Part I
In the final chapter of Norm’s journey, he studies the death and resurrection of Jesus. He begins at Gethsemane where it is almost certain that Jesus came to pray the night before his arrest (231). The Gospels all paint a different picture of this night: in Mark, Matthew, and Luke, Jesus appears to makes a simple plea for rescue; while John shows that Jesus made no attempt to avoid the cross (234-236). However they all seem to agree that Jesus was indeed a martyr (239). Norm suggests that the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead because he: 1) spoke against the temple, or 2) had surging popularity which posed a threat (240-241). Finally, Norm speculates about the truth behind Jesus’ resurrection. He presents claims that Jesus’ body was actually relocated. However, disputes this since of its unexpectedness and due to the early, widespread, and consistent belief in Jesus’ resurrection (263-264).
Part II
As Norm follows in Jesus’ footsteps during his final hours, he notices that many popular pilgrimage sites have little or no historical basis. As he walks the Via Dolorosa, Norm notices that four-five of the stations don’t even have Biblical ties. Along the whole route are venders, shopkeepers, and children trying to make some money. Although this may seem as a distraction for the more serious theologians, Norm speculates that “in the features of all these faces, and more, Christ was at play” (251). Then, when Norm enters Jesus’ burial chamber, he notices that even in Christendom’s holiest space, nothing around him dates back to the time when such a great event took place there (264). While this makes it appear that the real historical Jesus may be completely hidden, Norm argues that the line between history and tradition can’t be easily drawn because tradition is so deeply rooted in historical memory (264-265). I really like Norm’s statement that “even the most assured events of the past come to us only through later interpretation” (265). Just because the Gospels are interpretations, that doesn’t mean we should completely dismiss them as having no historical basis whatsoever.
In the final chapter of Norm’s journey, he studies the death and resurrection of Jesus. He begins at Gethsemane where it is almost certain that Jesus came to pray the night before his arrest (231). The Gospels all paint a different picture of this night: in Mark, Matthew, and Luke, Jesus appears to makes a simple plea for rescue; while John shows that Jesus made no attempt to avoid the cross (234-236). However they all seem to agree that Jesus was indeed a martyr (239). Norm suggests that the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead because he: 1) spoke against the temple, or 2) had surging popularity which posed a threat (240-241). Finally, Norm speculates about the truth behind Jesus’ resurrection. He presents claims that Jesus’ body was actually relocated. However, disputes this since of its unexpectedness and due to the early, widespread, and consistent belief in Jesus’ resurrection (263-264).
Part II
As Norm follows in Jesus’ footsteps during his final hours, he notices that many popular pilgrimage sites have little or no historical basis. As he walks the Via Dolorosa, Norm notices that four-five of the stations don’t even have Biblical ties. Along the whole route are venders, shopkeepers, and children trying to make some money. Although this may seem as a distraction for the more serious theologians, Norm speculates that “in the features of all these faces, and more, Christ was at play” (251). Then, when Norm enters Jesus’ burial chamber, he notices that even in Christendom’s holiest space, nothing around him dates back to the time when such a great event took place there (264). While this makes it appear that the real historical Jesus may be completely hidden, Norm argues that the line between history and tradition can’t be easily drawn because tradition is so deeply rooted in historical memory (264-265). I really like Norm’s statement that “even the most assured events of the past come to us only through later interpretation” (265). Just because the Gospels are interpretations, that doesn’t mean we should completely dismiss them as having no historical basis whatsoever.
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