Part I
Fisk introduces us to his journey to test his faith by reenacting "Norm's" flight to Israel, in which he met a woman named Dorothy who was on a mission similar to his own. Norm and Dorothy share their ideas, and the thoughts of Pliny and other scholars, about Jesus as a historical figure and the mark he left behind on many of his followers. By reading the quotes of these scholars, we can see how difficult it is for theologians to decipher the truth out of the material that is discovered. Fisk introduces the reader to the idea that maybe not all that is known about Jesus is particularly true. Throughout this chapter we are introduced to the thoughts of many theological scholars and to Fisk's reasoning and intent behind this journey.
Part II
I enjoyed reading this first chapter by Fisk, as some aspects of it took me by surprise. A few of the scholars that he quotes throughout the chapter seem to doubt the validity of Jesus’ life, specifically the stories within the Gospels. One such quote that interested me was the one from page 17 by W. Wrede. This quote stands to be a reason in itself for Norm to embark on a journey to discover the historical Jesus. If, according to Wrede, the stories we have grown up believing are the truth, are said to be 'fairy tales', and the man we have been taught to follow is but a myth, why would anyone not want to know the history behind it? Fisk relates Norm's faith and the quest for the historical Jesus on page 27 when Dorothy states, “The Bible is a matter of faith. If we have the spirit it makes sense. If we don’t, it won’t”. Norm reports that he is somewhere between the incontestable faith of Dorothy, where everything good heard about Jesus must be the truth, and the constantly wary Bultmann and other scholars who demonstrate suspicion at every turn about the stories of Jesus’ life. I have to admit that I am on the same level as Norm was prior to his journey, as I have faith in Jesus and what I have been taught, although, I too can understand the biblical criticism of theological scholars. I am interested to see where Norm's journey takes him and look forward to understanding more about the history behind Jesus and Christianity through this book and be able to relate it to my own faith.
Fisk introduces us to his journey to test his faith by reenacting "Norm's" flight to Israel, in which he met a woman named Dorothy who was on a mission similar to his own. Norm and Dorothy share their ideas, and the thoughts of Pliny and other scholars, about Jesus as a historical figure and the mark he left behind on many of his followers. By reading the quotes of these scholars, we can see how difficult it is for theologians to decipher the truth out of the material that is discovered. Fisk introduces the reader to the idea that maybe not all that is known about Jesus is particularly true. Throughout this chapter we are introduced to the thoughts of many theological scholars and to Fisk's reasoning and intent behind this journey.
Part II
I enjoyed reading this first chapter by Fisk, as some aspects of it took me by surprise. A few of the scholars that he quotes throughout the chapter seem to doubt the validity of Jesus’ life, specifically the stories within the Gospels. One such quote that interested me was the one from page 17 by W. Wrede. This quote stands to be a reason in itself for Norm to embark on a journey to discover the historical Jesus. If, according to Wrede, the stories we have grown up believing are the truth, are said to be 'fairy tales', and the man we have been taught to follow is but a myth, why would anyone not want to know the history behind it? Fisk relates Norm's faith and the quest for the historical Jesus on page 27 when Dorothy states, “The Bible is a matter of faith. If we have the spirit it makes sense. If we don’t, it won’t”. Norm reports that he is somewhere between the incontestable faith of Dorothy, where everything good heard about Jesus must be the truth, and the constantly wary Bultmann and other scholars who demonstrate suspicion at every turn about the stories of Jesus’ life. I have to admit that I am on the same level as Norm was prior to his journey, as I have faith in Jesus and what I have been taught, although, I too can understand the biblical criticism of theological scholars. I am interested to see where Norm's journey takes him and look forward to understanding more about the history behind Jesus and Christianity through this book and be able to relate it to my own faith.
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