Christian Ethics

The Moral Vision of Jesus of Nazareth

2010

EDER

Historical Context for the Life of Jesus and the Writing of the New Testament

The Roman general Pompey and his army conquered Jerusalem in 63 BCE leading to the Roman occupation of the region. In 44 BCE Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, plunging the Roman Empire into a period of wars and political instability. In 37 BCE Herod the Great began his reign as undisputed king of Judea. Herod exploited ongoing Roman civil wars to solidify his rule. Octavian Augustus Caesar became emperor in 30 BCE and restored stability and peace to the Roman Empire. Augustus approved of Herods rule and expanded the territory ruled by Herod. Jesus was born around the year 6 BCE in the town of Bethlehem in Judea to Mary and Joseph of the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Soon after Jesus birth the family fled to Egypt as immigrant refugees in order to escape the threat of death (killing of infants by Herod the Great). Jesus birth name was likely Yeshua, an Aramaic form of Joshua. Jesus is the English form of the Greek iesus. Jesus mothers name was Miriam and his fathers name was Yosep. Herod the Great died in 4 BCE and Herods kingdom was divided among his three sons. One of those sons, Herod Antipas, became tetrarch of Galilee. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee for the next forty-three years (the entire life span of Jesus). Jesus family returned to Nazareth in Galilee from Egypt after Herod the Great died, after 4 BCE. Jesus was lost or left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old, around 6 CE. In 6 CE Judea was designated a Roman province and was ruled directly by a Roman prefect in Jerusalem. The Romans removed Archelaus, Herods eldest son, from the Judean throne. Octavian Augustus Caesar died in 14 CE after ruling for 44 years. Tiberius became Roman emperor. Tiberius rule would last twenty-three years. In 26 CE Pontius Pilate was appointed prefect of the Roman province of Judea, a post he held for the next ten years. John the Baptist was executed by Herod Antipas of Galilee sometime around 28 CE. Jesus, a carpenter by trade, embarked on a new career as an itinerant preacher. He gathered together a group of followers and over the years he gained popular support among many people and generated fierce opposition among many others. While in Jerusalem at the time of Passover, perhaps in the year 30 CE, Jesus was arrested, tried, and convicted of death penalty offenses. On Pontius Pilates orders under Roman political and legal authority, Jesus was beaten, whipped, and crucified by Roman soldiers. Soon after Jesus crucifixion, many of Jesus followers began publicly preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead by God and that they had seen him alive with new power and glory. They began proclaiming that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and the Messiah (or Christ). In 36 CE a follower of Jesus named Stephen was stoned to death under Jewish law for his faith that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God. At about the same time, Saul, who had led the opposition to followers of Jesus, had a powerful conversion experience, became a follower of Jesus and changed his name to Paul. Paul wrote the first of his epistles or letters, 1 Thessalonians, circa 51 CE. This epistle was the first of the twenty-seven books which would later become the Christian New Testament of the Bible. In 54 CE Nero became Roman emperor; his reign lasted 14 years until his death by suicide. In 64 CE, Rome burned and Nero began the persecution of Christians. Peter and Paul were both executed during the persecution of Christians in Rome. The first of the four gospels, the Gospel of Mark, was written around the year 68 CE. A Jewish uprising against the Romans began in the year 66 CE. Four years later Titus led the Roman army which put down the Jewish rebellion by burning Jerusalem and destroying the Temple. The fourth and final gospel, the Gospel of John, was written about the year 90 CE. The last of the New Testament, 2 Peter, was written no later than 110 CE.

Christian Ethics

2010

EDER

The Moral Vision of Jesus The four gospels proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, good news which includes a moral vision for human life. The Beatitudes (Luke and Matthew) are a summary of Jesus moral vision. The Beatitudes reveal that we are called to beatitudethat the meaning and purpose of human life is happiness and that happiness is found in union with God. Jesus moral vision includes preaching and teachingsermons such as the Beatitudes but also parables and other sayingsas well as Jesus actions such as healing the sick and his way of life which centered on breaking bread at table with others and praising God. Jesus moral vision includes five areas of emphasis: witnessing to the Kingdom of God in word and deed; calling humanity to metanoiarepentance and conversion; inviting persons to a life of discipleship; practicing prayer to discern and do Gods will; taking up the cross in love and service of others. Kingdom of GodJesus Preaching Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom of God (or, reign of God). The kingdom of God is Gods saving presence here and now. God is present and Gods will for each and every person is the fullness of life, peace, and joy. The kingdom of God is both present reality and future promise. The reign of God is already among us, but not yet completed. The kingdom of God is Gods universal and unconditional love for all people. The kingdom of God is not concerned about the past, it is here in the present and oriented toward the future. The kingdom of God calls for radical obedience to Gods will. We must hear Gods call and accept Gods invitation today. The kingdom of God is manifest when human beings serve and care for each other and thereby do Gods will. The kingdom of God is Gods lordship and Gods judgment. God is Lord of allLord of creation, Lord of humanity, Lord of history.

