Sanders analyzes Paul’s cross of Christ not as a substitutionary atonement payment but akin to the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. Paul does indeed use the language of the priestly temple sacrifice to explain the meaning of the death of Jesus. And yet I see no sense in his writings that sacrifice has anything … Analysis of Theresa Sanders’ essay Festivals of Holy Pain: In the Wake of Good Friday

To end this mini-series, I’d like to talk a bit about Jesus and Philosophy. In the previous posts I looked at atonement vs forgiveness with Plato and Aristotle, and here I will think more generally with Jesus as a Philosopher in Mark. If Walsh’s thesis is correct, then the Gospels arose out of networks of … APPENDIX: The Weakness of God and the Iconic Logic of the Cross by John Caputo – Jesus as Ancient Philosopher

Last Time: (1/2) Analysis: The Weakness of God and the Iconic Logic of the Cross by John Caputo I practice astrology; voodoo; am a Pentecostal snake handler; an evangelical fundamentalist; Baptist; Catholic; etc.  As baffling as it may seem, many people treat their pet superstitions as a badge of courage and normalcy, just look at … (2/2) Analysis: The Weakness of God and the Iconic Logic of the Cross by John Caputo

LAST TIME: New Blog Series – Cross and Khôra: Deconstruction and Christianity in the Work of John D. Caputo (Postmodern Ethics Book 1) In looking at the first half of Caputo’s opening essay, we are introduced to the idea of a cross that goes beyond substitutionary atonement.  He writes: But, as E. P. Sanders has … (1/2) Analysis: The Weakness of God and the Iconic Logic of the Cross by John Caputo

From the Blurb: This volume poses the question of the relationship between the two main influences on the thought of John D. Caputo, one of the most well-known philosophers of religion working in North America today: Jacques Derrida and Jesus Christ. Given the seemingly abstract character of Derrida’s account of the messianic, how can one … New Blog Series – Cross and Khôra: Deconstruction and Christianity in the Work of John D. Caputo (Postmodern Ethics Book 1)

It’s interesting Paul wants a reconciliation of the various factions in 1 Corinthians, and yet singles out the super apostles in 2 Corinthians as teaching another Christ and another Gospel. One solution may be that the various groups in 1 Corinthians were teaching a post cross-resurrection faith, whereas the super apostles were purists who taught … Cafeteria Christians (2/2)

As I mentioned with the Ehrman/Goicoechea posts, one of the great problems the apostle Paul had was he was not reconciled to the other Christ factions. Paul appeals for unity and reports what he has heard about the quarrels: “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, … Cafeteria Christians

Do you know what these people have in common: The widow of Zarephath’s son The Shunammite woman’s son An unnamed man — After Elisha’s death and burial, some men burying another body threw the corpse into Elisha’s tomb to escape raiders. When it touched Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life and stood up … (3/3) My Third and Final Easter Weekend Post.

Jesus said to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you would be judged by how you treat the destitute. We are pretty confident he said this because it goes against the bias of the gospels to promote salvation through the cross/resurrection. He said to love your enemies, and he … Secularism and the Meaning of Easter

Some time ago in my Nina Livesey essays I wrote about Detering and Price placing the abomination of desolation reference to the time of Bar Kokhba in the second century (a pagan statue erected in a Jewish holy site) – providing a late date for the Gospels.  Vridar has extended the commenter list who make … The High Holy Days: Have a Happy Secular Good Friday and Easter!