The closer Mr. Wright's analysis draws to the Common Era, the more forceful it becomes. The most striking contention in "The Evolution of God" concerns St. Paul, Christianity's first administrative leader. Ancient religions died off, Mr. Wright claims, because they were designed for specific ethnic groups and possessed no appeal outside them. Judaism spoke to those born into the faith, limiting its potential scope. Paul wanted Christianity to become a global faith, appealing to anyone from any land or ethnic group. So he offered something no faith had offered to that point -- universal brotherhood. Did Jesus intend to start a new, broader-based religion? That's hardly clear -- Christ never used the word "Christian" or instructed his disciples to promote a new faith. (emphasis mine)I set down the paper and laughed out loud.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Was it Greek to him?
From my "Well, you may think you've made a point, but..." files, this paragraph from a review of the book "The Evolution of God" in yesterday's WSJ:
I'm laughing now too!
ReplyDeleteWell, in fairness, I think it all depends upon the meaning of obscure passages like, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
ReplyDeleteWhat's Jesus saying there?
Right?
Erm...
But did he use the word "Christian"? Nooo.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY.
ReplyDeleteI am going to give myself just a little bit of a pat on the back that I read this excerpt and thought "I bet it's Robert Wright he's talking about, not N.T." Or Orville, for that matter.
My first thought, since I kind of skimmed over to the quote:
ReplyDeleteis J.C. Wright being funny again?
Well, he's sort of right-- "Christian" originated in Antioch a few decades later. But Dorian hit the nail on the head up there with the Great Commission.
ReplyDelete