[August 1999 journal entry]
I was recently asked whether a person raised separate from and outside the ‘religious’ sphere would have reason/motive/method by which to take ‘Jesus’ seriously and study his life/thought apart from the interpretations sanctioned by the ‘religious’ sphere. I suggested that the ‘religious’ sphere has been and is a barrier to such a search. The legacy, reputation, and manner of the ‘religious’ sphere discredit ‘Jesus’ (as interpreted by the ‘religious’ sphere). It would be possible if the individual my friend has in mind encounters someone who has existential as well as intellectual credibility, who points to ‘Jesus’ without placing ‘Jesus’ inside the ‘religious’ sphere, and who has some sophistication in historical research.
I was recently asked whether a person raised separate from and outside the ‘religious’ sphere would have reason/motive/method by which to take ‘Jesus’ seriously and study his life/thought apart from the interpretations sanctioned by the ‘religious’ sphere. I suggested that the ‘religious’ sphere has been and is a barrier to such a search. The legacy, reputation, and manner of the ‘religious’ sphere discredit ‘Jesus’ (as interpreted by the ‘religious’ sphere). It would be possible if the individual my friend has in mind encounters someone who has existential as well as intellectual credibility, who points to ‘Jesus’ without placing ‘Jesus’ inside the ‘religious’ sphere, and who has some sophistication in historical research.
