1)      The second chapter begins with Norm’s wish to begin his journey in Bethlehem delayed so he begins his search with John the Baptist.  This area also exposes the four criteria of Authenticity (43).  The search takes Norm through libraries, and historical sites that include Jordan River and a camp near the Dead Sea that was the supposed home of the Qumran, a group of people that might have raised John the Baptist.  This area begins the true digging into analytical thinking by showing the critiques of the culture and the text of the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as Josephus.  These texts seem to point to a living man named John but his life being embellished by the Biblical texts.  He may have been a radical man who thought Elijah was his master.  It is finally exposed how the image of John is constructed from the bible as well as extra-canonical sources.

2)      Norm’s push for a true John in the face of the Qumran, text and an atheist is something that shows the problems faced by most thoughts of the day.  I was also surprised to see the examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how the historical John could affect great numbers with the ideas he might have been exposed to.

_ Part I

The chapter starts off with Norm’s first glimpses of Jerusalem and the feelings of wonderment he has upon arriving.  Once he got over the initial culture shock, he settled in and began to delve into the reasoning he went on the trip.  A copy of The Screwtape Letters got him thinking and he recalled a quote by an acquaintance at his church; “Did I believe in Jesus because of the Gospels, or in the Gospels because of Jesus?” (41)  In this thinking, we are introduced to the criterion of “embarrassment” in which Jesus would never be made to look inferior unless it was the truth.  We are also introduced to “multiple attestation” where stories occur in multiple, independent sources (42).

Norm also speaks of his New Testament class in which his professor paints the picture of Jesus initially being a follower of John, rather than the other way around.  He goes on to discuss some comparisons between Josephus and the Gospels and showed that the Gospels had “Christianized” John into a “publicity agent” of Jesus.  After spending a few hours researching in a library, he heads out to some tombs about five minutes north of the Old City and finds a tomb that is supposedly that of the father of John.    Here he met two apocalyptic believers who felt that the end times were near.  Here, he made some connections between John’s radical preaching and these folks’ ideals.  In the rest of the chapter, Norm explains some of his treks and conclusions he has come to about John.

Part II

The majority of this chapter is spent discussing the significance and historical accuracy of John the Baptist.  Personally, I knew little of John the Baptist other than the fact that he baptized Jesus.  It was enlightening to read about how John may have even “competed” with Jesus for followers.  It was also interesting to read about how John may have considered Jesus too forgiving and nice to be the Messiah character that he was expecting.  Norm spends a good amount of time comparing the Gospels to the writings of Josephus and tries to create parallels and understandings between the two.  While the content overlaps a fair amount, it also diverges at key points.  For one, the Gospels treat John as a kind and pleasant person who “recruited” followers for Jesus.  Josephus, however, made no reference to any sort of alliance or partnership with Jesus.  It is fairly clear that John was indeed a real person who preached, but many historians have concluded that he was much more radical and apocalyptic than the Gospels or Josephus leads on.  Norm also raises the point of John seeing in Jesus a type of second-coming of Elijah.  However, the Gospels give more of an impression of Jesus and John both being Elijah figures.  Through his research, Norm concludes that Jesus “seems to have had mixed feelings about the connection, and he happily let John have it.” (65)

Part I
         In the second chapter, Norm decides to explore John the Baptist in his quest for the historical Jesus. He starts by examining and comparing John the Baptist as explained both in the Gospels and in Josephus. They show remarkable similarity in their portrayal of John, however one may argue that the Gospels “Christianized” John (46). Norm then continues his exploration by looking at John the Baptist’s relationship to Jesus in which four main options are presented: John was a moral reformer; John spoke only of God’s coming judgment; John spoke vaguely of a coming one; and John recognized Jesus at his baptism (47). Norm follows in John’s footsteps to try to draw his own conclusion. He travels to Zachariah’s (John’s father) tomb where he meets a pair of doomsday apocalyptics and notes that John’s message may have been just as similar and bizarre as theirs (51). Then he travels to Qumran and speculates whether or not John was associated with the Essenes, never really arriving at a conclusion (53-57). His next stop is the Jordan River at the spot that is said to be where John did his baptizing. He initially doubts how and why John would have chosen that area to baptize. However, his tour guide notes that it is actually a significant location throughout Jewish history, “very near the Israelites’ camp on the plains of Moab and the spot Joshua chose to lead Israel across the Jordan into the land…in the shadow of Mount Nebo, Moses’s last known whereabouts, from which he looked across to Canaan and promptly died” (63). This stirs within Norm the idea of the parallel between John the Baptist and Elijah as well as between Jesus and Elijah/Elisha (65). He ends his journey at Machaerus where Josephus states that John the Baptist was beheaded. Though the details are different depending on which source you look at, the main idea of John’s death is the same: John was murdered by the king, and his preaching was cut short (69). This is just another instance in determining the historical Jesus that Norm is faced with the trouble of determining the crossroads where history meets story (73).

