Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I The Jesus of history
- Part II The History of Jesus
- 8 Sources and methods
- 9 Quests for the historical Jesus
- 10 The quest for the real Jesus
- 11 Many gospels, one Jesus?
- 12 The Christ of the Old and New Testaments
- 13 Jesus in Christian doctrine
- 14 A history of faith in Jesus
- 15 The global Jesus
- 16 Jerusalem after Jesus
- 17 The future of Jesus Christ
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Scripture Index
15 - The global Jesus
from Part II - The History of Jesus
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2006
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I The Jesus of history
- Part II The History of Jesus
- 8 Sources and methods
- 9 Quests for the historical Jesus
- 10 The quest for the real Jesus
- 11 Many gospels, one Jesus?
- 12 The Christ of the Old and New Testaments
- 13 Jesus in Christian doctrine
- 14 A history of faith in Jesus
- 15 The global Jesus
- 16 Jerusalem after Jesus
- 17 The future of Jesus Christ
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Scripture Index
Summary
The perennial question of Jesus' significance for humanity has occasioned much discussion and assumed new dimensions in recent years. It is accentuated by the UN Declaration on Human Rights that no human being may be persecuted or discriminated against on the basis of religion. There is a growing tendency to see Jesus as one among the many prophets of world religions: Moses, Mohammed and Buddha, to name but a few. At the same time, Jesus has always been recognised and is increasingly being accepted by peoples of every tribe, language and nation as God's unique agent of human salvation, 'the Savior of the World' (John 4.42). Others again contest this Christian claim, holding that the teaching of their prophets is equally a good road to God. Thus, as prophesied by Simeon, Jesus continues to be a sign that is contradicted, as out of many hearts thoughts are revealed (Luke 2.34-35). What is it that makes him so attractive to people of every race and nation, across cultural, sex and religious boundaries, and yet such a bone of contention?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Jesus , pp. 237 - 249Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001