The Life of Jesus

An APSE Ministry Bible Study

(AskPrayStudyEmbrace)

James Spangler

Course material/Workbook

Contents

Part 1

Introduction                                                                              1

Chapter 1   Jesus’ Birth                                                           2

Chapter 2   Jesus’ Family                                                       12

Chapter 3   What language did Jesus speak?                      13

Chapter 4   Was Jesus literate?                                             14

Chapter 5   A SUMMARY OF THE ORIGINS AND 

                    “HIDDEN YEARS” OF JESUS                            15

Chapter 6  Stories of Jesus’ Childhood from 

                   the Apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas       20

Part 2

Chapter 7   Was Jesus a poor carpenter?                            24

Chapter 8   Was Jesus married?                                           25

Chapter 9    Jesus was a layman                                          28

Chapter 10  Understanding Jesus in the

                     Historical Setting of the Roman Empire         29

Part 3

Chapter 11  THE PASSION OF CHRIST - 

  Contradictions in the Gospels

  The Anointing                                                                       43

  The Betrayal                                                                         44

  The Trial                                                                                45

  The Crucifixion                                                                     49 

Chapter 12  The RESURRECTION                                        51

References                                                                             54
  

Part 1

1

Introduction

The Life of Jesus

(Course material/Workbook)

As we begin, let's look at our current notions of Jesus and his life.  List 10 attributes - words or phrases - of Jesus:

1. _________________________       2. ________________________

     3. __________________________     4. ________________________    

     5. __________________________     6. ________________________

     7.  __________________________    8. ________________________  

     9. ___________________________  10. ________________________

Introduction: Defining Jesus from Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie 

Jesus’ life:  A spiritual person who went to parties, ate and drank, and had a good time.  He talked more about what people did with their money than about their sexual purity and was as interested as much in the health of their bodies as their souls.  Jesus was the friend and companion not just of the morally pure and pious, but also the immoral unbelieving sinners.  He defended the cause of those who were rejected and despised by “polite society” and the religious and the political establishment.  He believed that humans took precedence over strict conformity to the law.  He came to serve other people, not to assert his religious and moral superiority over them.  He loved his enemies and did good even to those who hated him - even those who killed him.  (Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”)  Jesus trusted in God whom he called Father at the cost of his own personal success and happiness.  He prayed even when everything he had worked for was denied him and when he felt forsaken by God. 

Jesus’ topics

20% of all Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels has to do with     (money)   , more than any other topic.   (Reliability of the Gospels – Dr. Craig Blomberg)

No sin was so sternly denounced by Jesus as that of    (hypocrisy)   . 

“Hypocrite” is a Greek word that literally means “under a mask”.  It was used in Greek culture to describe an actor on a stage.  In the ancient theaters, each actor played several parts.  To change identities he would simply wear a different mask.  This was the word that Jesus used to describe the Jewish leaders.  Over and over again in the Gospels, especially Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus called them hypocrites.  In Matthew 23 Jesus called them “blind guides”, “whitewashed tombs”, and “vipers”.  He used the strongest possible language of condemnation.

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1.  Jesus’ birth

Studying the Canonical Scriptures and 

other Writings (Josephus, Tacitus, Philo, etc.)

From A Marginal Jew by John P. Meier

John Meier was an American scholar and Catholic priest.  His work, A Marginal Jew, was written to rethink our understanding of Jesus Christ.

Mark, considered the first of the canonical gospels written, does not describe Jesus’ birth.  But it does mention “another Mary, the mother of James and Joses” as visiting the tomb with Mary Magdalene.  Was this Jesus’ mother Mary?  Why didn’t Mark just say “Jesus’ mother?”

John also does not describe the birth of Jesus, instead starting with: “In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God.”  John NEVER mentions the name of Jesus’ mother and she is only referenced 3 times: Chapter 2:1-8 at the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine;  Chapter 6:42 when fellow Jews question how Jesus came from heaven when they knew Joseph and “his mother.”;  and Chapter 19:26 where his mother was at the foot of the cross and Jesus asked “the disciple he loves” to care for the “mother he loves.”

Luke describes Jesus’ birth.  Mary is given the lead role.

Matthew also describes Jesus’ birth.  Joseph is given the lead role. 

Some discrepancies over the birth of Jesus: 

1.  The year of Jesus’ birth.  Luke 2:1-2  In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus (reign 31 BC to 14 AD) that a census should be taken.  This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was Governor of Syria.  He became Governor in 6 AD.  

Matthew 2:1-2  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, during the time of King Herod, Magi came…  Herod asked: “Where is the one who is born King of the Jews?”   (The slaughter of the innocents.)  The problem?  Herod died in 4 BC.

2.  The purification.  Luke 2:22 Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for THEIR(?) purification.  This is a ritual performed for THE MOTHER ONLY, 40 days after the birth of a male child and 80 days after the birth of a female child (females being twice as "defiling"?  Girl babies required more care and time?  Mom needed time to get over the depression of having a girl instead of a boy?). The purification of the mother DID REQUIRE a visit to the temple. The redemption of the first born MALE child DID NOT require a visit to the temple. The purification of the MOTHER requires the sacrifice of 2 doves or 2 pigeons.  The redemption of the MALE CHILD required a payment of 5 shekels.  (Girls need not pay anything - they couldn’t or needn’t be dedicated to the Lord?)  Jesus was not a "Levite" so 5 shekels were paid so a Levite could take his place in the direct service to Yahweh.

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3.  Conflict over the visit of the "Magi."  (singular: Magus - a member of the priestly class of Persia, or a sorcerer.)  The Magi visited a HOUSE in BETHLEHEM (Matthew 2:11) where Joseph and Mary “lived,” NOT the cave or the stable (or cave-stable?) where the baby Jesus was "born." The supposed place where the shepherds (the lowest class of the day) visited the Christ child - the baby Jesus. This actually makes more sense, explaining why Herod killed all male children ages 2 and under rather than just new born babies. Jesus had been alive for a while  But wait. If Matthew considered Bethlehem Joseph and Mary's permanent home how did he get to be a Nazarene?  Via Egypt no less?

