Finding Jesus (TV) – The True Cross (ep. 5/6)

We have now entered Holy Week and the series takes on the subject of the cross.

 

Does the wooden cross that Jesus was crucified upon exist? Did Helena (mother of emperor Constantine) really discover the true cross? Hacked up into pieces and spread around the world, are any of the wooden relics really part of the true cross? Where did these come from?

 

There are over a thousand supposed fragments of the cross. They are everywhere! They can't all be real. John Calvin was one of the first to question their authenticity. Charles de Ferry mapped out the relics and claims that all the relics out together could only account for 10% of the cross, meaning it is possible for the relics to be from the Cross.

 

Brief background on Helena and Constantine, and his conversion to Christianity. A scandal in the Constantine house. His son Crispus has an affair with Constantine' second wife and put to death. But Fausta may have manufactured the affair to favor her own sons as heir. She is placed in a chamber to be killed by heat exposure. Helena may have seen her son as lost by his sins of murder. Her search may have had to do with penance. (Really, this early in Christian history? But then, these are Roman converts from paganism.)

 

Dramatized scenes of Helena' search in Jerusalem. It is now a secular, pagan city. Nothing is left of the Jewish past. Her search allows her to enter into the passion and footsteps of Jesus.

 

Emperor Hadrian in 135 built a pagan temple over the spot of Jesus' crucifixion. The Legend of Helena in finding the true cross emerges around 350. In the legend Helena digs in this spot and three crosses are uncovered. One of these is supposedly the actual cross on which Jesus died. Helena divides up the cross into pieces.

 

This is the moment when the Cross turns from a symbol of defeat and death to something to be revered, something that Christians are willing to accept as part of their devotion and religion.

 

Testing of one of the relics located at Waterford, Ireland. Given by the Pope around a thousand years ago.

 

Back to Helena. She builds churches to commemorate various aspects of Jesus' life. She begins the traditions of having specific Christian buildings (i.e., churches) for public meeting. Prior to this Christians generally met in private. Helena turns Palestine into the Holy Land.

 

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the right spot? Did Helena really find the true Cross? Helena dies not long after her return to Rome. Constantine dies after a few more years. He became a Christian but did not act like one for most of his life. But there is evidence he may have had a full conversion in his final year.

 

Back to testing the Waterford Cross. Dates to 1100AD. It is too recent to be the True Cross. It does match the fate of the container and inscriptions. That doesn't mean there aren't others that may be.

 

This episode was about Helena, Constantine, when Christianity became recognized by the Empire, and the origins of the cross as the symbol of Christianity. It was a fascinating look into early Christianity via the means of the True Cross. This episode, unlike the earlier ones, did not quote a single Bible text.

Finding Jesus (TV) – James Ossuary (ep. 4/6)

Who was James, the brother of Jesus? And is the ossuary authentic?

 

In 2002, an ossuary is unveiled, dating to the correct period, with an inscription "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus" in Aramaic. There is no physical evidence from Jesus himself. If the ossuary is genuine, it could be the first physical evidence connected to Jesus.

Who are Jesus' siblings? Catholics have one view. Protestants have a different view. This program seems to lean toward the latter. What about Jesus' infancy and childhood? There is the infancy gospel of Thomas, dated to about 100 years after Jesus' death. It portrays Jesus and James as children, together.

Details about ancient ossuaries and how they were used. How the James Ossuary was discovered. Process of authentication. The ossuary is authentic, but did it belong to James, the brother of Jesus? Statistics based on names suggest the combination of all three together is nearly improbable.

Program assumes Joseph dies early, leaving Jesus to be head of household. Unprecedented in this culture, Jesus leaves his household and his role as primary provider for the entire family. This would have created tensions within his family and social marginalization with the rest of the village. Jesus' ministry and behaviors were not honorable acts. It brought shame to the family. Jesus' actions go against the powers of civility and order. His gathering of crowds aroused the Romans. In response his family comes to perform an intervention. In response he seems to reject his biological family.

