Judaism + Hellenism = Christianity

Review of From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ by Paula Fredriksen

Baptism of Christ, Ravenna

If you are interested in where Christianity came from – not a theological perspective but an historical one – this is an absolutely excellent place to start. Though the text assumes a fair amount of knowledge, it is a solid platform for a popular audience that is curious about what academics would make of the subject. The author is very clear that the book is not intended as a way to reinforce one's faith, but strives to provide a deep look at what the earliest sources of Christianity meant in context as they were formulated.

The earliest source of Jesus was of course Judaism. Israel came to have a rigidly monotheistic character, whereby one God was the source of everything, an absolute authority that admitted no rivals and accepted no deviation from the sacred texts, though there were many interpretations of what exactly it meant. The Jewish people were “chosen” – in a contract with God – which was more an obligation and responsibility than a privilege and certainly not any kind of anointment. There was also a sense of community that gathered in the synagogue, along with an ethical code of behavior that was expressed in strict laws (for example, circumcision, a ban on shellfish, etc.). A clear sense of nationhood also evolved, according to which the scattered groups or tribes would be reunited at a moment of apocalyptic resolution. Key to this was a messiah of some sort that was prophesized as the culmination of an eschatological event, when God would reveal himself to reign over Jews and chosen gentiles, an end time of paradise on earth. It was from this context that many putative prophets arose in Palestine, Jesus being one of them.

Starting with the Seleucids (r. 312–64 BCE) who were installed as successors of Alexander the Great and culminating in the Roman occupation of the 1st Century CE, the Jews lived in a Hellenized world. This represents the second source that influenced the formation of Christianity. In contrast to earlier Judaic monotheism, this offered an eclectic worldview, a confluence of multiple deities (each with their own legitimacy that was highly adaptable and accepting of others), local religious cults and traditions with deep roots, philosophies (in particular Platonism, with its idealist world of forms), and a notion of citizenship that could be inclusive so long as one adapted to the culture and its lingua franca, Greek. It was in this cosmopolitan world that Paul and Josephus – born Jews who gained Roman citizenship – came from. Writing in Greek, Paul introduced the notion of “Christ” in the case of Jesus, establishing him as the anointed son of God. If Heaven hadn't arrived, Paul preached, it would with Jesus' second coming – his resurrection proved that he was the son of God, etc., creating a new kind of contract for his followers in order to achieve immortality, etc.

It is at this point that the book gets technical, going through Paul's letters and the original gospels to develop interpretive proofs for what each meant at their conceptions and what impact they had on the evolution of Christianity. This can be dry and terse, but it is completely worthwhile to struggle through it. As Fredrickson makes clear, little is known of Jesus' life. His message may have been a simple apocalyptic prophesy in the monotheistic tradition or the one of peace, love, and empathy that Paul described. We will never know. Jesus had his followers among the Jews, but they diminished in number when his prophesy didn't turn out to be true – heaven didn't arrive at his death and resurrection, i.e. the contract with him was proven void. The destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE apparently saw the end of the last group of his Jewish followers, led by his brother James, though their ultimate fate is unknown.

According to Fredrickson, Paul's theology was addressed to both Jews and gentiles, creating a kind of bridge that removed much of the specificity of Jewish law in order to make Christianity exportable quickly. After all, he expected the apocalypse to occur imminently, so wished to bring along as many gentiles as he could. Appearing after the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews (who stubbornly did not die out), the later gospels gradually distanced themselves further and further from Judaism: Jesus did not want the Jews (Mark); Jews didn't understand the prophesy so were unable to accept Jesus (Matthew); Jews didn't want to associate with gentiles (Luke); Jews were never meant to receive revelation, hence were not of God (John). From ignorance as the cause of their rejection, Jews became guilty as the perpetrators of Jesus' persecution. (This cannot do justice to the subtlety of her arguments, but that is it in a nutshell.) Christianity thus became the province of the gentiles; the Jews became evil.

Nonetheless, as Fredrickson fascinatingly demonstrates, Christianity synthesized Judaic and Hellenistic traditions. While shedding the notion of an exclusive nation with strict “laws”, Christianity retained the fellowship, monotheistic authority, sacred texts, ethical mission, and faith in apocalyptic prophesy. It was a new kind of contract, but similar to the Judaic one, just without many of the laws and seemingly obsolete taboos, such as the prohibition of pork and shellfish. Fredrickson covers many related historical controversies, such as who was responsible for the crucifixion – she concludes it was the Romans as it was a Roman form of execution, probably because Jesus was regarded as a political figure who called himself “king”. These issues are absolutely fascinating and too numerous to catalogue here.

I would have liked a lot more on Hellenism and fewer proofs perhaps, but the book held my interest throughout.

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