4.  Where did the family live?  Hold on, because Luke has Mary and Joseph in Nazareth in the beginning, having to travel to Bethlehem for the census. Except Mary didn't have to accompany Joseph to register.  Only HE had to register; she was a woman and didn't count - or should I say didn’t NEED to be counted.  Mary didn't have to travel while with child!  Jesus is circumcised and named on the 8th day after birth.  Luke has Joseph and Mary returning to Nazareth.  Purification rites in Jerusalem came 40 days after Jesus’ birth.  Another 90+ mile trek AFTER the family had been on the 100 mile trek from Bethlehem back to Nazareth just 5 weeks earlier.   And THAT after the 100 mile trek while Mary was with child.  

5.  Another purification issue.  Remember the 2 doves for purification that Mary sacrificed because she was a good Jewish girl?  Why would she need to be purified?  She was not impure! - immaculate conception AND immaculate BIRTH and all.

6.  Final issue: The flight to Egypt.  Never mentioned by Luke.  The account is only referenced in Matthew.  If the Magi visited a house in Bethlehem that Joseph and Mary temporarily resided in before returning to Nazareth, and had been warned to stay away from Herod, realize during the purification visit they actually were visiting the temple JUST ACROSS THE STREET from Herod who is looking to kill him!

In the Bible, prominent people were given prominent or remarkable birth stories.  

1. __ (Moses)__________________    2. ____________________________

     3.  ___________________________   4. ____________________________

     5. ____________________________  6. ____________________________

     7.  ___________________________   8. ____________________________

As we will study soon, language, reading, writing, “books” (scrolls), were all a barrier to learning and spreading a message.  Oral stories and traditions, on the other hand, were much more common and effective.  Was Jesus’ birth story created to emphasize the MIRACLE of Jesus and his teachings? 

It was important to the early gospel writers (1) to place Jesus in Nazareth (a Nazarene), (2) to have him born in Bethlehem, and (3) to be in the line of David to fulfill Old Testament prophecy.  Both Matthew and Luke seem to do some twisting to have this prophecy fulfilled. 

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Matthew has the angel appearing to Joseph.  Luke has the angel appearing to Mary.

Joseph is not Jesus’ father.  He is a stepfather.  Which CAN tie him to David since Jews accepted a stepfather as the “father” of a child despite the emphasis on “Bloodline.”

(Note: I have read Jewish sources that dispute this.)

Also remember: Joseph’s bloodline through David includes Ruth (a Gentile woman), the mother of Obed who was the grandfather of King David.  Boaz being the father.  That little blip could certainly bother some in this heavy laden history of male superiority, and many Jewish scholars and authors are quick to point this out.  

NOTE:  Some say the bloodlines through the mother were more accurate.  You knew who the mother was but there was no definite way at the time to determine who the father was.

Page 565 of the Evangelical Dictionary of World Religions: The Talmud portrays Jesus as an illegitimate child.  

So let’s call Version  1: Matthew, Version 2: Luke, Version 3: The Talmud - let’s not dwell on this last one.  We don’t want to start a war over this…

Version 4: From the Qur’an

Jesus is a prophet.  He is miraculously born to Mary, without a father.  Joseph is not mentioned at all.  The birth pangs drive Mary to the trunk of a palm tree.  Jesus speaks as an infant in the Qur’an (his first “MIRACLE”), to defend Mary’s honor against accusations of having an adulterous affair.  Earlier Mary had said she would bear a child and dedicate him to service to God.  Joseph doesn’t exist.  Jesus is certainly not considered the Son of God in the Qur’an.  

Notes:  Muslims believe that Jesus (called “Isa” in Arabic) was a prophet of God and was born to a virgin (Mary). They also believe he will return to Earth before the Day of 

Judgment to restore justice and defeat al-Masih ad-Dajjal, or “the false messiah” - also known as the Antichrist. All of this may sound pretty familiar to many Christians.   

Mary (called “Maryam” in Arabic) has an entire chapter in the Qur’an named for her - the only chapter in the Qur’an named for a female figure. In fact, Mary is the only woman to be mentioned by name in the entire Qur’an. As noted in the study of the Quran, “other female figures are identified only by their relation to others, such as the wife of Adam and the mother of Moses, or by their title, such as the Queen of Sheba.” Mary is mentioned more times in the Qur’an than in the entire New Testament of the Bible. 

AND FINALLY  Version 5:  From the apocrypha

The Gospel of James (or the Protoevangelium of James) is a 2nd-century infancy gospel telling of the miraculous conception of the Virgin Mary, her upbringing and marriage to Joseph, the journey of the couple to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, and events immediately following.  It is the earliest surviving  

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assertion of the perpetual virginity of Mary, meaning her virginity not just prior to the birth of Jesus, but during and afterwards.   Despite being condemned by Pope Innocent I in 405 AD and rejected by the Gelasian Decree around 500 AD (a major work of Pope Gelasius I who defined many canonical and apocryphal books and ideas), this book and other APOCRYPHA became widely influential sources for Mariology.  

In other words it seems it took 470 years to get the story straight(?).

The Gospel of James is assumed to have been in circulation soon after c.150 AD. The author claims to be James the half-brother of Jesus by an earlier marriage of Joseph, but in fact his identity is unknown.  

Mary is presented as an extraordinary child destined for great things from the moment of her conception.  Her parents, the wealthy Joachim and his wife Anna (or Anne), are distressed that they have no children, and Joachim goes into the wilderness to pray, leaving Anna to lament her childless state.  God hears Anna's prayer, angels announce the coming child, and in the seventh month of Anna's pregnancy (underlining the exceptional nature of Mary's future life) she is born.  Anna dedicates the child to God and vows that she shall be raised in the Temple.  Joachim and Anna name the child Mary, and when she is three years old they send her to the Temple, where she is fed each day by an angel.

