Part 1
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus entails the journey of a young college graduate named Norm and his trip to Israel. Chapter one leads into background information about Norm and his views on religion through conversation with a neighbor on the plane. Fisk introduces Pliny’s letter to Trajan and Tacitus as destruction and hatred to the Christian faith. This is especially seen in Josephus’s writings that believe Jesus was a rumor.
Part 2
I always knew that Christians were being prosecuted in the Roman Empire but I was unaware how badly. It wasn’t until Pliny’s writings to the emperor Trajan that I was aware how bad it was (23-26). Pliny’s letters almost make Christians out to be worse than they actually are. Pliny purposely puts in one of his letters to Trajan that Christians have banned all political associations. They fear the Christians and there religious practices (26). I wonder if I lived back in that time, if I would be able to hold onto my faith. The journal format that Fisk proposes is out of the ordinary in good ways and bad. In a good way it is a different way of reading the text and makes it more interesting. In a bad way I get confused about what is going on. I understand Norm’s thoughts but I do not understand the background of the passages. I find that they are easier to understand if I look up the author and read a little about them but if I didn’t do some research I fear that I would be misinterpreting Fisk’s religion and philosophy. The first passage of Pliny’s writings I was so confused about the purpose of it or why it was relevant to the book other than just a fun read (18). It wasn’t until I looked up Pliny that I understood he is a reason the letters that he wrote to Trajan were so unique. Pliny is an important figure because he was an honest man whose real thoughts about the suspicion of Christians were actually recorded and saved throughout thousands of years.
If you were a Christian back then and being tormented and ridiculed every day about your faith, do you think you would be able to keep it? Or would you lose your faith?
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus entails the journey of a young college graduate named Norm and his trip to Israel. Chapter one leads into background information about Norm and his views on religion through conversation with a neighbor on the plane. Fisk introduces Pliny’s letter to Trajan and Tacitus as destruction and hatred to the Christian faith. This is especially seen in Josephus’s writings that believe Jesus was a rumor.
Part 2
I always knew that Christians were being prosecuted in the Roman Empire but I was unaware how badly. It wasn’t until Pliny’s writings to the emperor Trajan that I was aware how bad it was (23-26). Pliny’s letters almost make Christians out to be worse than they actually are. Pliny purposely puts in one of his letters to Trajan that Christians have banned all political associations. They fear the Christians and there religious practices (26). I wonder if I lived back in that time, if I would be able to hold onto my faith. The journal format that Fisk proposes is out of the ordinary in good ways and bad. In a good way it is a different way of reading the text and makes it more interesting. In a bad way I get confused about what is going on. I understand Norm’s thoughts but I do not understand the background of the passages. I find that they are easier to understand if I look up the author and read a little about them but if I didn’t do some research I fear that I would be misinterpreting Fisk’s religion and philosophy. The first passage of Pliny’s writings I was so confused about the purpose of it or why it was relevant to the book other than just a fun read (18). It wasn’t until I looked up Pliny that I understood he is a reason the letters that he wrote to Trajan were so unique. Pliny is an important figure because he was an honest man whose real thoughts about the suspicion of Christians were actually recorded and saved throughout thousands of years.
If you were a Christian back then and being tormented and ridiculed every day about your faith, do you think you would be able to keep it? Or would you lose your faith?
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