Part II 
         Fisk explores whether John the Baptist is a freelance prophet or a publicity agent. He is explained by Josephus as a prophet who challenged large crowds to repent, be baptized, and perform deeds of righteousness (44-45). In this the Gospels agree, however the Gospels continue to add “Christianizing” elements to John’s message that make him appear more as a “publicity agent” than just a controversial prophet.  Later, Fisk compares the Gospels’ and Josephus’ accounts of John’s death. While the main idea is the same, they disagree on four details: Where did John’s death occur? Who was Herodias’s first husband? What part did Herodias play? What motivated Antipas to have John killed? (70). While these are not necessarily major details, Fisk notes that the Gospels’ portrayal of John’s death has remarkable similarity to several Old Testament stories. This causes Norm to question which parts of the story are fact and which are “creative additions with Old Testament allusions” or if the author “expanded a historical core into an epic battle” (72). This adds to Fisk’s internal struggle of how to separate history from story when exploring the historical Jesus (73). 

Part I

     In chapter two of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus, Fisk begins by describing his first few weeks in Jerusalem starting with the exhilarating feelings of Fisk when he stepped off the bus. Fisk goes on to address the various sights and sounds that flooded the
streets of the Muslim Quarter.  Although Fisk is filled with excitement about his new surroundings, he does show the reader that he is homesick and even writes a poem.  A series of events which put Bethlehem “under closure” forced Fisk to start his quest with John the Baptist. Fisk heads to the library to study john and his importance. Next Fisk headed to the Kidron Valley Tombs, where he contemplated on the monument to John’s father and came up with four ideas about the relationship between John and Jesus. Following an interesting acquaintance with Sister Sophie and Prophet Jonathan, who were two “doomsday apocalyptic”, Fisk was invited to tour Qumran with Jesse. Next Fisk journeyed to the Jordan in hopes to clarify the connection between John the Baptist’s “doomsday message” and Jesus. While staying the night on a hotel roof top, Fisk meets Bernie, an ex-Catholic atheist, who agrees to co-travel to Bethany, where John baptized. In the end of the chapter Fisk assures the reader that the basic fact of John’s death is clear, but there are various details of John’s death that are either true or an editorial spin (69-71).

 Part II

     In the beginning pages Fisk brings up a question that I had never considered. The question simplistically asked whether the Gospels came first of the religious Jesus (41). It shocked me that such a basic question could make me stop and take a moment to think about my own response. I found the section of this chapter that looked at various passages and showed the reader how to pull key aspects out extremely helpful because it broke the process down into understandable steps (42-46). I also found the  information about the Copper Scroll very interesting because it was something new to me that I had never heard about before (57-58). When Fisk discusses the story about John’s death using the birthday-dance/head-on-platter scene, I feel like he is reminding the reader that no matter how outrageous the story may be, it is still a plausible idea because there isn’t enough evidence to disprove it.

Part 1

In Chapter 2, we travel with Norm to Absalom’s Tomb, Qumran, Jordan, Bethany, and Machaerus.  All of these places have one thing in common, ties to the “historical” John the Baptist.  While traveling, Norm flashbacks to a moment in his undergraduate studies when his religion professor, Guilder compared John the Baptist that appeared in the Gospels and in Josephus.  Norm remarks that the overlap was impressive.  He concludes that given all the agreement from both those independent sources (multiple attestation) historians are confident that John the Baptist did exist and “was a fiery preacher who stirred up the masses and made authorities nervous” (46).  Norm is alarmed that there are some key differences between the Gospels and Josephus such as his message, relationship to Jesus, where John was baptizing, and why John was arrested.  Guilder believes that the Gospels “Christianized” John, so Norm sets out to explore the some clarity in the Holy Land about these differences.  Norm concludes before he can start searching for the Jesus of History, he needs to spend time with John because the Gospels are so heavily invested in his testimony (46).  Norm travels to Absalom’s Tomb, where inscribed is Zachariah “Father of John”(48).  Norm maps out his quest for John as a questioning of both John’s and Jesus’s early careers along with John’s infancy.  He questions whether early Christians are telling new stories without forgetting the old (49).  John the Baptist is compared to the Second Samuel as well as the return of Elijah (49, 65).  Norm talks with a doctorate student, Jesse, on another theory about who John may have been while in Qumran.  Jesse tells Norm that John the Baptist may have had ties with the Essene.  Jesse is studying the Dead Sea Scrolls, which is the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century found in eleven caves written by Jewish monks on books of the Hebrew Bible, prayers, and communal rules during the 1st century (time of John and Jesus). (53).  Norm also travels to Bethany, where John baptized and Machaerus, where he lost his head (61).  While traveling to the same places John walked and talked, Norm pondered all the different theories about who John was or how he was constructed to be by the Gospels.  After hearing and observing all angles of John the Baptist, Norm assembled on single comprehensive story of John the Baptist the Gospel story and Josephus account of John (70-71).  By doing this, Norm felt uneasy as a follower of faith that Mark quite possibly like Shakespeare or other literary icons updated an old story with a new spin (72).  Norm seems to be disappointed with that discovery, but he ultimately is still digesting all the information he just unearthed.