When Mary approaches her twelfth year the priests decide that she can no longer stay in the Temple lest her menstrual blood render it unclean, and God finds a widower, Joseph, to act as her guardian.  Joseph is depicted as elderly and the father of grown sons; he has no desire for sexual relations with Mary.  He leaves on business, and Mary is called to the Temple to help weave the temple curtain.  One day an angel appears and tells her that she has been chosen to conceive Jesus the Savior, but that she will not give birth as other women do.  Joseph returns and finds Mary six months pregnant, and rebukes her, fearing that the priests will assume that he is the guilty party.  And they do.  But the chastity of both is proven through the "test of bitter waters".  Numbers 5:11-31 A woman drinks the “bitter waters concoction.”  If she was unfaithful to her husband God will curse her and her “abdomen swells and her womb withers.”  She will become infertile - and abort a fetus I assume, the womb has withered after all.   Premarital sex is a Class A sin - she is under the authority of her husband (or her betrothed husband) and has strayed.  No word on whether the partner in crime - the man - suffers any consequences.  Then again a man is not under any authority of a husband.

Oh, and add to this the woman may die from this potion.  More on that in a minute.

BUT Wait!  Joseph ALSO took the test of Bitter Waters?  Yes!  

The Gospel of James Chapter 11: And when he was thinking of rising up and hiding himself, and dwelling in secret, behold, on that very night, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in sleep, saying: Joseph, you son of David, fear not; receive Mary as 

your wife: for that which is in her womb is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and His name shall be called Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. 

And Joseph, rising from his sleep, gave thanks to God, and spoke to Mary and the virgins who were with her, and told them his vision. And he was comforted about Mary, saying: “I have sinned, in that I suspected you at all”

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However… Not everyone is convinced by Joseph’s apology to Mary, and events turn into something of a soap opera. 

Mary's parents weigh in, and things are not looking good for Joseph.  Here is where the legend arises: The aforementioned trial by bitter water. 
This is the version in the Protoevangelium of James:
Chapter 16: And the priest said: Give up the virgin whom you received out of the temple of the Lord. And Joseph burst into tears. And the priest said: I will give you to drink of the water of the ordeal of the Lord, and He shall make manifest your sins in your eyes. And the priest took the water, and gave Joseph to drink and sent him away to the hill-country; and he returned unhurt. And he gave to Mary also to drink, and sent her away to the hill-country; and she returned unhurt. And all the people wondered that sin did not appear in them. And the priest said: If the Lord God has not made manifest your sins, neither do I judge you. And he sent them away. And Joseph took Mary, and went away to his own house, rejoicing and glorifying the God of Israel. 

To digress:

Deuteronomy 22:13-30 A similar discussion on virginity.  A man may accuse a woman of premarital sexual relations.  Her father must prove his daughter’s virginity (how would that be done definitively?).  If the man who accuses a betrothed woman of premarital sex is wrong and the woman is a virgin, he is fined.  If the woman is deemed not a virgin, the men of the town are obligated to stone her to death.  100 pieces of silver vs. stoning to death.  Sound fair to you?

So is the test of bitter waters abortion?  Are illegitimate babies to be aborted?  Some translations say “may the thigh rot away and the woman become a scourge to the earth,” others say may she “miscarry.”  Regardless, she often DID miscarry or die.  I guess you miscarry if you die.  So was it drinking “bitter waters” causing an illness or did the illness only occur if the woman was an adulteress?  All things being possible in God.  

There is NO mention of a test of virginity for a man in Numbers, but Joseph evidently took one.  (How would you do that?  Can a man get pregnant?)  He passed the test.  But how?  Didn’t Joseph already have children?  If he didn't, how did Jesus get brothers and sisters?  From Mary?  But she is supposed to be a perpetual virgin.

Punishment for adultery is different.  Verse 22 does say if a man is CAUGHT with another man’s wife, he AND the woman must die.  I guess the idea is to not get caught…  

Oh yeah, the rape stuff comes next.  The country vs. the city thing.  (Verses 25-29) An entirely different topic.  For another day.  

Back to the apocryphal Gospel of James:

The Roman census forces the holy couple to travel to Bethlehem, but Mary's time comes before they can reach the village.  Joseph settles Mary in a cave (which could certainly have served as a stable) where she is guarded by his sons while he goes in search of a midwife.  For an apocalyptic moment, as he searches, 

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all creation stands still.  He returns with two midwives, and as they stand at the mouth of the cave a cloud overshadows it, an intense light fills it, and there is suddenly a baby at Mary's breast.   Joseph and the unnamed midwife marvel at the miracle, but a second midwife named Salome insists on examining Mary.  She is still a virgin.  However, Salome’s hand withers as a sign of her lack of faith; Salome prays to God for forgiveness and an angel appears and tells her to touch the Christ Child, upon which her hand is healed.  (As mentioned previously, both Luther and Calvin agree with the Catholic Church regarding the lifelong virginity of Mary.)

NOTE:  In this apocryphal Gospel of James, Mary undergoes BOTH tests for virginity - the test of bitter waters of Numbers BEFORE birth, and the manual evaluation of Deuteronomy AFTER birth.  She passes both.  

Jesus speaks as an infant and commands a date palm to bend down so Mary and her husband (evidently considered married but not Jesus’ father - there is no father other than God, or God as the Holy Spirit) can get something to eat.  This occurs on the flight of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to Egypt, the same trek as outlined in Matthew.  

The gospel concludes with the visit of the Three Magi (the Maguses), the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem, the martyrdom of the High Priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.  Remember: John the Baptist was also a young boy in Herod’s sights since Herod was killing all young boys.  Zechariah refused to give up John the Baptist and, according to the Gospel of James, was killed for this transgression.  After his death, Zechariah was succeeded by the election of Simeon.  The gospel concludes with an epilogue telling the circumstances under which the work was supposedly composed. 

A Problem:  Simeon was the priest who met Mary and Joseph when they presented Jesus at the temple to fulfill the Law of Moses 40 days after birth.  So if Zechariah was killed by protecting his son, John the Baptist, from Herod in the slaughter of the innocents, then the Magi had already visited Jesus within the first 40 days.  Simeon replaced Zechariah and Simeon saw Jesus at the temple, 40 days after his birth.  So Mary and Joseph DID take Jesus to the temple across the street from the King (Herod) who wanted him dead when they all traveled to Jerusalem for the purification that, in reality, Mary, not Jesus, needed.  Clear?  As mud?

