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OK, so a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, a Muslim and an agnostic are locked in a basement…
No, it’s not the start of a joke. It’s a severe premise that begins the seminal work, A Marginal Jew, 5 volumes that cemented the wedding of the “historic Jesus” to the “Christ of religion” as a worthy and very important a part of theological scholarship. Authored by priest and scholar John P. Meier who died in October at age 80, its opening premise imagines a energetic dialogue between the 5 fervent lock-ins whereby they try and wrestle out frequent floor upon which they’ll all comfortably agree with regard to Jesus of Nazareth.
Printed in 1991, with subsequent volumes over the following two-and-a-half many years, Meier’s extensively praised opus opened the door to a brand new period of historic Christian scholarship—whereby religion and cause might collectively produce a deeper understanding of the Savior—and extra importantly signaled a chance for unity and cooperation among the many diversified Christian denominations. Meier practiced what he preached, himself working for almost 20 years establishing dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Disciples of Christ.
Meier, like many severe students, was himself unserious. Colleagues on listening to of his passing regretted dropping his wit in addition to his knowledge. A beloved educator for almost a half-century, first at Dunwoodie Seminary, then at Catholic College of America and at last on the College of Notre Dame, Professor Meier was legendary amongst college students and college for his epigrammatic summations of the finer factors of scripture commentary particularly in addition to the broader view of life itself usually:
“It sounds good however—like so many good sounding spiritual statements—is fallacious.”
“The Gospel of John is like Texas: all the things right here is greater and higher.”
“Jesus reworked water into between 120 and 180 gallons of wine: sufficient to intoxicate a Roman maniple [subdivision of a legion].”
“Virtually any place on any e-book within the Bible will be confirmed if the defender of the thesis is free to decide on which passages from the e-book will probably be thought of. All of the favorable information will probably be marshaled, and all of the unfavorable information will probably be ignored.”
“Schooling is the method by which you unlearn all the things you as soon as knew.”
A number of of Meier’s fellow professors expressed their grief at Meier’s passing.
“We deeply mourn the lack of our buddy and mentor,” John Fitzgerald, professor in Christianity and Judaism in antiquity on the College of Notre Dame and a longtime colleague of Meier, wrote. “He was a person of eager wit with an irrepressible humorousness, however we will proceed to have fun his life and scholarship for many years to return.”
Doctoral pupil Jonathan Sanchez, who participated in Meier’s remaining doctoral seminar throughout the spring semester of 2021, added, “Professor Meier’s rigor and brilliance had been matched by his kindness.”
The scientific technique as a process of research of scripture started within the seventeenth century and by the 18th century, the German thinker Hermann Reimarus was making an attempt to determine Jesus in historical past. The rift between the “historic Jesus” and the “Christ of religion” discovered its end result with Albert Schweitzer’s The Quest of the Historic Jesus: A Crucial Research of its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede, printed in 1906.
Probably a reconciliation between religion and science within the research of Jesus was inevitable—maybe not. However it could be one other 4 rating and 5 years earlier than John P. Meier would deliver the 2 collectively and by doing so would additionally create a foundation for ecumenical dialogue and understanding. He was the primary to take action, however because of his legacy he seemingly is not going to be the final.
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