5/29/2016

ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn

BibliobloggersLeisureTime(HistoricalMethodologyinPictures)
HurtadoontheEndingoftheGospelofMark

ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.Remembering
JesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn
July10,2010(20100710T22:55:00+00:00)byJamesF.McGrath<http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/author/jamesf
mcgrath>

JamesD.G.DunnschapterinTheHistoricalJesus:Five
Views<http://www.amazon.com/HistoricalJesusFiveViews/dp/0830838686?
ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> isentitled

RememberingJesus:HowTheQuestoftheHistoricalJesusLostItsWay.Dunn
beginsbymentioninghisbookJesusRemembered<http://www.amazon.com/Jesus
RememberedChristianityMakingJames/dp/0802839312?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom
20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> andthenturningattentiontothree

protestsandproposalswhicharemadeinthatbook,butwhichareindangerof
beingoverlookedinthemidstofitssome900pages.Thoseprovidethestructureand
contenttohischapterinthisvolume.
ThefirstprotestisagainstanexaggerateddistinctionbetweenthehistoricalJesus
andtheChristoffaith.Jesuswassuchafigureastoelicitwhatcandeservedlybe
calledfaithfromearlyon,inthepreEasterperiod.Thisleadstothefirstproposal,
whichisthatJesuswasafigurewhomadeanimpact,andthuseventhoughwesee
clearsignsoflaterdevelopmentandoverlaidtraditionintheGospels,wealsosee
materialthatseemstohaveremainedrelativelyunaffectedbysuchlaterdevelopments.
DunnofferstheQmaterialasanexample,sinceitlacksknowledgeofand/orinterest
inthecrucifixionandsubsequenttheologicaldevelopments.Hesuggeststhatittook
shapealreadyduringthepublicactivityofthehistoricalfigureofJesusinGalilee.At
thattime,Jesuswasalreadymakinganimpactonthosewhofollowedhim,andtolook
foraJesuswhomakesnosuchimpactandevokesnofaithis,inDunnsview,a
misguidedandfutileundertaking(p.206).
DunnssecondprotestisagainstunderstandingtherelationshipbetweentheSynoptic
Gospelsexclusivelyinliteraryterms.Cautionshaveoccasionallybeenofferedby
scholars,yettheapproachhasremainedpredominantlyliterary.Dunnprotestsaswell
againstregardingoraltraditionasthoughitwerealmostpreciselythesameasliterary
transmissionofmaterial.Theresultingproposalsuggeststhatwecanandmust
envisagetheearlystageinwhichstoriesaboutJesustookshapeorallyratherthanin
thefirstinstanceinwriting.Inthissection,Dunnprovidesanoverviewofsomekey
characteristicsoforaltradition:hearingasaneventthatcanneverberecoveredinthe
mannerawrittentextcantheroleofcommunityaswellasofkeyindividualsin
transmitting,shapingandpreservingtraditionandthecombinationoffluidity(of
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2010/07/reviewofthehistoricaljesusfiveviewsrememberingjesusbyjamesdgdunn.html

