Assessing The Value of History

In today’s world we have access to the internet, which holds countless information on
who Jesus was. In the Hill’s “Searching for the Historical Jesus” he talks about many biblical
scholars and theologians forming their varying opinions on Jesus. When you have several
opinions or views of a person, sometimes it can be hard to pin-point who exactly that person is.
Within Hill’s reading, he states “There is the actual Jesus as he lives in Palestine, the historical
Jesus as reconstructed by scholars, and the post-resurrection Jesus who was experienced by his
followers, the Christ of faith who has been described in the doctrines of the community and
worshipped in ritual, and finally, the Christ of glory who is to come in the final days.” (Hill, Pg.
31) When you get several view points on a particular person it can become confusing to the
believer who might try to related to Jesus as a friend or savior. Without having a real physical
person to base your beliefs off of, your beliefs become a figure of imagination and people lose
their faith in that physical being. Ones belief in Jesus can become stronger if they had one true
factual entity instead of several different opinions, facts, or ideas.
Karl Rahner in the Hill reading wrote about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as
historical events. Because these events can be tied to a human being, they have the ability to
sustain faith better than an idea or an opinion of what may have happened. Rahner quotes that
“historical knowledge of Jesus does not generate faith, but it does provide a ground for such
faith.” (Hill, Pg. 33) By being able to tie actual events to Jesus life, you can solidify one's faith
against doubt or question of only an idea or concept.
The events of Jesus death and resurrection are the defying moments of his life for most
Christians. Whether or not Jesus deemed himself the “messiah” or “the Son of God” is not
relevant due to the actual events that occurred in his life. Because of his resurrection from the
dead, it gave people faith to believe that these titles were true. People were more inclined to
believe in a physical event than an idea or self-proclaimed title. This can be summarized in
Peters speech in Act 2:36, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so,
through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (Johnson, Pg. 142) A
For most Christians, the act of Jesus’ death and resurrection are the defying moments,
but provide a “starting point” for where their faith begins. Their real Jesus is one who is alive
and powerfully present post Jesus’ resurrection through the Holy Spirit. The gospels each try to
paint a picture of Jesus’ life after his resurrection. The growth of faith from the specific event of
Jesus’ resurrection can be seen in a few of the gospel parables. These parables show that,
although the resurrection happened in the past, it is providing faith in our everyday lives. As
seen on page 146 of the Johnson reading, the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15: 3-7; Matt 18:
12-14) is not to be about to events in the past, but in the present. “You were strayed like sheep,
but have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” This can also be seen in
(John 10: 14-15) “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the father
knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
 In the Hill reading page 35, David Tracy does a good job of tying the ideas that “faith
primarily is the response to ‘the event of Jesus’ as witnessed in the past and experienced in the
present.” It was Tracy’s belief that historical Jesus was secondary to his apostles and original
follower’s stories of remembrance and proclamations of him. These stories, as recited through
gospels are some of the main sources for driving faith in Christianity today.
In conclusion, the historical evidence referenced throughout the bible can both help and
hinder many Christians when building their believe system. With the abundance of information
available due to advanced technology, we are driven to always validated our opinions and
beliefs based off of facts. Based on how this information is portrayed through research, it can
either strengthen or weaken our beliefs. By having Jesus as the focal point of one’s faith
provides a sturdier foundation than only ideas and concepts. More so, by tying specific events
to Jesus specifically; such as his life, death, and resurrection, this allows Christians to better
comprehend and build their faith. Jesus’ resurrection is a pillar in many written gospels and a
cornerstone for many faiths that drives Gods word and messages into our everyday life.
Because we can tie the faith we believe to a specific person and event, we can then build our
faith from the past to our present-day struggles. We can tie references from past gospels to our
daily events and activities to reconstruct how we live or lives moving forward in faith.