Jesus [antikvár]

PREFACE The Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith are two separate beings, with very different stories. It is difficult enough to reconstruct the first, and in the attempt we are Hkely to do irreparable harm to the second. Jesus, or Joshua, which is the same name, means 'saviour'. It is the Christian belief that one of the many men in history who bore this name was literally the Saviour of the World. And it is for this reason that the Western World divides history itself into the time before and after the birth ofjesus. Millions of people throughout the world still subscribe to the belief that Jesus was the Saviour. For them, he was the incarnation of God, coming down into a Virgin womb, and being born in a stable in Bethlehem to save the world from its sins. Revealing his identity only to a small band of followers, the Saviour taught the human race how to live. But this teaching alone could not save men and women from the consequences of their sin. They could not be saved unless the price of sin was paid; and this price was the supreme sacrifice which Jesus made when he died, a painful and humiliating death on the Cross of Calvary. Three days after that, to reveal his triumph over sin and death, Jesus rose again from the dead, revealing himself to his friends, before ascending through the clouds back to heaven again where he sits on the right hand of God. At the end of the world, Jesus will come again to decide which members of the human race deserve to enjoy perpetual happiness with God, and which deserve to be sent for everlasting punishment in hell. This is the Christian faith. For those who are not Christians, it must seem very puzzling that such beliefs could be entertained about an historical personage. Even for those who are Christians, the figure of the historical Jesus poses problems which are not easy to solve. What are the sources for our beliefs about Jesus? How do we know whether or not they are accurate? Is it possible for a - vii -