Part I
The final chapter of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus, Norm concentrates on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Norm begins the final leg of his journey at a place known as Gethsemane, the hillside where Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed before Jesus’ arrest (231). Norm goes on to decipher the differences between each Gospel on these final events of Jesus’ life. When Norm comes to the stories about the crucifixion event, he declares that the Gospels simply state: “they crucified him” (252). There were no reports of gory details as are seen through tales of this event today. Norm explores an interesting theory about Jesus’ resurrection, or more simply put: his absence in the tomb upon Mary’s visit. This idea states that Jesus was absent from his tomb because he was moved to another site, possibly a family tomb, rather than being brought back to life (260). Norm’s journey ends in a less than satisfactory way, as he was unable to make accurate conclusions about the historical Jesus other than the fact that he has many faces and serves many roles (266).
Part II
The family tomb theory that Norm explores is stated to contain too many problems to be held true. This theory states that Jesus had a son named Judah and was married to Mary Magdalen (loosely translated from the name Mariamene). These ideas however do not contain historical evidence (260). Another theory that Norm criticizes is that of the temporary burial. Norm states that this theory cannot explain the widespread belief that Jesus was resurrected from his tomb because no one had expected to find an empty tomb and were genuinely surprised when they had (264). When Norm finally visits the place where jesus’ tomb used to be, he concludes that the, just like the story, this remade tomb was built on belief rather than fact: “Everywhere I looked tradition. Nowhere history” (264). This quote by Norm sums up his journey justly, in that there is no real way to find the historical Jesus because every aspect of his life is built upon tradition and interpretation.
The final chapter of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus, Norm concentrates on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Norm begins the final leg of his journey at a place known as Gethsemane, the hillside where Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed before Jesus’ arrest (231). Norm goes on to decipher the differences between each Gospel on these final events of Jesus’ life. When Norm comes to the stories about the crucifixion event, he declares that the Gospels simply state: “they crucified him” (252). There were no reports of gory details as are seen through tales of this event today. Norm explores an interesting theory about Jesus’ resurrection, or more simply put: his absence in the tomb upon Mary’s visit. This idea states that Jesus was absent from his tomb because he was moved to another site, possibly a family tomb, rather than being brought back to life (260). Norm’s journey ends in a less than satisfactory way, as he was unable to make accurate conclusions about the historical Jesus other than the fact that he has many faces and serves many roles (266).
Part II
The family tomb theory that Norm explores is stated to contain too many problems to be held true. This theory states that Jesus had a son named Judah and was married to Mary Magdalen (loosely translated from the name Mariamene). These ideas however do not contain historical evidence (260). Another theory that Norm criticizes is that of the temporary burial. Norm states that this theory cannot explain the widespread belief that Jesus was resurrected from his tomb because no one had expected to find an empty tomb and were genuinely surprised when they had (264). When Norm finally visits the place where jesus’ tomb used to be, he concludes that the, just like the story, this remade tomb was built on belief rather than fact: “Everywhere I looked tradition. Nowhere history” (264). This quote by Norm sums up his journey justly, in that there is no real way to find the historical Jesus because every aspect of his life is built upon tradition and interpretation.
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