The ordeal of the bitter water serves to defend Jesus against accusation of illegitimacy levied in the 2nd century by pagan and Jewish opponents of Christianity.  A legitimate concern as we have seen.  Christian sensitivity to these charges made them eager to defend both the virgin birth of Jesus and the immaculate conception of Mary (i.e., her freedom from sin at the moment of her conception).

What level of importance is Mary in Christianity?  There are 3 suggestions of Mary’s insight into her Son’s mission in the canonical gospels:  

1,  When visited by the angel and told of favor with God.  Luke 1:38  Mary responded: I am the Lord’s servant.  May everything you (Gabriel) have said about me come true…  

And Luke 1:46-55  The Magnificat - Mary’s song of praise.  48b From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me…

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2.  Luke 2:18-19 NIV …and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up (understood them?) all these things and pondered them (wondered about them?) in her heart.  So does this mean she KNEW or ONLY HAD SUSPICIONS of Jesus’ mission on earth?

3.  Luke 2:48-52 NIV  When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”  But they did not understand what he was saying to them.  Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart (because maybe she DID understand?).

Should Mary and Jesus’ brother, James, have had special roles in the early church because they were related to Jesus?

There is reference in Acts that Jesus’ mother Mary WAS active in the early church: Acts 1:14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

James was instrumental in forming the Jewish-Christian Church.

To digress (briefly) again:

Those references aside, realize most of our knowledge of Mary comes from the apocrypha.  So let’s take a brief look at:

THE CULT OF MARY - HOW MARY BECAME A SAINTE WORTHY OF VENERATION

In 325 AD the original Creed of Nicea stated: (Jesus) came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and THE VIRGIN MARY and became man. 

5th Century – Is it proper to call Mary the Mother of God?  It took a church council to determine that it was proper.

16th Century – Protestants criticized veneration of and prayer to Mary.  Protestants and Catholics argue over this even now.   

Today the position is 1. Mary is not WORSHIPED, Mary is HONORED.  2. Mary is not prayed to like she is God, but is petitioned to pray for us - like asking a priest or minister to pray for someone or something.

In the Gospels there is an ambivalent or even mildly negative view of Mary.  It is in the early apocrypha that Mary becomes a leader of the Saints and the special attributes of virginity become worthy of worship.   

1. She can intercede with God.  
2.  Mary’s death differs from an ordinary death (falling asleep).   
3. Apocryphal texts give a special role for Mary in human salvation.

For more on the veneration of Mary See APSE Article:  The Cult of Mary.  Life of Jesus Articles page 1,

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The Timing of Jesus’ Birth.  

The Politics of Jesus by Obery M.Hendricks, Jr.

(Page numbers reference pages of this book)

Some have postulated that Jesus was born in His time because the diaspora of Jews across the known world was an effective way to spread the gospel message.  Hendricks’ position suggests Jesus was born to bring God’s kingdom to earth at a time of extreme impoverishment of the Jewish people and corruption of the temple.  His interpretation of Jesus’ words is quite convincing.  

OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE: The STUDY of Jesus is futile without a good understanding of the environment that he lived in.  That REQUIRES a good understanding of not only the HISTORY OF ISRAEL, but also the HISTORY OF THE GRECO-ROMAN EMPIRE.   …and OPPRESSION  and SLAVERY!

(Page 50)  What was Jesus’ motivation?  

For an understanding of how Augustus came to rule Palestine See APSE Article: The Roman Empire Prior to Jesus’ Birth.   Life of Jesus Articles  page 5.   It involves Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Cleopatra - yes, that one - and a whole gang from Roman history.

Caesar Augustus. (Yes, the Caesar Augustus who sent out the decree in Luke.)  He declared PAX ROMANA.  27 B.C - 180 AD  Pax Romana was a policy of peace throughout the entire Roman Empire.  At least if you were rich.  And a Roman citizen.  This peace came at the cost of terrible political repression for any “conquered population.”  100,000 legionnaires were available at all times.  And they were used.

Writings from Tacitus (Roman historian and orator 56 AD- ~ 120 AD): “They (Rome) are plunderers of the world.  If they are rich, they are rapacious; if they are poor, they lust for dominion.  Not East, not West, has satiated them.  They rob, butcher, plunder, and call it EMPIRE.” 

An aside:  Some background on Tacitus.  In his book, Annals, written 116 AD he mentions “Christ” who was crucified by Pontius Pilate.  There are a few questionable issues with his report but it is considered an authentic source for the attestation of the existence of Jesus and his crucifixion.

Certainly there was no peace for the heavily oppressed and taxed Jewish subjects.  And there were uprisings as a result.   

SEPPHORIS.  HOW IMPORTANT WAS THIS PARTICULAR UPRISING IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST?  We will refer to this city and event several times in this study.

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At the time of Jesus’ birth (4 BC) Josephus notes the crucifixion of 2000 people in the Galilean city of Sepphoris as punishment for rebellion. 

Here’s how it happened.   After Herod died in 4 BC Archelaus and Antipas argued over who should rule.  Archelaus was not made a “king,” but an ethnarch of Samaria, Judea (so his rule included Jerusalem), and Idumea.  Archelaus tried to win over the Jews’ trust with kindness - even throwing them a feast.  He said he would not declare himself a king until Rome approved of him - which is baloney since only Rome could appoint him king anyways.   The Jews tested his kindness by asking for a plethora of Jews arrested under Herod to be released.  

Meanwhile 2 popular teachers, Judas and Matthias, incited their students to remove a golden eagle from the entrance to the temple.  The teachers and students were burned alive.  An angry crowd assembled.  3000 Jews were killed during Passover.  That quieted the crowd.  But when Archelaus went to Rome to become crowned by the emperor riots broke out again.  Here is where Athronges and his brothers and Simon step in.  Cities were burned to the ground, Jews by the thousands were killed.  The target of the conflict was the important crossroads city of Sepphoris.  Most of the rebel leaders were caught.  2000 were crucified in Sepphoris and this city was also burned to the ground.  Archelaus made a semblance of peace with one of Athonges brothers.  A mistake.  Romans don’t make peace with enemies.  In 6 AD Archelaus was exiled by Augustus to Vienna.

Of significance:  Matthew 2:22-23 references when Joseph and Mary returned from exile in Egypt:  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,  and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.  

