Part I
In chapter six, Norm begins his study of the passion story which he describes as “a detective’s nightmare” (186). He first mentions previous occurrences of resuscitation, specifically about Lazarus. He also wonders why such a seemingly monumental even was neglected by three of the four writers of the Gospels (188). The next question Norm asks is about the meaning behind Jesus’s procession in Jerusalem and how the donkey may have been a parody of Pilate’s military parade, but seemed implausible due to strict disciplinary actions against anti-Roman displays (194-195). More information on the procession is given when Norm compares Jesus’s ride to that of Solomon (199-200). Once in the temple, Norm compares the Gospels to each other about Jesus’s turning of the tables in the temple. He concludes that the most significant factor they all share is that this event almost certainly took place in the temple. Norm then compares Jesus’s actions to those of Jeremiah and the significance of Jesus’s predictions of the destruction of the temple (209-213). Judas’s death is the next point Norm discusses along with how it was conveyed by early Christian writers (215-220). The last portion of the chapter discusses how Jesus could have been portraying himself as the “new Passover Lamb” harkening back to the Passover story in Egypt (220-227).
Part II
This chapter presented a different perspective to me that was something I had never considered; the political implications and overtones of Jesus. While I had considered the theory that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, much like John the Baptist, the fact that he may have been somewhat of a political activist had never really crossed my mind. As Fisk says, if Jesus’s ride on a donkey had been remotely anti-Roman in its purpose, why would he not be immediately arrested rather than allowed to proceed on through the temple, especially with the heightened fear of rebellion against the Romans?
In chapter six, Norm begins his study of the passion story which he describes as “a detective’s nightmare” (186). He first mentions previous occurrences of resuscitation, specifically about Lazarus. He also wonders why such a seemingly monumental even was neglected by three of the four writers of the Gospels (188). The next question Norm asks is about the meaning behind Jesus’s procession in Jerusalem and how the donkey may have been a parody of Pilate’s military parade, but seemed implausible due to strict disciplinary actions against anti-Roman displays (194-195). More information on the procession is given when Norm compares Jesus’s ride to that of Solomon (199-200). Once in the temple, Norm compares the Gospels to each other about Jesus’s turning of the tables in the temple. He concludes that the most significant factor they all share is that this event almost certainly took place in the temple. Norm then compares Jesus’s actions to those of Jeremiah and the significance of Jesus’s predictions of the destruction of the temple (209-213). Judas’s death is the next point Norm discusses along with how it was conveyed by early Christian writers (215-220). The last portion of the chapter discusses how Jesus could have been portraying himself as the “new Passover Lamb” harkening back to the Passover story in Egypt (220-227).
Part II
This chapter presented a different perspective to me that was something I had never considered; the political implications and overtones of Jesus. While I had considered the theory that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, much like John the Baptist, the fact that he may have been somewhat of a political activist had never really crossed my mind. As Fisk says, if Jesus’s ride on a donkey had been remotely anti-Roman in its purpose, why would he not be immediately arrested rather than allowed to proceed on through the temple, especially with the heightened fear of rebellion against the Romans?
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