Palm Sunday. Arrest. Execution. Jesus' family has failed to save Jesus.

How did this affect James? The Gospel of the Hebrews (apocryphal) describes James' reaction: a period of grieving and fasting, something no other disciple or family member is recorded to have done. But this suddenly ends. Quoting 1 Corinthians 15:4-7, the appearance of Jesus to James. Perhaps this appearance is when James changes his view of Jesus. (Program 50%)

Back to the ossuary. Israelis demand the ossuary' return. Israeli authorities claimed there was evidence for forgery. Oded Golan is arrested and charged with fraud and forgery. The contention is that Oded added "brother of Jesus" to the inscription. GWU professor Rollston, based on the differences in inscriptions, believes the probability of forgery is 75%. Investigation of the patina to determine claim of forgery. March 2012, Oded Golan is found guilty of trade of relics, but found not guilty of forgeries.

But the court verdict says nothing about the authenticity of the ossuary in regard to James.

In Gospel of Thomas, Jesus' disciples are instructed to go to James for leadership. He becomes the leader of the Jerusalem church. But then Paul shows up. The question of what to do about gentiles and where they fit as followers of Christ. Was there a conflict of authority between James and Paul? The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 gives evidence that there was a conflict and it came to a head. This is the start of the separation of Christianity from Judaism. James eventually sides with Paul, but he is now branded a foe of Judaism.

Jerusalem AD62. James given ultimatum to renounce Jesus or face death. He refuses and is pushed off the Temple wall, but he does not die. He is stoned to death. A year later his bones are placed into an ossuary.

 

James is still venerated in Jerusalem by the Armenian church. Believers believe his remains are still under the St. James Cathedral.

 

We will probably never know if the James of the ossuary is the brother of Jesus.

 

What this controversy has done is raise the profile of James the Just, his role in early Christianity, and the fact that Jesus had siblings most likely by Mary. James is an important transition figure between Judaism and Christianity.

 

Once more in this series, the relic is the conversation starter. The program is more about the historical aspects of James than it is about the ossuary. In a way, this is a bit click-baitish, using Web terminology. It uses the hype around the relic to bring a more informed discussion to the public who may not otherwise tune in to or read about less prominent, but nonetheless important figures such as James.

Finding Jesus (TV): Judas Iscariot (ep. 3/6)

Is Judas the ultimate symbol of evil, the worst possible human? Or does the Gospel Of Judas change what we have traditionally accepted as the relationship between Jesus and Judas?

 

Jesus saw something special in all of the disciples he chose. Judas was no exception. He was even entrusted with the purse, so he must have been particularly special (hmm..). (Some dramatic footage showing Jesus saving Judas from going over a cliff.)

 

Approaching final Passover, Jesus anointed with expensive ointment by a woman. Judas has a problem with that. An argument ensues(?) between Jesus and Judas. This is the catalyst that sends Judas to betray Jesus.

 

Some info on Jerusalem during Passover and the tension it brought with the occupying Romans.

 

But why does Judas really betray Jesus? Greed doesn't seem like a plausible reason. Was he a Zealot and became frustrated with Jesus' inaction, that causing a confrontation would force Jesus' hand?

 

The tension builds into the Last Supper. Confrontations increase between Jesus and the authorities during this final week. The meal is supposed to be a time of coming together. But this is where Jesus announces someone will betray him, and Judas leaves the meal. This meal is definitely not following the traditional Passover pattern.

 

Judas kisses Jesus in the garden as a sign of betrayal. The sign of love becomes the action of betrayal. The name Judas becomes synonymous with traitor. But is this the only view of Judas? The Gospel of Judas tells a different tale. (This brings this episode about a third of the way.)

