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Christianity is unthinkable without the figure of Jesus Christ. Some Christians treat him as a genuine historical figure and the New Testament stories as literal accounts while others regard him as simply a wise man and the New Testament stories as only partially reliable. Understanding a bit more about how Christians and others have treated the figure of Jesus is important to understanding Christianity.
Nietzsche vs. Gibson: Suffering, Debt, and Guilt
One of the curious features of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion" is how it is almost entirely
preoccupied with the suffering and death of Jesus. We are told nothing about his message or his
ministry - even the resurrection is given little attention. In their place, the camera lingers
over Jesus' reaction to being whipped and even over the stripping of his flesh through torture.
What does this have to say about Mel Gibson's theology and, perhaps, Christianity generally?
Jesus' Ethics
Even non-Christians commonly regard Jesus' teachings as containing important ethical
ideas. But is this true? Was Jesus really such a great moral teacher? What did he
really advocate?
Holy Foreskin!
Why were there several alleged foreskins of baby Jesus in possession of
various churches during the Middle Ages? What did people do with them?
Messiahs Before Jesus?
Is there evidence that figures very similar to Jesus existed before his recorded
life? Could it be that Jesus was simply one of many alleged messiahs who
arrived to help liberate the Jews from Roman domination?
Modern Search for Jesus
Assuming that there existed a historical Jesus, or at least a figure upon whom the
biblical stories are based, who was he and what was he like? Questions about
a historical Jesus and what the "original" Christianity was like have preoccupied
philosophers, historians and theologians for centuries.
