Theme 1 Part E

Kerygmata

a proclamation/declaration of an event. The disciples presented their message about Jesus in the Kerygmata of Acts 2-3, they weren’t delivering a lecture, but ‘announcing’ or ‘heralding’ a core message that was not up for debate.

1.) The age of fulfilment that the Old Testament Hebrew prophets have written about has dawned.

2.) This new age has come about through the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

3.) Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

4.) The Holy Spirit has been poured out onto the Church.

5.) Christ will soon return to bring the age to it’s completion.

6.) Everyone should repent so that they can receive the Holy Spirit.

Reimarus

Jewish Apocalypticism

Jesus was preaching a popular Jewish viewpoint of the time,
that the world was about to end

When Jesus died, and the world didn’t end, the disciples faked Jesus’ resurrection, and changed Jesus message from an apocalyptic one into one which contains timeless and spiritual truths, the Book of Acts, according to Reimarus, is a record of this.

first ‘thinker’ to accuse the disciples in Acts of changing the
views of Jesus.

the disciples were disappointed when Jesus’ message did not prevail. This led them to chase a lie, to keep ‘the flame alive’ by proclaiming a list of profound statements regarding Jesus’ life, at the expense of the truth.

C.H.Dodd

Insists that the early Christians were not scrambling around for a way of justifying the importance of a spiritual figure who’s message did not come to fruition. Instead, they were more focussed on the joy they were experiencing in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. This explains why the church did not fall apart, but grew and time went on.

Realised Eschatology – The idea that we do not have to wait until death/the end of days to have a relationship with God as it can be experienced now.

Early Christians were not completely focussed on the coming of God at the end of the world was because God had already broken into the world through Jesus’ life and ministry.

Bultmann

Bultmann believed that the myths that influenced the writings of the Bible make it hard to understand
the it properly.

  1. Bultmann believed that the myths that influenced the writings of the Bible make it hard to understand the it properly.
  1. Find the underlying truth (Kerygmata) within the myth. This means we must explore the myth to try and discover truths about humanity and existence that are being expressed ‘through mythical language’ rather than taking the message at face value, which is what Dodd does.

‘Cut out’ the mythological sections and build a religion on what remains – ethical teachings of Jesus e.g. readiness to forgive and love others. (However this reduces Christianity to a mere set of moral principals which lack inspiration.)

Gnosticism

a widespread mythological belief in the ancient world which pictured the world in a ‘spiritual battle’, which predates the Christian narrative

we are trapped in an evil, material world and we must find special knowledge to be redeemed, which can only be received by a ‘being of light’ sent down from the highest God to liberate people.

Kerygmata as valuable

  1. We are not masters of the world and it is false to assume that we can control it
  1. There is a transcendent power in the Universe
  1. There is forgiveness

It is possible to find spiritual peace, or ‘salvation’ in the future.