1/4

5/29/2016

ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn

wording)andfixity(ofgistandsomeessentialelements).Dunnalsoemphasizesthat
thenotionofanoriginalversionshouldbeabandonedwhendealingwithoral
tradition,sincematerialisthoughtofinthemind,spokenmostlikelyonmorethan
oneoccasion,andheardandremembereddifferentlybydifferenthearers,fromthe
beginning,evenbeforetheprocesscomestoinvolvestilllargernumbersofhearersand
theirmemory(p.215).
DunnsthirdprotestisagainsttheattempttofindaJesuswhoisdistinctivefromhis
environment.InthiscontexthediscussestheearlyqueststendencytospeakofJesus
ashavingbrokenwithJudaism,aswellaofSptjudentum(which,ironically,iswhat
wetendtospeakofaearlyJudaismtoday).TheapriorithatJesusbelongedwithin
Judaismisamoresecurestartingpointforanyquesterthantheassumptionthathe
musthavedifferedfromJudaism(p.220).Doingjusticetoboththecontinuityand
discontinuityisachallenge.ButinthevarietythatwasearlyChristianity,wesee
commonthemeswhicharelikelytostemfromthepowerfuloriginatingandshaping
forcethatbeganandinfluencedthattradition,namelyJesushimself.Ahandfulof
suchcharacteristicsarelisted:teachinginparables,idiomssuchasAmen(usedto
prefacehisownwordsratherthanassenttothoseofothers)andsonofman(which
wewouldotherwisehavetoimaginewascreatedbyachurchwhich,outsideofthe
Gospels,showednointerestintheterm(p.221).ThecharacteristicJesusmaycome
clearlyintofocuseveniftheauthenticityofthisorthatsayingisuncertain,sincewe
aretalkingabouttheimpressionJesusmaderatherthanprecisewordshespoke.
DunnconcludesbymentioningmaterialsuchastheLordsPrayerandtheLords
Supper,whichwouldberatheroddtoimagineLukeorMatthewsimplycopyingfroma
writtensourceasthoughtheywerehearingorreadingitforthefirsttime.Materialof
thiskindwaslivedandused.AndsoDunnclosesbysuggestingthatfaithcommunities
mayinfacthaveanadvantagewhenitcomestopursuingthehistoricalJesus,since
theycanreadilyenvisagetheprocessesthatwouldhavebeenatworkintheearliest
Christiancommunity,whichshapeditslifeandactivityaroundmaterialfromand
aboutJesus,whichwasrepeatedandpracticedinadynamicfashionthathasleftits
imprintonourearliestsources.
RobertPricesresponsemakessomeimportantpoints,emphasizingthataninfluential
andfamousteacherwouldnotonlyhavehisteachingremembered,butwouldalso
haveteachinginventedandfalselyattributedtohim(p.226).Pricementionsthe
possibilitythatnoneofthehadithmayauthenticallygobacktoMuhammad,although
thisperhapsispreciselyDunnspoint:wemaynotbeabletodeterminewithcertainty
whichsayings,ifany,areauthentic,butmayneverthelessbeabletogetasenseofthe
histoicalMuhammadorJesusbytheoverallimpressiontheymadeasreflectedinour
earliestsources,evenifuncertaintyremainsaboutspecificsayings.Atanyrate,Price
himselfoffersasparallelsandillustrationsscenarioswhichonlyseemtoworkona
nonmythicistscenario,andatonemomentIwonderedwhetherhehadforgottenthat
hewasadvocatingamythiciststance.Forinstance,PricepointsouthowPlato
increasinglyusedSocratesasamouthpieceforhisownviews,whileatthesame
timehemostcertainlywouldhaveobjectedtotheideathathewasnotfaithfully
passingonhisteachersinstructioninthelaterworksasmuchasintheearlierones.It
ishardtoimagineaplausiblescenarioinwhichPaul,thecanonicalGospels,thelater
GospelsandarangeofotherworkssuddenlybeginattributingtheirteachingstoJesus
inordertolendthemhisauthority,andyettherewasnoJesuswhoseimpactledto
thesediverseattemptstoclaimhisauthoritystartinginthisparticulartimeperiod.It
isashamethatPriceinsistsonundermininghisownvaluableinsightsbylinkingthem
tohisimplausiblemythicistframework.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2010/07/reviewofthehistoricaljesusfiveviewsrememberingjesusbyjamesdgdunn.html

2/4

5/29/2016

ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn

PricealsoobjectstoDunnsappealtooraltraditiontoaddressdivergencesinthe
Gospels,acriticismwhichCrossanandJohnsonwillalsooffer.BothPriceand
Johnsonarewaryofwhattheyfearmaybeamoveinthedirectionoftheold
apologeticsarguments,suggestingthattheGospelsarelikeseparateaccountsofacar
accident,orthatJesustaughtthesamematerialontwooccasionsintwodifferent
ways.Tobefair,DunnisnotsuggestingthattheGospelsareeyewitnessaccounts,nor
doesheenvisageadirectlinefromteachinggivenbyJesus,whetherononeormore
occasions,toaverbatimpreservationofthatteachingintheGospels.Onthecontrary,
hiswholeemphasisisonthefactthatoraltraditiondoesnotpreserveprecisewording,
butthegist,andthuswecouldprobablynevertellwhetherweweredealingwith
materialdeliveredmorethanoncebythesamestoryteller,ortwoversionsbythe
originalstorytellerandsomeonewhocopiedhimorher,ortwoversionsretold
separatelybyothers.Orality,asBocknotesinhisresponse(p.246),isasortof
Pandorasboxandakindofwildcardwhichremoveanycertaintywemighthave
hadthatwecancompletelytracecauseandeffectrelationshipsbetweentheGospels.
AsIpointedoutinarecentFestschrift<http://www.amazon.com/JesusPaulPerspectives
BirthdayTestament/dp/0567629538?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom
20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969> forDunn,wecanimaginescenariosin

