II. New Testament Christology, Part I: Stages of the Development of Christology and The Historical Jesus

For the Stages of the Development of Christology, read • Read: Joseph A. FITZMYER, S.J., “ The Biblical Commission’s Instructions on the Historical Truth of the Gospels,” Theological Studies 25 (1964), 386-408. Accessible here.

On the Quest for the Historical Jesus, you can read the survey in  RAUSCH, SJ, chapter 1, pp. 9-22.
For a recent assessment of the issue, read  LOHFINK, SJ “The So-Called Historical Jesus,” in Jesus of Nazareth, pp. 1-23. The book is placed on reserve at the Arnoldus Library.

You can watch here Fr. Meier's video lecture on the matter (he discusses Marginal Jew, vol. 3).



On the Reign of God:
--For a general knowledge, read John FUELLENBACH, SVD, "Kingdom of God," in Dictionary of Fundamental Theology, ed. by Latourelle and Fisichella, pp. 586-94. For Guide Questions on this article, click here [FUELLENBACH].

--On the issue of the historicity of the Reign of God as a central message of Jesus, read John P. MEIER, "The Kingdom of God: God Coming in Power to Rule," in A Marginal Jew, vol. 2, pp. 237-506. A summary/outline is presented in class. The book is placed on reserve at the Arnoldus Library.

For MEIER, Jesus was a marginal Jew, "a 1st-century Jewish eschatological prophet who proclaims an imminent-future coming of God's kingdom, practices baptism as a ritual of preparation for that kingdom, teaches his disciples to pray to God as 'abba' for the kingdom's arrival, prophesies the regathering of all Israel (symbolized by the inner circle of his twelve disciples) and the inclusion of the Gentiles when the kingdom comes--but who at the same time makes the kingdom already present for at least some Israelites by his exorcisms and miracles of healing. Hence in some cases he already mediates an experience of the joyful time of salvation, expressed also in his freewheeling table fellowship with toll collectors and sinners and his rejection of voluntary fasting for himself and his disciples. To all this must be added his--at times--startling interpretation of the Mosaic Law" (A Marginal Jew II, 454).

--For a current assessment, see LOHFINK, "The Proclamation of the Reign of God," and the "Reign of God and the People of God," in Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was, pp. 24-58. The book is placed on reserve at the Arnoldus Library.

--See also FUELLENBACH, "The Kingdom of God and the Church: Ecclesiology after Vatican II," Diwa 40 (2015): 54-73.

ASSIGNMENT: Write a two-page reaction, HANDWRITTEN, on  LOHFINK,  "Jesus' Miracles," in Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was, pp. 128-152. The reaction paper should be handed in on July 6, 2016. Note: June 29 is a free cut.