Jesus as Philosopher: New Testament Readings

Jesus of Nazareth is usually associated with Judaism and theology in contrast with Hellenism and philosophy. The present project challenges this anachronistic view by examining and emphasising the relationship between early Christian understanding of the person of Jesus and contemporary ideas about the ideal philosopher.

This project examines the ways in which early Christian authors may have associated the person of Jesus with contemporary philosophical schools and figures. Largely due to the still influential distinction traditionally made between Judaism and Hellenism, and between theology and philosophy, much is left to be done in this area of research. Some scholars have studied the relationship between the ‘historical Jesus’ and Cynicism, but these studies are methodologically suspect. It is very difficult, if at all possible, to determine or isolate actual words and deeds of Jesus from the narrative within which they are found. Rather than dealing with the ‘historical Jesus’, the present project focuses on the ‘literary’ or ‘narrative Jesus’, i.e. the very portrayal of him in the New Testament. It is primarily the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles that will be dealt with, but the wish is to be able also to treat the letters of the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul. The intention is to concentrate on ethics in general and character ethics in particular, i.e. the question of how Jesus is presented as moral paradigm. At the same time, due attention will be given to the ‘mythic’ dimension of the writing concerned, i.e. its ontology or theology in relation to the person of Jesus. Fruitfully completed, the project will provide new insights into the figure of Jesus, and help bringing closer together the fields of theology and philosophy in New Testament studies.