Was Jesus a Fraud?
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The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is running 3 part series on a Christian response to the Da Vinci Code across 3 Wednesdays. I attended the 2nd of the 3 parts which was entitled, “Was Jesus a Fraud?”
Being that it was the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsoring it; the conclusion they arrived at was not surprising: turns out that Jesus is not a fraud.
The event was much less awesome than I had hoped for… the only redeeming factor that I can come up with is that they provided full notes and citations to each person in the audience. So I didn’t really have to take any notes. The guy who presented was fairly personable, but didn’t allow for questions at all. Without further ado, here is my take on the notes of the lecture.
This lecture is part of a series on the Da Vinci Code, as I mentioned; and so several points were made directly challenging Dan Brown’s book.
[Normal black font is me talking. Red is what they wrote, Blue is text from the Bible (KJV)]
First part: why are we studying this?
It’s really popular with millions reading it; and Dan Brown makes the claim that the historical stuff is FACT. Can’t have all these people believing lies…
Next: Bible Established.
Here is a part where it summarizes the last lecture in the series (which I got the notes for and will write up my response when I have time).
Finally gets to the point:
5 Questions that the presenter wanted the audience to be able to answer by the end:
- What was the council of Nicaea and did old crusty guys decide what we believe?
- What evidence is there that establishes Jesus’ identity?
- Who did Jesus believe Himself to be?
- What evidence is there that Jesus really was God?
- Did Jesus get an upgrade?
Coucil of Nicea (yes, they spelled it two ways on the same page) July 4, 325 CE
2 factions
Arias said that Jesus was “like” god but not of the same substance.
Athanasius said that Jesus was co-eternal and co-equal.
The only thing he added here was that the Athanasius side won by a vote early on in the council, so it wasn’t even argued about for all that long. From what I remember, the vote was pushed to the very beginning because bishops from farther away were more likely to vote in favor of Arias. Not 100% on that one, but it’s not a major point to me, either way.
Last point: Biblical canon was not discussed.
ESTABLISHING HIS IDENTITY: WAS HE THE MESSIAH? WHY DO WE BELIEVE THIS, WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THE IDENTITY OF ANYONE?
Excellent, now we’re getting into the meat of the argument…(or at least the parts that interest me more).
First of all, what’s the Messiah?
Term goes back to Messias, the greek form of the Hebrew word meaning “anointed one”
anointing was done for kings, prophets and priests in the OT. The messiah was seen as a person above all three offices embodying all their various gifts.
Good so far.
There was a general expectation in the day of Jesus for a Messiah:
evidence John 1
:14.
Ok, so I’m going to provide the various references that they cite…Here’s the quote that supposedly shows the expectation of a Messiah:
John 1:13-14: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Not sure how that shows anything of the sort, but overall, unimportant.
John the Baptist shows exectation.
Essene sect and dead sea scrolls show expectation
Several messianic claimants in Acts
I’ll let them have this one. A messiah was expected (and still is).
The Messiah is:
- Genesis 3:15
They only mention 3:15, but here’s 3:14-16:
Genesis 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: "Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat."
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. "I will put enmity … between thy seed and her seed."
3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Good luck figuring out how this relates to the Messiah.
Jeremiah 31:31
Good reason to only quote verse 31:
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
I added the bolded part. So this new covenant says that the Law will be written on their hearts and they won’t teach people to Know the Lord, because they will all know God, from the least of them to the greatest of them. So… um, this isn’t the case now; so Jesus’ clearly didn’t usher in THIS new covenant.
Genesis 49:10
49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Ezekiel 21:27
21:26</st1:t
ime> Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.
21:28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:
2 Samuel 7:12-13
7:10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
7:17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
So after an odd collection of verses…most of which I cannot see the connection to the Messiah, or anything specific about what’s expected of him, we go to the next part.
EYE WITNESS TESTIMONY TO THE SALVIFIC IDENTITY OF CHRIST
Luke 2:25-32; Luke 2:36, 38:
2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
2:28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
2:29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
2:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
2:31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; <
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2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
2:38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Oddly, Mary and Joseph are a bit amazed that someone would see their kid as something special. Apparently, they are forgetting the wise-men that came and visited them…oh wait, that’s a different gospel. It was shepherds in the field that came to Mary in this version, which is still odd that they’re not saying “We know we got the golden child.”
So we have here definitive proof, that a person wrote down a story that’s attributed to Luke, that a man named Sam saw Jesus when he was young, and proclaimed that he was special. AND a woman named Anna said that Jesus was special as well.
…not evidence of anything real yet, even if I grant that these people did say what they said, and believed what they said.
John 2:1-11:
2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2:2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
2:5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
2:9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
2:10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
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