherworkssuddenlybeginattributingtheirteachingstoJesus
inordertolendthemhisauthority,andyettherewasnoJesuswhoseimpactledto
thesediverseattemptstoclaimhisauthoritystartinginthisparticulartimeperiod.It
isashamethatPriceinsistsonundermininghisownvaluableinsightsbylinkingthem
tohisimplausiblemythicistframework.
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ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn
PricealsoobjectstoDunnsappealtooraltraditiontoaddressdivergencesinthe
Gospels,acriticismwhichCrossanandJohnsonwillalsooffer.BothPriceand
Johnsonarewaryofwhattheyfearmaybeamoveinthedirectionoftheold
apologeticsarguments,suggestingthattheGospelsarelikeseparateaccountsofacar
accident,orthatJesustaughtthesamematerialontwooccasionsintwodifferent
ways.Tobefair,DunnisnotsuggestingthattheGospelsareeyewitnessaccounts,nor
doesheenvisageadirectlinefromteachinggivenbyJesus,whetherononeormore
occasions,toaverbatimpreservationofthatteachingintheGospels.Onthecontrary,
hiswholeemphasisisonthefactthatoraltraditiondoesnotpreserveprecisewording,
butthegist,andthuswecouldprobablynevertellwhetherweweredealingwith
materialdeliveredmorethanoncebythesamestoryteller,ortwoversionsbythe
originalstorytellerandsomeonewhocopiedhimorher,ortwoversionsretold
separatelybyothers.Orality,asBocknotesinhisresponse(p.246),isasortof
Pandorasboxandakindofwildcardwhichremoveanycertaintywemighthave
hadthatwecancompletelytracecauseandeffectrelationshipsbetweentheGospels.
AsIpointedoutinarecentFestschrift<http://www.amazon.com/JesusPaulPerspectives
BirthdayTestament/dp/0567629538?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom
20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> forDunn,wecanimaginescenariosin
whichalaterauthorcouldhavehadaversionofacertainstoryinasourceopenbefore
him,andyetoptedtoignoreitandtellinsteadthestoryashehadalwaysheardit
independentlyofthetextinfrontofhim.Tocallthatredactionofthesourceseems
inappropriate.
ThuswhenCrossanemphasizesinhisresponsethatsomeinstancesofparallel
materialintheGospelsseemclearlytobedeliberatealterationofasourcefor
polemicalpurposes,hispointiswelltaken,andyetshouldnotbeunderstoodasfalsely
antitheticaltoDunnspoint,whichdoesnotseemtoadvocatearejectionofthe
standardsolutiontotheSynopticproblem,butmerelyarecognitionofthegreater
complexityoftherelationshipswhenwetaketheoralcontextintoaccount.Orality
doesnotworkasabettersolutiontotheSynopticproblemthanthestandardtwo
document(orinsomeversionsfourdocument)hypothesis.Butitisanecessary
supplementtothatconsensussolution,withoutwhichthescenarioenvisagedwillbe
utterlyanachronistic.
SeveraloftherespondentsexpressedthewishthatDunnhadofferedmoreofthe
resultsoftheapplicationofhismethod,andhadfleshedoutmoreaboutthefigureof
Jesusasheenvisageshim.
OneparticularlycolorfulcommentfromCrossanisworthmentioninginclosing.Dunn
saidatonepointinhisessaythatwedonothavethefirsthandtestimonyofCaiaphas
orPilateandthusdonotknowwhatJesusimpactonthemmighthavebeen.Crossan
feelsthisiswrongandreplies:WehaveveryclearevidenceofhisimpactonPilate.It
iscalledcrucifixion(p.237).
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