Reis on Fisk on Norm: Concluding Reflections on Hitchhiking for Jesus
A. The Academic Study of the Gospels
The historical study of Jesus employs rigorous academic methods to analyze the gospels (29, 43). These methods examine Jesus’ life in its specific context and seek to disentangle the historical data from theological interpretation and Christian tradition (54, 72, 170-178, 219-220, 249-250, 264-265). As a result, the work of historical Jesus scholars often questions and challenges views about Jesus’ life presented in the gospels (15-18). Thus, as Norm states, “Jesus-questing isn’t for sissies” (18). Yet historians look for probability rather than certainty, and their conclusions are always provisional (106, 256-257, 265). Moreover, it is important that scholars recognize how their own ideologies may influence their interpretations (131-132).
B. Harmonization and Variation
Integrating the variations of the gospels into a single harmonious story is routinely done by communities of faith but rejected by academic scholarship. The academic method insists that each gospel should be read individually, and that tensions between them are important for discovering historical data (92).
C. Objectivity and Perspective
The notion of objectivity in literature is an illusion. Understanding the gospels as transparent windows into Jesus’ life is problematic because each gospel writer 1) occupies a distinct social location and subject position and, as a result, 2) imagines Jesus differently (27, 182).
D. The Historical Jesus in the Academy and the Church
The academic approach to historical Jesus study means that Jesus ends up looking very different from images of him found in current Christian communities. Jesus’ contemporaries often perceived his teachings and actions as radical and subversive, with social and political overtones that challenged conventional ideals and values (219).
E. “Thin” and “Thick” Reading Strategies
Reading the gospels in “two dimensions,” in a strictly literal manner, represents a “thin” reading strategy (Reis). It fails to cover the artistry of the gospel writers (72, 179, 221, 265) and the intertextual associations they invited their readers to engage. Reading in “three dimensions,” however, is a “thick” reading strategy: it unveils the “depth” of the gospel message (189, 249- 250) and allows the reader to (re)imagine Jesus in light of the ancient Jewish tradition (98, 146, 167). A historical quest is thus always a literary quest (17, 102).
F. History and Faith
Historical and faith-based approaches to gospel studies have different starting points and goals. Although many people think the historical study of Jesus will threaten a person’s faith (40-41, 249), there is nothing wrong with curiosity, questioning, and doubt (27, 132, 208). Academic study can (and does) often enrich the faith commitments of Christians who appreciate the gospel writers’ theological intentions and their social, religious, historical, and political contexts (221). Jesus-questing is thus not solely for scholars (18). To understand this is to appreciate the power of the gospels to transform lives and reorient people to God (Reis).
G. Experiential Education
Questing for the historical Jesus requires both researching and walking. Historical Jesus scholars guide Norm’s experiences, but by retracing Jesus’ life and immersing himself in the culture of Israel he infused these scholarly judgments with new insights. Placing contemporary events (e.g., disabled students swimming and miracle tradition; Jesus at the temple and Jewish-Christian-Muslim tensions; Jesus’ death and contemporary martyrdom) alongside the gospel accounts enables Norm to develop a more nuanced understanding of the life of Jesus as told through his faithful followers.
A. The Academic Study of the Gospels
The historical study of Jesus employs rigorous academic methods to analyze the gospels (29, 43). These methods examine Jesus’ life in its specific context and seek to disentangle the historical data from theological interpretation and Christian tradition (54, 72, 170-178, 219-220, 249-250, 264-265). As a result, the work of historical Jesus scholars often questions and challenges views about Jesus’ life presented in the gospels (15-18). Thus, as Norm states, “Jesus-questing isn’t for sissies” (18). Yet historians look for probability rather than certainty, and their conclusions are always provisional (106, 256-257, 265). Moreover, it is important that scholars recognize how their own ideologies may influence their interpretations (131-132).
B. Harmonization and Variation
Integrating the variations of the gospels into a single harmonious story is routinely done by communities of faith but rejected by academic scholarship. The academic method insists that each gospel should be read individually, and that tensions between them are important for discovering historical data (92).
C. Objectivity and Perspective
The notion of objectivity in literature is an illusion. Understanding the gospels as transparent windows into Jesus’ life is problematic because each gospel writer 1) occupies a distinct social location and subject position and, as a result, 2) imagines Jesus differently (27, 182).
D. The Historical Jesus in the Academy and the Church
The academic approach to historical Jesus study means that Jesus ends up looking very different from images of him found in current Christian communities. Jesus’ contemporaries often perceived his teachings and actions as radical and subversive, with social and political overtones that challenged conventional ideals and values (219).
E. “Thin” and “Thick” Reading Strategies
Reading the gospels in “two dimensions,” in a strictly literal manner, represents a “thin” reading strategy (Reis). It fails to cover the artistry of the gospel writers (72, 179, 221, 265) and the intertextual associations they invited their readers to engage. Reading in “three dimensions,” however, is a “thick” reading strategy: it unveils the “depth” of the gospel message (189, 249- 250) and allows the reader to (re)imagine Jesus in light of the ancient Jewish tradition (98, 146, 167). A historical quest is thus always a literary quest (17, 102).
F. History and Faith
Historical and faith-based approaches to gospel studies have different starting points and goals. Although many people think the historical study of Jesus will threaten a person’s faith (40-41, 249), there is nothing wrong with curiosity, questioning, and doubt (27, 132, 208). Academic study can (and does) often enrich the faith commitments of Christians who appreciate the gospel writers’ theological intentions and their social, religious, historical, and political contexts (221). Jesus-questing is thus not solely for scholars (18). To understand this is to appreciate the power of the gospels to transform lives and reorient people to God (Reis).
G. Experiential Education
Questing for the historical Jesus requires both researching and walking. Historical Jesus scholars guide Norm’s experiences, but by retracing Jesus’ life and immersing himself in the culture of Israel he infused these scholarly judgments with new insights. Placing contemporary events (e.g., disabled students swimming and miracle tradition; Jesus at the temple and Jewish-Christian-Muslim tensions; Jesus’ death and contemporary martyrdom) alongside the gospel accounts enables Norm to develop a more nuanced understanding of the life of Jesus as told through his faithful followers.
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