 

The Gospel is discovered in Egypt in 1978, surfacing in Geneva. How the "owner" of the codex tries to sell it but without success. Until two decades later. Story of its mistreatment and restoration. It still must be authenticated. Both the papyrus and ink come back as ancient. In 2008 it is finally revealed to the public. It was probably written around the 2nd century. Author is unknown. It is not a gospel according to, but a gospel about Judas.

 

The gospel is set at the time of the Last Supper, providing a different picture from he Bible text. The Jesus of the Gospel speaks in strange riddles. Only Judas has the courage to speak to Jesus. Only Judas is the one who Jesus is comfortable revealing secrets about himself and the cosmos. (Halfway through episode.)

 

Secrets are revealed through a strange vision which Judas is allowed to see. (Dramatization of Jesus and Judas in vision.) Judas realizes he has been asked to betray Jesus. God has sent Jesus to die for the sins of humankind, so someone must betray him to fulfill God's divine plan. In the gospel Judas is not a traitor but a hero.

 

April DeConick of Rice Univ. doubts this interpretation. She studies the text herself to see what it says. She sees mistakes in translation and emendations that don't fit the context. She discovers a particular line and a word that when translated differently changes the meaning of the entire gospel. Instead of a holy vision, Judas is he thirteenth demon in this alternative. He is not a hero, but a fallen angel, a demon.

But also in 2008 additional papyrus fragments are found and the gospel is complete. (Three-quarters through episode.)

 

The final page shows who goes into the cloud. The final fragment shows that it was Jesus who entered, not Judas. The Gospel of Judas is not really about Judas. It is a criticism of the disciples. The point of the gospel is that none of the disciples are good; they are all misguided idiots. All the disciples are villains in this text. The dream sequence is actually a horrific nightmare that the disciples see; in fact Jesus is telling them that they (all) will be the ones who will betray him.

 

It is a text criticizing the betrayal of Jesus by the Christianity of the second century, the increasing religiosity and the power and authority becoming concentrated in a few. The gospel is a polemic against institutionalized Christianity. It provides an alternate view of the development of the church. It is no wonder that the bishop of Lyon condemns it as heresy in 180AD.

 

The story of Judas' end is one of Judas giving up on himself. It is not God giving up on Judas. Judas cannot believe he could be forgiven and return to Jesus. Judas is not a horrific villain and only evil and a monster. His is a story of a complicated human who makes some poor decisions, and ultimately cannot believe God is as merciful as Jesus tried to depict.

 

Once more CNN’s presentation in this episode is informative and balanced. Where it discusses biblical texts, it remains pretty close and does not invent fanciful details that are not supported by the text. Where it discusses the Gospel of Judas, it starts with the part that most of the public has heard about it, and then goes to provide an alternate and arguably better position which seems to have eluded the majority of public consciousness.

Finding Jesus (TV) – Relics of John the Baptist (ep. 2/6)

Prophets were common in first century Judaism. John the Baptist is the kind of fire-brand, judgment-preaching prophet in the pattern of Old Testament prophets that would have aroused the curiosity and appeal of the people of his time. And in many ways he might be the kind of preacher that some segments of Christianity today might also revere. During his life, John was probably far more popular and recognized than Jesus. But he didn't seek the limelight; he went to the margins and spoke from there.

 

Not too many years into the beginnings of Christianity, the remains of John the Baptist were believed to have spread around the region. People wanted tangible connections to their origins, and these bone fragments were one such means. There are far too many such reports for most of them to be possibly genuine. But what we can learn from them is the story of the spread of Christianity.

 

One such relic was discovered in Bulgaria underneath a church dedicated to John the Baptist. Upon testing the remains, it was discovered that it did indeed come from a Middle Eastern man dated to the first part of the first century. If genuine, it could be a biological connection to Jesus. (Cue scenes and readings from Luke.)

 

Science can determine whether any of the scattered relics of John the Baptist are from a single individual.