And that is how Jesus became JESUS OF NAZARETH!  (or at least one version.)

The parents of Mary the mother of Jesus, Joachim and Anne,  were from Sepphoris.  Would they not have told stories that would have influenced a young Jesus?  Would Pilate not have recognized a threat in Jesus?  Claiming peace, Jesus still raised a ruckus at the temple.  THREAT of Jesus as an insurrectionist was NOT something to trifle with as a Roman leader, especially in the confusion of the Passover pilgrimage of THOUSANDS if not more - MILLIONS in Jerusalem?  Keep this in mind when we study Jesus’ crucifixion.

Of course avoiding Archelaus was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas who, as we shall see, played an important role in the life and ministry of Jesus.  BUT although Antipas was the stronger of the two brothers, Archelaus’ region was where the trouble and violence was at the time Jesus’ family returned from Egyptian Exile, so the warning to settle in Nazareth was a prudent one.

Crucifixions, like lynchings, were done for the benefit of the people.  Unlike the crucifixion of Jesus, bodies were not removed.  Not only the grisly sight, but the stench was a good reminder.  Take a close look.  Take a good sniff.  This could be you. 

Don’t you think a young Jesus might have been influenced?

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Discussion: Is this a plausible conversation between Jesus and Mary?  Mom, why did we go to Egypt?  Why did we come back HERE of all places?  What happened here?  Why all these stakes/crosses along the road?  

2793 deaths at the World Trade Center Attacks alone on 9/11.  Vs. 2000 dead bodies stinking on stakes.  What is worse?  Will anyone forget?  Should anyone forget?

This Sepphoris story is supported in Historical Jesus by John Dominic Crossan, pg. 198.  After Herod’s death (4 BC) violence broke out over all of Palestine.  There were many who carried the claim of “messiah” that the Romans certainly took notice of.  And they brought in the troops.  The “messiah” part was the concern.  They crucified 2000 of the “rebels.”   The city of Sepphoris was destroyed and rebuilt during Jesus’ youth.

To Digress:

“Anyone could make himself “king” by assembling enough bandits (keep this word BANDITS in your memory bank) to wield some violence and power.”  Don’t say Jesus didn’t pose a threat to Pilate.  Especially when one understands the significance of the Feeding of the Multitude.  Jesus fed “5 thousand (MEN)” plus women and children and they followed him (Matthew 14:13-21).   5000 was the size of a legion - not a coincidence.  It is a subtle clue of Jesus’ growing influence and popularity.  In the mind of the Roman rulers did Jesus “have his own LEGION?”

Claims of “Messiah” continued long after Jesus.  Menahem and Simon son of Gioras both claimed to be messiahs in the first of 3 Roman-Jewish Wars staged in 66-73 AD  

Some quick notes of Jewish peasants’ lives under Roman occupation:  Food and animals were seized as needed and (forced) work crews of common people were created as needed under Roman rule.  Given the massive construction of Herod the Great - buildings, roads, the enlargement of the port of Caesarea, etc. - they were needed a lot.

The Jewish people were no doubt traumatized.  No doubt wanting a messiah.  A MILITARY messiah, not another brother hanging on a cross.  And certainly not one teaching peace and good will towards these oppressors!

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2. Jesus’ family

It is fairly well established that Joseph and Mary are father and mother of Jesus and that Jesus followed Joseph into the carpentry business.

After Jesus’ age 12 trip to Jerusalem, Joseph is no longer mentioned in either the canonical or apocryphal gospels.  Did he abandon the family?  Did he have no opinion or involvement in Jesus’ ministry?  Or, most accepted, that he died.

Did Jesus have brothers and sisters?  It is postulated Joseph was older.  Had he been previously married?  Had he had children from another marriage?  There is no indication in Matthew or Luke that this is the case.  The narrative points more to this is the first marriage for both.  (The apocryphal Gospel of James is obviously different as we have seen.)

Another theory is that the “brothers and sisters” of Jesus are actually cousins.  HOWEVER, looking at the translations and the Greek words there is ample evidence that brothers and sisters means brothers and sisters and cousins means cousins.  It is stated as much in other passages.  This theory, although not definitively disproven, is shown highly unlikely.

But… the catholic church maintains the perpetual virginity of Mary.  And Joseph as well in some circles.  Luther and Calvin agree, at least with the Mary part.  So where did the brothers and sisters come from?  

Too many sources support Jesus having brothers and sisters.  Not just the gospels, but Josephus as well, clearly calling James as “James the brother of Jesus.”

Paul, Mark, John, Josephus, and possibly Luke writing in Acts 1:14 speak of brother(s) (and sisters) of Jesus.  

Note: Matthew was concerned with the virginity of Mary (and maybe Joseph as well) BEFORE Christ’s birth BUT had no concern on sexual relations AFTER Christ’s birth.

From the Gospel of John:   Was John’s mother a sister of Mary, Jesus' mother?  Is John the cousin of Jesus?  Is this why Jesus asked John (assuming John is “the disciple Jesus loves”) to care for his mother, Mary, from the cross? (John 19:25-27)

Then again, the oldest surviving BROTHER is responsible for a widow.  If Jesus has at least one living brother, James, why did he ask JOHN to care for his mother?  Did Christ foresee the martyrdom of James in the early Jewish-Christian Church?  John is thought to have lived into the 90’s AD  

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3. What language did Jesus speak?  The 4 possible languages.

The language of everyday peasants (peasants were the most common of people - see Chapter 7 for the social structure of the time) was Aramaic.  It would make sense that this is Jesus’ main language.

However, when discussing, debating, or engaging in dialog with the Pharisees, the rabbis, the scribes, Jesus would speak Hebrew.  Although Jesus was from a “peasant family,” being in Nazareth, a town of 1600 to 2000 people, there was possibly/probably a synagogue or nearby school that would teach Hebrew.  This was important in cities and towns at the time.  

Greek was growing in use with diaspora Jews returning to Jerusalem.  Historical opinion is that Herod was packing the Sanhedrin with diaspora priests that brought some Greco/Roman influence to the Sanhedrin.  Kind of “packing the court” to  bridge the Jewish-Greco/Roman gap.   Did Jesus have a 3rd language or did he have a disciple to interpret?  