Part 2

                Like Norm, I am still trying to digest all the perspectives and theories of John the Baptist that were presented in this chapter.  I would have posed the same question Norm did to John Meier, a New Testament professor at Notre Dame.  Norm asked Dr. Meier, “which John seemed more credible—the apocalyptic John in the Gospels or the moralistic John of Josephus” (61).  Before reading this book, I was only presented by the Bible and my church part of the story of John the Baptist, but after reading and pondering about the other side of the story, I am still uncertain if John was constructed to the second Samuel or Elijah.  Coming at the faith perspective, I am uneasy at the idea that the Gospel writers are not telling fact, but with a new awareness about intertextuality and the first chapter, I do see that every writer has a certain agenda and bias.  I do feel confident with the multiple attestation principle applied that John was a real historical figure that did preach to the masses and made the Roman government nervous.  With the Gospels heavy interest in John and by Josephus, I am glad Norm starts his quest for Jesus with John.  I would like to know if the class finds the Gospels or Josephus more credible.  How does everyone else see John the Baptist?  A forerunner to Jesus or an Essene freelancer?

Part I
     In the second chapter of A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus, Norm has just landed and is headed on his way to Jerusalem. Norm begins his journey by exploring his new surroundings and getting familiar with his environment, exploring such places as the Jewish Quarter, the Kidron Valley, and the Dead Sea, in particular, the ruins of Qumran.  His journey to the Dead Sea is led by Jesse, a PhD student exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls (52).  While they explore, they discuss another historical figure, John the Baptist, and how his message, including baptisms and prophetic teachings, linked him to Jesus (47-53). Jesse and Norms discussion of John the Baptist also leads to discussion of the inhabitants of Qumran and how they were linked to John (54,55). In this chapter there is also the topic of apocalyptic preaching, something that Norm suggest that John was a cater to (57).  Throughout the chapter, Norm seeks to walk in the footsteps of some of the bible and history's main figures, in this case John the Baptist, even going as far as to try and determine where exactly he was beheaded.  For Norm, this simply marks the first stage of his journey.

Part II
     In this chapter, Fisk brings into question the historical relevance of figures that were closely related to Jesus.  The one that is highlighted the most is John the Baptist.  It seems that Fisk is taking some of the same approaches that he uses to determine facts about the historical Jesus, to discover facts about the historical John the Baptist.  This also brought in the question of certain parts of John's preaching such as if he ever actually refers to Jesus, or more so if he is referencing God (47). If John was referring to God, this may change the way that theologians look at both John the Baptist and Jesus.   Throughout the chapter, Norm tries to find comparisons between the Gospels and the writings of Josephus who, in some ways, both adds to the reliability of John the Baptist and then takes away from it at the same time.  This can be especially noted on pages 44, 45, and 46, where he both compares and contrast the Gospels and Josephus's writings.  One things that I notice is that in certain ways, Fisk likens Jesus to Martin Luther King Jr. and John to Malcolm X.  He speaks of Jesus as the more peaceful of the two who wanted to teach through his words and John as someone that wanted to teach through his actions. 

Ouestion:  Is it possible that Jesus and John the Baptist represented two different parts of the same revolution?

Part I
       Throughout this chapter, Fisk describes the first weeks of his journey in Israel in which he travels to many of the sacred places referred to in the Bible. Fisk summarizes the history known about each of these places while also inserting his own ideas about what took place at these sites. Fisk continues to utilize quotes from Josephus as examples for possible historical characters and events. By relating the quotes, mainly of Josephus, that are thought to be more accurate in their historical accounts to passages from the Gospels, Fisk clearly lays out a ‘map’ for us to interpret these events in our own terms.

Part II
        A statement from one of Fisk’s companions on page 54 brings to light the idea that the Gospels hold more information than simply the true events as they occurred: “The Gospels rarely indicate when they’ve stopped reciting historical events and started explaining what they mean”. This is specifically why Fisk feels the need to discover the historical Jesus on his own rather than relying on the stories created from these events that occurred. As the author visits and is told more about these historic sites, he creates his own ‘story’ (70) of what may have happened and begins to unveil some aspects of Jesus as a historical figure, along with other important persons such as: John the Baptist and Herod. Fisk is beginning to decipher the truth from fiction as he gets deeper into his journey and begins to observe that almost everyone has their own ideas and image of Jesus based on what they have read and been told. Some are too afraid of what they might find if they delve into the unknown history of Jesus’ life (41), but Fisk sees it as a necessary expedition in order to create a sound representation of the man that is so worshipped. Fisk ends this chapter by stating that his journey is far from over and he is not yet able to label all stories from the Gospels as fictitious, but he is weary and realizes that there will be instances where his beliefs are challenged by the truth of history.