 

Historical interpretation shows that Jesus came to John, and that Jesus' ministry began within John's framework. There is no evidence for or against that John and Jesus met previous to his baptism. (Cue scenes and readings of baptism from the gospels.) How can the baptized become greater than the baptizer? This is one of the major issues for which the gospels attempt to provide an answer. Eventually Jesus goes off on his own and it is his ministry that survives.

 

Jesus and the wilderness temptation. (Cue scenes and readings of the temptations.) The program uses the order from Luke. The interviewee for this segment provides some personal speculations that seems irrelevant.

 

The program interprets Jesus' baptism as giving John the Baptist new courage to speak out against sin, specifically against Herod Antipas. Explanation given of why Herod's relationship with Herodias was particularly offensive to the Jews. John's actions are seen as political sedition and treason, eventually leading to his arrest, imprisonment, and execution.

 

Imprisonment does not silence John. But now he has time to really ponder Jesus and his movement. If Jesus is on the trajectory that John prophesied about the Messiah, then John's work has not been in vain. Jesus' response gives hope to John – oppression will be overcome.

 

The problem between John and Herod/Herodias is that of honor. John has shamed them. And Herodias in particular has a score to settle, to regain her honor. (Cue "death banquet" scene and reading from Mark.) John the Baptist's execution stands as a warning to all who would dare confront the established powers of the world.

 

The finger kept in Kansas City, MO does not date to the first century. It is much younger. There are over 200 known relics of John. Perhaps matches will be found as they continue to be tested.

 

John the Baptist is a prototype for Jesus' ministry: a catalyst for change, calls for repentance, confronting the established powers, martyrdom. A key difference: Jesus movement intentionally appeals to Gentiles, thereby allowing it to survive and continue.

 

Dramatized interpretations from the Bible are intertwined with modern settings of the search and testing of relics.

 

This episode had much less to do with looking at the relics and far more with understanding the person of John and how Jesus might have been influenced by him. It used quite a number of passages from the Bible and included extensive dramatizations of the stories. As with any interpretations of scripture, there are opinions that not all may share. Overall, however, I thought the program remained historically and scripturally sound.

Finding Jesus (TV) – The Shroud of Turin (ep. 1/6)

This year, 2015, we get a series on Jesus from CNN during this Lenten and Easter season. The series looks for Jesus in the handful of artifacts that claim to be connected to Jesus in one way or another. In the start to the series the Shroud of Turin is featured.

 

The episode examines the shroud and compares it to the accounts of his suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. The show attempts to depict how the various markings on the shroud correspond to descriptions in the gospel accounts. No counterevidence or counterarguments are presented during this part of the program. The question that comes to my mind is, are the researchers fitting the evidence to the account, seeing what they want to see?

 

Around the 43 minute mark it is finally revealed that the shroud fails the dating test. It cannot be the burial shroud of Jesus; it is a forgery. The program discusses the forgery of artifacts during the Middle Ages.

 

Another theory is proposed: that the shroud is the earliest example of photography. Camera obscura is discussed. The dating of this and the shroud correspond. The chemical process was known at that time. Urea in urine would have been used to remove the silver sulphate. When the process is reproduced today, the image formed is strikingly similar to what is seen on the shroud. It would then be easy to add blood by panting onto the linen. The main problem with this theory is that there are no other extent examples of this technique from the same period.

 

There is another artifact that potentially argues for the authenticity of the shroud: the face cloth claimed to have covered Jesus' face. The organic remnants on the cloth seem to evidence its authenticity.

 

I found this first episode far more compelling, believable, and worthwhile than similar series that I saw broadcast on the History and H2 channels. Most of the individuals given air time seem to be respectable scholars, rather than in the earlier series where the scholars seemed to be outnumbered by popular authors and journalists. Unlike, say The Bible series on the History channel, this episode remained quite close to the biblical text when it depicted scenes from the Bible.

 

The program itself takes the discussion and debate seriously. The concluding few minutes present voices from both sides, and suggest spiritual and devotional elements that these artifacts can lead people toward.