Latin was introduced through the new Roman government.  Did Jesus know Latin?  How did he communicate with Pontius Pilate at his trial?  Interpreter?  Was this a source of misunderstanding?  Was Jesus’ trial hampered by translation?   

Could Jesus speak them all?  Maybe? 

Was Jesus a “genius?”  Or just all-knowing by being the “Son of God,” by being “I am” (God as part of the Trinity)?  Was Jesus omniscient by being “God,” or did he have to learn like every other human (fully human, fully God)?  Do we know?  Can we know?  Should we know?  Does it matter?  The only gospel hint is Luke 2:52  Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

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4. Was Jesus literate?

We draw on 3 key texts.  

1.  John 8:6 when Jesus drew in the sand.  Doodling?  Or words?  Who knows.  No definitive proof here.  Also note this story of John 8:1-11 was not added to the Bible until the 9th or 10th centuries.  Original manuscripts of the Bible do not mention it.  The earliest manuscript is from the 5th century and the storyline had been altered, perhaps on purpose to tamp down the controversy over forgiving an adulteress.  Ironically some do not believe John 8:1-11 should be in the Bible yet to some it is one of their most cherished examples of God’s love and forgiveness.  

2. John 7:15  In the temple:  How does Jesus know scripture when he has not studied?  Or is it “because he cannot read?”  What do the original manuscripts say?  Jesus hadn’t studied or Jesus COULDN’T study because he couldn’t read?  

An aside:  Many followers of Islam consider the Prophet Muhammud to have been illiterate - reinforcing the miracle of the “vision” and “message” communicated to the Prophet, his remembering it and reciting it verbatim, and the perfect writing by his scribes.  Muslims accept only THE ORIGINAL copy of the Qur’an is the true word of Allah.  Any transcription or translation has error.

3. Luke 4:16-30  Jesus is given a scroll on Isaiah.  He finds the passage on the messiah, puts the scroll down and says, what you read is being fulfilled as we speak.  Did he “read it???”   Or did he just “know it,” being God and all?  Maybe a miracle in itself that he could find the scripture in a scroll even if he could read.  They had to be notoriously cumbersome.  

Jesus may have gone to a Jewish school.  Until age 12-13.  Then only the VERY rich got to go on.  Maybe he was able to continue because he was a “genius.”  Some very young children learn how to read just by looking at a book (HYPERLEXIC).  But it is hard to think he learned on his own (self-taught or AUTODIDACT)  ala Abe Lincoln.  Books were just not available.  Maybe he had a special instructor, unnamed, who took him under his wing?  A wise tutor?  

Again the question: God will provide?  Jesus is God and knows everything, or was Jesus fully human and had to learn?

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5.  A SUMMARY OF THE ORIGINS AND “HIDDEN YEARS” OF JESUS AND THE YEARS OF HIS MINISTRY from A Marginal Jew by J.P. Meier.

During the reign of Herod the Great around 7-4 BC Jesus was born in the hill town of Nazareth in Lower Galilee.  His mother was Mary, his father Joseph, his 4 brothers (James, Joses (a form of Joseph), Jude, and Simon), and at least 2 unnamed sisters (Although the Apocryphal books list 2 names - Mary and Salome, and translation grammar cannot limit the number of sisters to 2.  There may have been more.).

Perhaps significant, all the names reflect back to the glorious days of the patriarchs, the Exodus, and the conquest of the Promised Land.  Jesus' family may have shared in the reawakening of Jewish national and religious identity that looked forward to the restoration of Israel in its full glory, all the more likely if Joseph was a direct descendant of King David.  Regardless, judging by the fiercely religious focus of Jesus’ life once it becomes visible to us, we may reasonably suppose that his family had been deeply devout Jews of a peasant Galilean type, committed to the basic Mosaic Law:  Circumcision, Sabbath, and pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.   But not committed to the extreme measures of the observances of the Pharisees.

As firstborn son (assuming he was the first born), Jesus would have been the object of Joseph’s special attention, both in his training for his trade and his religious training.  The absence of Joseph during Jesus’ public ministry is best explained by the traditional position that Joseph had died.  

There was tension between Jesus and his brothers and sisters.  Jesus was “Mad” (Mark 3:21.  The brothers and sisters did not believe him (John 7:5).  Jesus refused a request of the family that he see them (Mark 3:31-35).  

It is startling, then, to find family members front and center in the early church.  James, the brother of Jesus, took a key leadership role.  James was prominent in an early creedal formula listing witnesses to the resurrection of Christ.  

In light of all the information of Jesus’ family, and the total silence about Jesus having a wife and/or children, it is best surmised that Jesus was not married and took the unusual but not unheard of path of celibacy.  (Was Jesus an Essene?)

Growing up in Nazareth Jesus would have spoken Aramaic as his everyday language, while learning at least some Hebrew from the local synagogue services and instruction from his father.  

As Jesus learned the trade of woodworker from Joseph, it would have been useful, even necessary to acquire some Greek phrases for business purposes.  Frequent family visits to Jerusalem for the great feasts would have exposed Jesus to even more Greek speech.  

Although Jesus may have used some Greek for speaking to Gentiles, and Hebrew when debating the meaning of scripture with professional scribes, Jesus would have used Aramaic for the bulk of his speaking and teaching as it was directed to ordinary Palestinian Jews.

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Jesus’ teaching was delivered orally, and oral teaching MAY have been the only source of Jesus' learning and education in the scriptures and Jewish Traditions.  In Jesus’ time 

literacy was not an absolute necessity for the common people.  Yet the combination of a devout Jewish family, Jesus’ own preoccupation with the Jewish religion, and the debates over scriptures with the professional scribes and Pharisees during his ministry all make his ability to read the sacred text a likely possibility.  (Again, not to mention he is the Son of God…)

Jesus, the woodworker of Nazareth, was poor by our modern American standards, though in his own society he was no poorer than the average Galilean.  Certainly not a dispossessed farmer, a beggar, a rural day laborer, or a slave.  He was not at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.  (SEE Chapter 7 for more on the socioeconomic climate of 1st century Judea.)  So while we would find these situations unbearable, they were preferable to the last days of Herod the Great, the chaotic days of the Jewish War in the late 60’s, or even in the area around Judea that felt the oppression by foreigners that resulted from the presence of the Roman prefect.