whichalaterauthorcouldhavehadaversionofacertainstoryinasourceopenbefore
him,andyetoptedtoignoreitandtellinsteadthestoryashehadalwaysheardit
independentlyofthetextinfrontofhim.Tocallthatredactionofthesourceseems
inappropriate.
ThuswhenCrossanemphasizesinhisresponsethatsomeinstancesofparallel
materialintheGospelsseemclearlytobedeliberatealterationofasourcefor
polemicalpurposes,hispointiswelltaken,andyetshouldnotbeunderstoodasfalsely
antitheticaltoDunnspoint,whichdoesnotseemtoadvocatearejectionofthe
standardsolutiontotheSynopticproblem,butmerelyarecognitionofthegreater
complexityoftherelationshipswhenwetaketheoralcontextintoaccount.Orality
doesnotworkasabettersolutiontotheSynopticproblemthanthestandardtwo
document(orinsomeversionsfourdocument)hypothesis.Butitisanecessary
supplementtothatconsensussolution,withoutwhichthescenarioenvisagedwillbe
utterlyanachronistic.
SeveraloftherespondentsexpressedthewishthatDunnhadofferedmoreofthe
resultsoftheapplicationofhismethod,andhadfleshedoutmoreaboutthefigureof
Jesusasheenvisageshim.
OneparticularlycolorfulcommentfromCrossanisworthmentioninginclosing.Dunn
saidatonepointinhisessaythatwedonothavethefirsthandtestimonyofCaiaphas
orPilateandthusdonotknowwhatJesusimpactonthemmighthavebeen.Crossan
feelsthisiswrongandreplies:WehaveveryclearevidenceofhisimpactonPilate.It
iscalledcrucifixion(p.237).

attr(title)

Stayintouch!LikeExploringOurMatrixonFacebook:
ExploringOurMatrix()(Source:https://www.facebook.com/exploringourmatrix)

Like

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2010/07/reviewofthehistoricaljesusfiveviewsrememberingjesusbyjamesdgdunn.html

3/4

5/29/2016

ReviewofTheHistoricalJesus:FiveViews.RememberingJesusbyJamesD.G.Dunn

RelatedpostsfromExploringOurMatrix:

(JesusCrossestheLine)

JesusCrossesthe
Line (JesusCrossesthe
Line)

(TheScepterandthe
Star)

(Reenchantmentafter
Skepticism)

TheScepterand
theStar (TheScepterand

Reenchantment
after
Skepticism(Reenchantment

theStar)

(Islamophobin)

Islamophobin (Islamophobin)

afterSkepticism)

BibliobloggersLeisureTime(HistoricalMethodologyinPictures)
HurtadoontheEndingoftheGospelofMark

OffersandArticlesFromtheWeb

WanttoSeeHowCelebrities
ReallyLive?SeeInsideThese
HomesThatAreCurrentlyon
theMarket
(WanttoSeeHow
MansionGlobalbyDowJones

WheretheWorld'sBillionaires
Live(WheretheWorld'sBillionairesLive)

8OldestTreesintheWorldin
2016(8OldestTreesintheWorldin2016)

RonMiscavigeSharesDetails
OfHisHeartRacingEscape
FromScientology
Compound
RadarOnline (RonMiscavigeShares

WorldTop

MansionGlobalbyDowJones

Recommendedby

(outbrain.com)

8SimpleWaysToLook
YoungerThanYourAge
ApexLista(8SimpleWaysToLook
YoungerThanYourAgeApexLista)

ApexLista

TheWorldTable

DavidMiscavigeThreatensTo
SueFatherRonOver
ScientologyBook
Ruthless
RadarOnline(DavidMiscavigeThreatens

Disqus

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2010/07/reviewofthehistoricaljesusfiveviewsrememberingjesusbyjamesdgdunn.html

4/4