Part I
In chapter one of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus, Fisk introduces Norm, a recent college graduate embarking on his journey to Israel to learn more about Jesus. Norm is a Christian seeking more knowledge and understanding about the historical Jesus compared to the Jesus that Christians have developed throughout the years. While on the plane to Israel, Norm is seated next to a hefty woman named Dorothy. Dorothy is also on a journey to meet her own religious desires, which strikes up a very interesting conversation between the two travelers. Throughout their entire flight, Norm reads quotes from scholars including Pliny, Josephus and Tacticus. By reading these quotes, it becomes very apparent that no one knows the "real" Jesus. Dorothy has many questions and Norm does his best to answer them to the best of his knowledge. Throughout this chapter, we are shown quotes from many scholars and Fisk explains them as Norm learns more throughout his search.
Part II
I really enjoyed reading the first chapter of A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus. Some of the quotes were difficult to understand, but I definitely picked up that the scholars didn't have a complete truthful idea of who Jesus was as a person. On page 17, a quote from the scholar Gunther Bornkamm really interested me. He states that faith cannot be dependent on the uncertainty of historical research. What I got from this is that Bornkamm is saying that although finding out who Jesus really was historically as a person cannot affect the way a Christian views him because the differences are substantial. While reading this chapter, I realized that there is no proof that the words that were said by Jesus were actually spoken by him. Many stories and sayings of Jesus were formed and modified by the church, and I am very curious to learn about what Norm finds on his journey. I feel as if I am very comfortable with my faith in Jesus and what I know about him thus far, but I, like Norm, am very interested in finding out more about him from a scholars point of view. I am curious to see how I can relate historical facts to my own faith.
In chapter one of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus, Fisk introduces Norm, a recent college graduate embarking on his journey to Israel to learn more about Jesus. Norm is a Christian seeking more knowledge and understanding about the historical Jesus compared to the Jesus that Christians have developed throughout the years. While on the plane to Israel, Norm is seated next to a hefty woman named Dorothy. Dorothy is also on a journey to meet her own religious desires, which strikes up a very interesting conversation between the two travelers. Throughout their entire flight, Norm reads quotes from scholars including Pliny, Josephus and Tacticus. By reading these quotes, it becomes very apparent that no one knows the "real" Jesus. Dorothy has many questions and Norm does his best to answer them to the best of his knowledge. Throughout this chapter, we are shown quotes from many scholars and Fisk explains them as Norm learns more throughout his search.
Part II
I really enjoyed reading the first chapter of A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus. Some of the quotes were difficult to understand, but I definitely picked up that the scholars didn't have a complete truthful idea of who Jesus was as a person. On page 17, a quote from the scholar Gunther Bornkamm really interested me. He states that faith cannot be dependent on the uncertainty of historical research. What I got from this is that Bornkamm is saying that although finding out who Jesus really was historically as a person cannot affect the way a Christian views him because the differences are substantial. While reading this chapter, I realized that there is no proof that the words that were said by Jesus were actually spoken by him. Many stories and sayings of Jesus were formed and modified by the church, and I am very curious to learn about what Norm finds on his journey. I feel as if I am very comfortable with my faith in Jesus and what I know about him thus far, but I, like Norm, am very interested in finding out more about him from a scholars point of view. I am curious to see how I can relate historical facts to my own faith.
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