Strangely, Jesus grew up in a relatively peaceful oasis in the Palestinian land and Palestinian history.  (Opinion of our source J.P. Meier A Marginal Jew p.349 of which I find suspect.  Life for a Jew in Galilee was not pleasant during any of Jesus’ lifetime.)

Despite an intriguing thought that Jesus was a master builder and traveled far and wide, enjoying Greek drama in theatre in Sepphoris, the silence of Jesus “Hidden Years” may simply point out Jesus’ middle life was uneventful.

Jesus of Nazareth was basically ordinary, a layman without special religious credentials or “power base” (aside from being the Son of God).  As a Galilean layman he would appear negligible to the high priestly families in Jerusalem.  At least until he began to appear “dangerous” to them.  His frequent visits to Jerusalem for feasts and holy days may have fueled the mutual hostility between the Jerusalem priests and the Galilean laymen.  

Note: Later study referencing Obery Hendricks, Jr. will present a slightly different interpretation of what Jesus’ life would have been like and how it would have affected his ministry.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THESE EVENTS

A proffered timeline from A Marginal Jew by J.P. Meier - certainly not definitive and certainly questioned by other data and thoughts and theories:

Jesus of Nazareth was born most likely in Nazareth, not Bethlehem, about year 7 or 6 BC, a few years before the death of King Herod the Great (4 BC).  After an unexceptional upbringing in a pious family of Jewish peasants in Lower Galilee, he was attracted to the movement of John the Baptist, who began his ministry in the region  of the Jordan Valley around the end of 27 AD or the beginning of 28 AD.  Baptized by John, Jesus soon struck out on his own, beginning his public ministry early in 28 AD, when he was around 33 or 34 years old.  He regularly alternated his ministry between his home area of Galilee and Jerusalem (including the surrounding area of Judea), going up to the holy city for the great feasts, when the large crowds of pilgrims would guarantee an audience he might otherwise not reach.  The ministry lasted for 2 years and a few months.  

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In 30 AD, while Jesus was in Jerusalem for the approaching feast of Passover, he apparently sensed that the increasing hostility between the Jerusalem temple and himself was reaching a climax.  He celebrated a solemn farewell meal with his inner circle of disciples on Thursday evening, April 6, by modern reckoning of information.  April 6, 30 AD was the 14th of Nisan, the Day of Preparation of Passover according to Jewish liturgical reckoning.  Arrested in Gethsemane on the night of April 6-7, 30 AD, he was first examined by some Jewish officials (less likely by the entire Sanhedrin) and then handed over to Pilate early in the morning of Friday April 7, 30 AD.  Pilate quickly condemned him to death by crucifixion.  After being scourged and mocked, Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem that same day.  He was dead by evening of Friday, April 7.  He was about 36 years old.  

Politics and Geography may help us understand the movements of both John the Baptist and Jesus himself.  From The History and Archaeology of the Bible by Jean Pierre Isbouts.  Both John the Baptist and Jesus conducted most of their ministry around the Sea of Galilee.  Perhaps this is why:

The Ministry of John the Baptist

John’s renown as a dissident became so widespread that Pilate grew alarmed and may have put pressure on Herod Antipas to act. This is also the view of Josephus, who says that Antipas was afraid that “the great influence John had over the people might empower him to raise a rebellion.”

According to the Gospel of John: Herod Antipas had ruled Galilee on the WEST side of the Jordan River in the North.  The territory of Perea had been added to Antipas rule in the South, lying to the EAST of the Jordan River.  These two areas did not connect.  When in the Southern region John the Baptist stayed on the EAST side of the Jordan, (Perea) under control of Antipas, but NOT under the control of Pontius Pilate whose jurisdiction lay only to the WEST (Judea), the area around Jerusalem.   John the Baptist could wave at the Roman soldiers on the other side, but in principle, they couldn’t touch him.

The Synoptic Gospels see it somewhat differently.  It appears that during one of his visits to Rome, Antipas had fallen in love with the beautiful wife of his half brother Philip, named Herodias. On top of that, Herodias was also his niece, the daughter of Antipas’s half brother, Aristobulus.  Antipas divorced his wife, daughter of King Aretas IV, and married Herodias instead. The king was deeply humiliated and vowed revenge.

(See The Herodian Family Tree pg 20 and the map The Road to Jerusalem pg 21.)

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John quotes Leviticus and criticizes this marriage.  Antipas arrests him and throws him in jail.  Then comes the story of the daughter.  The Gospels don’t give us her name, but Josephus does: She is called Salome.  John is executed as a result of the scheming of Herodius and her daughter, Salome, and his disciples bury him in a cave nearby. With this violent act, the ministry of John the Baptist ends, and the ministry of Jesus begins.

The Ministry of Jesus

Regardless of your opinion of Jesus as a spiritual advisor or not, any interpretation of Jesus’ ministry must begin with the historical foundation of his life.  And whether you believe Jesus is the TRUE SON OF GOD or not, Jesus DID live his life on earth as a human being, which is why he called himself the “Son of Man.” (Taken from the Book of Daniel.)

Jesus returned to Galilee and began his ministry with 3 of John’s disciples: Philip, Andrew, and Andrew’s brother Simon who were all from Bethsaida on the EAST (safe) side of the Jordan River under the rule of Philip rather than that of Antipas.  

Antipas killed John the Baptist, would he kill his followers as well?  Did Jesus and his new group lay low from Antipas?  Either hiding in their homes or in Philip’s jurisdiction?

Jesus sets up in Capernaum.  A town that acted like a toll booth for goods entering Judea from the Golan.  One of them was manned by Levi who became a disciple.

Jesus enters the synagogue to start his ministry in Capernaum. 

He limits his movements to places within a day’s walking distance.  Unusual since prophets sat in one place and waited for those to come to him.

Hypothesis?  Theory?  Reality?   Did both John the Baptist and Jesus and the disciples play a cat and mouse game with Herod Antipas north of the Sea of Galilee and with Pontius Pilate to the South?

