The Importance of the Historicity of Jesus

Term Paper # 113847

Religion and Theology > Christianity
Religion and Theology > The Bible

An explanation why historical research on Jesus of Nazareth is of crucial importance for the Christian faith.

1,351 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2005 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses four fundamental reasons for researching the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth, and why this is particularly important today. The author explains from a Christian viewpoint that the ways Christians think, worship, and practice must be explicitly related to the Jesus of Nazareth who actually lived in Palestine. The author provides the historical background for the ongoing controversy about Jesus' life, and suggests that Christians need to use all available tools for historical analysis in order to actualize Jesus for the Church and its opponents today.

From the Paper:

"In the post-modern world of today, much of humanity demands factuality that is based upon empirically-corroborated and observed scientific theory. Over the last few centuries, scientific thought and method have fundamentally altered humankind's understanding of our surroundings by demonstrating that everything around us is governed by certain naturalistic and physical laws. Such fundamental changes in our understanding of reality have come into direct conflict with many previous notions inherent within Christian doctrines and teachings."

Sample of Sources Used:

Stephen T. Davis, Why the Historical Jesus Matters. (Theology News and Notes, June 1999). Online: World Wide Church of God Homepage <<Http://www.wcg.org/lit/jesus/davis.htm>>
Burton L. Mack, Who Wrote The New Testament? (San Francisco: Harper, 1995).
N.T. Wright The Challenge of Jesus.(Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press,1999).
John van den Hengel, Session Notes - Chapter 2 :The beginning of Faith in Jesus as The Christ.
First Council of Nicea. Online: Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. <<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea>> This page was last modified 07:29, 11 October 2005.

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APA Citation:

The Importance of the Historicity of Jesus (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 13, 2012, from http://www.academon.ca/Term-Paper-The-Importance-of-the-Historicity-of-Jesus/113847

MLA Citation:

"The Importance of the Historicity of Jesus" 15 January 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.academon.ca/Term-Paper-The-Importance-of-the-Historicity-of-Jesus/113847>