Part I
The final chapter of A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus revolves around the last few days of Jesus's life. It brings many touchy subjects to light: Jesus's true mission, the significance of his death, whether or not he truly accepted his death, the real reason behind his execution, and, lastly but most importantly, the validity of his resurrection. Norm travels to the place where Jesus prayed with his disciples on his last night. He scrutinizes the differences in the Gospels where Jesus asks God to save him from his death or, in some, accepts it without distress. He follows Jesus's story to the most important part: his fabled resurrection. After considering whether Jesus actually rose from the dead or his body was simply moved, Norm comes to his final resolution regarding his attempt to find the historical Jesus. This conclusion is, simply, that the Gospels are such a complicated mix of truth, exaggeration, and fabrication that one cannot untangle the elements from each other and it is impossible to reveal the true Jesus using the Gospels alone.
Part II
This chapter I found to be a relief because the last few were pretty boring. This chapter brings up the ultimate question regarding the Christian faith, which is Jesus's death and resurrection. Firstly, it seems that Jesus was put to death not for being the Messiah but for being subversive and dangerous to the Roman Empire's control. Jesus seems to question the necessity of his death and appears very human by asking God to relieve him of that duty. Also, Jesus's story eerily parallels that of several individuals in the Old Testament, leading one to believe the Gospel authors wanted to paint a picture of a character rather than be truthful about the person. Lastly, Jesus's body may have been moved rather than rose up from the dead which, if true, would deal a terrible blow to those of Christian faith.
The final chapter of A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus revolves around the last few days of Jesus's life. It brings many touchy subjects to light: Jesus's true mission, the significance of his death, whether or not he truly accepted his death, the real reason behind his execution, and, lastly but most importantly, the validity of his resurrection. Norm travels to the place where Jesus prayed with his disciples on his last night. He scrutinizes the differences in the Gospels where Jesus asks God to save him from his death or, in some, accepts it without distress. He follows Jesus's story to the most important part: his fabled resurrection. After considering whether Jesus actually rose from the dead or his body was simply moved, Norm comes to his final resolution regarding his attempt to find the historical Jesus. This conclusion is, simply, that the Gospels are such a complicated mix of truth, exaggeration, and fabrication that one cannot untangle the elements from each other and it is impossible to reveal the true Jesus using the Gospels alone.
Part II
This chapter I found to be a relief because the last few were pretty boring. This chapter brings up the ultimate question regarding the Christian faith, which is Jesus's death and resurrection. Firstly, it seems that Jesus was put to death not for being the Messiah but for being subversive and dangerous to the Roman Empire's control. Jesus seems to question the necessity of his death and appears very human by asking God to relieve him of that duty. Also, Jesus's story eerily parallels that of several individuals in the Old Testament, leading one to believe the Gospel authors wanted to paint a picture of a character rather than be truthful about the person. Lastly, Jesus's body may have been moved rather than rose up from the dead which, if true, would deal a terrible blow to those of Christian faith.
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