Kingdom of GodJesus Manner of Life

The kingdom of God was established through the life, words, deeds, and fate of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus life and ministry is the final, decisive, and definitive action of God in human history. The way Jesus lived his life is the way of the kingdom of God. Jesus words and deeds aroused surprise and amazement in people. Jesus spoke and acted with power and authoritythe power and authority of God worked miracles in the lives of people who encountered Jesus. The kingdom of God, as found in Jesus, has the miraculous power to heal us and make us whole.

Christian Ethics

2010

EDER

Jesus established the kingdom of God through table companionship with people, especially people who were outcasts such as the poor and sick, tax collectors and sinners. Jesus sought out sinners and those who were suffering so that he could bring them the message of Gods coming kingdom. Sharing food and companionship with those in need is a fundamental sign of the kingdom. In the great banquet of the kingdom of God, all are invited and no one is excludedthrough companionship at table Jesus offered Gods forgiveness and friendship to all leading to celebration and joy at a feast with the Lord. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God with a community of disciples who shared in his mission. The kingdom of God is present among those who follow Jesus as friends and who share in his life and mission. Jesus spoke and acted in ways which summoned people to faith in God. For Jesus, faith meant being open to gift. The faithful person embraces the gift of Gods love and the gift of life and responds with openness to Gods will.

MetanoiaRepentance and Conversion

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Metanoia, meaning repentance and conversion, is the fundamental moral demand Jesus made on those who wanted to enter the kingdom of God. Metanoia means assuming a whole new attitude toward God leading to renewed commitment in obedience, atoning for past sins as well as turning away from sinfulness in the future. Metanoia means choosing to accept Gods love now leading to a deeper faith in God and understanding of Gods will. Metanoia means turning toward God and away from sin and embarking on a whole new way of life as a new person. Metanoia demands recognizing ones sinfulness and standing before God in need of salvation while trusting in Gods mercy and love. Metanoia is repentance and conversion to God, not once, but as an ongoing experience of grace which transforms ones life. Repentance and conversion as a way of life is manifest in the willingness to live in radical obedience to God and to love and serve others.

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DiscipleshipFollowing Jesus Jesus called people to follow him and share in his life and ministry. The disciples who followed Jesus were a community of companionship who shared Jesus mission. Jesus commanded his followers to take up a cross and follow him. The way of being a follower of Jesus is the way of the cross. To be a follower of Jesus is to share in Jesus servanthood, suffering, and death. Jesus commanded his followers to love one another as he loves us. Christian love is love in imitation of Jesus. Christians dont love, Christians love as Jesus loves. Christian discipleship is defined by love of God and love of neighbor and Christian love is characterized by self-emptying obedience and service rooted in radical faith in God.

PrayerJesus Experience of God as Abba

Jesus referred to God in a special way, using the Aramaic word abba, a familiar term used by children in a family for their father. Jesus prayed to God as Abba, an unconventional, unaffected, and simple style of prayer.

Christian Ethics

2010

EDER

Jesus experience of God as Abba indicates that Jesus felt that he belonged to God as one belongs to a family. Because he belonged to God, Jesus was obligated to carry out his fathers instruction. Doing Gods will is the core of the Abba prayer experience of Jesus. Jesus prayerthe Lords Prayer, or the Our Fatherexpresses the heart of the mission. Jesus invites his followers to pray to God using Jesus special word, Abba. Jesus praises Gods name and calls for the coming of Gods kingdom. Jesus invokes our human need for bread and forgiveness. The prayer ends with a final petition which looks to a final trial in the hope that we will be faithful to God/Abba.

The CrossJesus Death, the Martyrdom of a Prophet and Servant of God

Jesus death on the cross is an act of self-sacrificial love of others for the sake of justice in obedience to Gods will. Jesus death on the cross is the model and symbol for Gods unconditional love for human beings. Jesus accepted death of his own free will. Jesus understood his death as the martyrdom of a prophet and part of Gods plan of salvation. Christian love is defined by the image and symbol of the cross. Christian love is self-sacrificial love of others for the sake of justice in obedience to Gods will. Christianity is defined by following Jesus. The Christian church is a community of disciples who live in conformity to the cross and by doing so become a sign of Gods kingdom. Christians experience the presence of the kingdom of God by sharing or participating in Jesus life, death, and resurrection through baptism. Christianity points to the resurrection of Jesus as confirmation of Jesus as Gods faithful prophet and servant, the Christ.

Primary sources consulted: Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997. Cook, Michael L. Jesus of Faith: A Study of Christology. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1981. Collins, Raymond E. Christian Morality: Biblical Foundations. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986. Donahue, John R. The Gospel in Parable: Metaphor, Narrative, and Theology in the Synoptic Gospels. Fortress Press, 1988. Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation; A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible. New York, NY: Collier Books, 1965. National Directory for Catechesis. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005. Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament: An Introduction. 2d ed. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1988. Rausch, Thomas P. Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003. Schillebeeckx, Edward. Jesus: An Experiment in Christology. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1985. Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Moral Teaching of the New Testament. New York, NY: Herder and Herder, 1965. Schrage, Wolfgang. The Ethics of the New Testament. Translated by David E. Green. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1988. Spohn, William C. Go and Do Likewise: Jesus and Ethics. New York, NY: Continuum, 1999. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006.