Honest Engagement: Other Views and Hard Questions

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A book that makes a claim as large as this should state the objections fairly.

What Critical Scholars Say

Many historians accept that Jesus lived, taught, was baptized by John, gathered disciples, and was crucified under Pilate. They disagree on much else. Some argue that Jesus saw himself only as a prophet, and that belief in his deity developed gradually, in the decades after his death. Bart Ehrman, for example, argues that early Christians came to think of Jesus as divine in stages [16]. They also observe that the Gospels were written decades later by believers with theological purposes.

The response: Believers point to the very early texts, such as the hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 and the creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, which Paul says he "received," and to the evidence of early worship. Richard Bauckham argues that the earliest Christians included Jesus within the identity of the one God from the start [14]. Where disagreement remains: scholars differ on how early and how explicit Jesus's own claims were.

What the Jewish Tradition Says

Judaism honors the Hebrew Scriptures, and many Jewish scholars today recognize Jesus as a significant Jewish teacher. But the Jewish tradition does not accept him as Messiah or as God. The Messiah, in this view, has not come, because the promised age of peace has not arrived, and the idea of God becoming man conflicts with strict monotheism [18]. Christians respond that the Hebrew Scriptures themselves hint at plurality within God and describe a suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53), and that the first Christians were themselves Jews. Where disagreement remains: this is a long-standing difference between the two faiths, one that should be discussed with respect.

What Islam Says

Islam honors Jesus (Isa) as a great prophet and as the Messiah, born of the virgin Mary, who performed miracles. But it teaches that he was not divine and most Muslims hold that he was not crucified (Qur'an 4:157-158) [17]. Christians respond that the New Testament, written within decades of the events, and the testimony of non-Christian writers, attest to the crucifixion, and that the apostles taught his deity from the beginning. Where disagreement remains: the two faiths differ at the foundation of their understanding of Jesus.

Difficult Texts

Some groups, among them Jehovah's Witnesses and Unitarians, hold that Jesus was a great but created being. They cite verses such as these:

"My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).
"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32).
"Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18).

The response: Christians reply that these verses describe Jesus in his humanity and in his role as the Son sent by the Father. Philippians 2:7 says that he "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant," accepting limits for the sake of his mission. In Mark 10:18, Jesus does not deny he is good or God, but invites the man to consider what he is saying. The Church formulated this at Chalcedon: one person, two natures, divine and human [19]. Where disagreement remains: these groups hold that the Church's formulation goes beyond the Bible.

The "Fourth Option"

Some critics reply to Lewis that Jesus may never have made the claims attributed to him, because the Gospels were written later. Christians reply that the claims are present in the earliest sources, including Mark, and that the response of his opponents, who sought to stone him for blasphemy, shows the claims were understood. Where disagreement remains: the question of which sayings go back to Jesus is one on which scholars differ widely.

Miracles

Skeptics argue that miracles are impossible, or that the accounts reflect later legend. Believers answer that the question is not scientific but philosophical: if God exists, miracles are possible, and the evidence must be weighed on its merits. Craig Keener has compiled a large body of testimony of reported miracles across history [9]. Where disagreement remains: it depends on the presuppositions one brings.

Other Christians

Not all Christians agree about every detail. Some traditions emphasize the Gospels' historical details, while others stress their theological meaning. Most Christians, however, in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, affirm what the ancient creeds say: that Jesus Christ is "very God of very God" and also fully man [19].

CHAPTER 15