Capernaum was a great location.  Near the border.  Heavy traffic.  

Jesus and his disciples would make their excursions into Galilee.  Nazareth, of course.  Cana.   Gennesaret.  Magdala.  Mount of the Beatitudes (the Korazim Plateau) between Capernaum and Gennesaret.  Mount Tabor (the transfiguration of Christ).  

Then when things got hot they zipped back through Capernaum, across the Jordan River, and into Gaulanitis under the jurisdiction of Herod Philip the Tetrarch.  The first town in Gaulanitis was Bethsaida, home to Philip, Andrew, and Andrew’s brother, Simon.   They also wandered further north in Philip’s jurisdiction to Caesarea Philippi.

Four examples.  

1.  When Jesus addressed priests in his hometown of Nazareth, opening the scroll to 

prophecy in Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah.  They drove him out of town to the 

brink of a hill, but he walked right through the crowd on his way… to Capernaum.  The gateway to Gaulanitis.  Herod Philip’s jurisdiction.  Away from Antipas.  

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2.  Jesus fed the 5000 (his “legion”) near Bethsaida.  Was he just over the border leaving him an easy escape from Herod Antipas or was he on the “safe side” of the border all along?  This event surely created a stir within the crowd.   After the event Jesus sent the disciples away on a boat.  The four gospels are slightly different as to where the boat was directed.  Three say Jesus instructed his disciples to cross to the northwest - Capernaum or Gennesaret.  A diversion to draw the authorities away from Jesus?   But Mark’s version actually sends them TO Bethsaida.  The safe side.  

3.  Many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.  Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him.  And a potential escape to Gaulanitis?  (Mark 3:8b-9)

4.  In Jerusalem the priests threatened to stone Jesus for blasphemy but he escaped from their power.  And headed where?  East of the Jordan River. To Perea.  Still under jurisdiction of Antipas, but away from Pontius Pilate.  (John 10)

One Final Note on the role of Herod Antipas in the ministry of Jesus.   Luke 8:1-3 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,  and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;  Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Joanna was an upper class woman married to the obviously intelligent and capable man, Chuza, who managed Herod Antipas’ complex financial affairs.  She was providing funds for the ministry of Jesus and his disciples.  It appears Antipas was ironically funding at least a portion of the ministry of Jesus and the disciples.

Did Joanna provide more than money?  Perhaps a “mole” within the inner circle of Herod Antipas?

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6.  Stories of Jesus’ Childhood from the Apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas

This apocryphal Book is presumed written before the end of the 2nd century.  Proto-orthodox Christians regarded the Infancy Gospel of Thomas as inauthentic and heretical. Eusebius rejected it as a heretical "fiction" in the third book of his fourth-century Church History, and Pope Gelasius I included it in his list of heretical books in the fifth century.

The text describes the life of the child, Jesus, from the ages of five to twelve with fanciful, and sometimes malevolent, supernatural events. He is presented as a precocious child who starts his education early.  The stories cover how the young Incarnation of God matures and learns to use his powers for good and how those around him first respond in fear and later with admiration.  One of the episodes involves Jesus making 12 clay birds, which he then proceeds to bring to life, an act also attributed to Jesus in Quran 5:110 and in a medieval Jewish work known as Toledot Yeshu, although Jesus' age at the time of the event is not specified in either account. The miracle is performed on a Sabbath, and Joseph is chastised for allowing his son to make these clay birds on the Sabbath.  In another episode, a child (possibly the son of Annas, the High Priest involved in some accounts of the trial of Jesus) disperses water that Jesus has collected. Jesus kills this child by cursing the boy which causes the child's body to wither into a corpse. Later, Jesus kills another child via curse when the child accidentally bumps into Jesus, throws a stone at Jesus, or punches Jesus, depending on the translation.

When Joseph and Mary's neighbors complain, Jesus miraculously strikes them blind. Jesus then starts receiving lessons but he tries to teach the teacher instead, upsetting the teacher who suspects supernatural origins. Jesus is amused by this suspicion, which he confirms; he then revokes all his earlier apparent cruelty. Subsequently, he resurrects a friend who is killed when he falls from a roof, and heals another who cuts his foot with an ax.  (Possible reference to Genesis 3:15 “you will strike his heel…” which symbolizes the serpent bruising the heel of a woman’s offspring - Jesus is healing the wounds of Satan to mankind.)

After various other demonstrations of supernatural ability, new teachers try to teach Jesus, but he proceeds to explain the law to them instead. Another set of miracles is mentioned, in which Jesus heals his brother, who is bitten by a snake, and two others, who have died from different causes. Finally, the text recounts the episode in Luke in which Jesus, aged 12, teaches in the temple.

Although the miracles seem quite randomly inserted into the text, three miracles are before and three are after each of the sets of lessons. The sequence of miracles is essentially:

• Bringing life to a dried fish (this is present only in later texts)
• First group:

- Three Miracles - Breathes life into birds fashioned from clay; curses a boy, who then becomes a corpse; curses a boy who falls dead and his parents become blind

- Attempts to teach Jesus, which fail, with Jesus doing the teaching.

- Three Miracles - Reverses his earlier acts (this would include resurrecting the two boys and healing the blind parents), resurrects a friend who fell from a roof, heals a man who chopped his foot with an ax.

• Second group:

- Three Miracles - carries water on cloth, produces a feast from a single grain, and stretches a beam of wood to help his father finish constructing a bed.

- Attempts to teach Jesus, which fail, with Jesus doing the teaching.

- Three Miracles - heals James from snake poison, resurrects a child who died of illness, and resurrects a man who died in a construction accident.

• Finally:  

The incident in the temple paralleling Luke.  (The text recounts the episode in Luke in which Jesus, aged 12, teaches in the temple.)

Discussion: Is this book crazy?  Bizarre?  Worthless heresy?  Is this anything like how we envision a “perfect Jesus?”  Personally I find it a fascinating work.  Go beyond the surface.  Read the book like you would read The Book of Revelation.  Allegory.  Symbolism.   See APSE Article:  An Allegorical Interpretation of the Apocryphal Gospel of Thomas.  Life of Jesus Articles page 7,