In class we discussed, among other things, the virgin birth and classified it as literary fiction that was eventually taken as literal. What really interests me, however, is what prompted that literature. In the Preface Crossan says, "The gospels are, in other words, interpretations. Hence, of course, despite there being only one Jesus, there can be more than one gospel, more than one interpretation." Jesus' impact on his followers was so great that it inspired writers to sensationalize. His "very conception announces that predestination to greatness" (6).
For years after Jesus' death, people were sharing their stories about him-- their perceptions-- with others. It's only natural to assume that these stories changed over time as the people listened, interpreted it for themselves, and continued to pass the message along. Like we said in class, it really must have been like a game of telephone.
One article Crossan wrote for the Huffington Post explores the issue of interpretation and misinterpretation even further. He explains the meanings of various
verses (well, what he takes from them), verses the perception that the Bible is promoting inequality. One place that I found to be a prime example of the various
opinions on the subject was the comments. Some argued that the Bible
promotes intolerance, and others say that it promotes freedom. Like everything else in the world, it means different things to different people.
Here's the link to the article I found. It was really interesting to read more of Crossan's writing; I find his interpretations fascinating.
A couple of responses: 1) it is worth remembering that there have always been Christians who took the virgin birth as a literary rather than a literal proposition, and others who paid no attention to it at all.
ReplyDelete2) I don't think the gospel writers are sensationalizing Jesus; rather, they think Jesus and his words and work are VERY important, and their explicit mythologizing of him (his origins, etc.) are an honest, literary expression of just HOW important they take him to be. In fact, literature is probably the only medium capable of conveying that degree of significance, and they are correct to employ it.
3) When you say "Like everything else in the world it means different things to different people," you risk a sort of casual relativism that can be quite toxic to serious inquiry. For example, it is quite true that global warming means different things to different people, but some of those people are deluded or vicious in willfully refusing to interpret the evidence honestly. And the consequences of their attitude may well be catastrophic for all of us.