Psychological Analyses and the Historical Jesus

Psychological Analyses and the Historical Jesus

Author: Bas Van Os

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2010-12-23

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0567380432

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Since Albert Schweitzer's monumental work, nearly a century ago, psychology has been banned from Historical Jesus research. But both disciplines have advanced and it is time to review the contribution that psychology can make. Bas Van Os examines the problems which surround both the historical and the psychological study of Jesus, such as the fact that we can only work with the surviving traditions that some of his early followers left us. Following this, Van Os proposes a theoretical framework that combines sound psychological theories and critical biblical scholarship to explain how Jesus' life and religious experience impacted the beliefs of his friends and family after his death.


Jesus and Psychology

Jesus and Psychology

Author: Fraser N. Watts

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13:

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For Christians there is nothing more important than understanding the significance of the life and teaching of Jesus. It is when people gain an insight in to the mind of Jesus and understand how his teaching is relevant to them personally that a life-changing relationship develops. Here, the insights of psychology are applied to the figure of Jesus as we encounter him in the gospels – his personality and how it is portrayed, the psychological significance of his teaching, and the psychological processes involved in our reading of the gospels. The contributions range from considerations of the psychology of Jesus himself, and how he is portrayed, through chapters covering the message, sayings and encounters of Jesus in the gospels. A final section explores what we bring to our own reading and interpretation of the gospels. Accessible and approachable, Jesus & Psychology is a must for anyone interested in the psychology of religion, who is looking to deepen their understanding of the gospels and the figure of Jesus. Contributors: Fraser Watts, Justin J. Megitt, Liz Gulliford, Sara Savage, Beaumont Stevenson, Jesse W. Abell, James M. Day, Leslie J. Francis, Everett J. Worthington Jr


Jesus and Psychology

Jesus and Psychology

Author: Fraser N. Watts

Publisher: Templeton Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13:

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In Jesus and Psychology, Fraser Watts presents new scholarship in the emerging field of psychology and biblical studies. This collaborative analysis, with essays by leading psychologists and theologians, shows how psychology can be used to illuminate the historical and modern portrayals of Jesus, the wisdom of his sayings, and the reasons people read and understand the Bible differently. Among the issues discussed are the potential contributions of a psychological study of the historical Jesus; modern portrayals of Jesus in the cinema; contemporary methods of psychological therapy; threads of psychological meaning in Jesus' teaching; the importance of the breaking of taboos as shown in the Gospels; and using cognitive and developmental psychology to illustrate how thought processes and personality type affect our readings of sacred texts. Jesus and Psychology concludes with an examination of virtue orientations: the value people give to virtue has significant implications on what is perceived as the central message of the scriptures and on how we view justice, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. By presenting multiple perspectives on psychology and the Bible, Jesus and Psychology advances the study of science and religion and deepens the understanding of the Gospels. Book jacket.


The Historical Christ

The Historical Christ

Author: Bruce W. Behrman

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-02-16

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1666737844

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This book uses the recent findings of cognitive and clinical psychology to draw a picture of the historical Jesus. The author uses recent research on conversational memory and clinical psychology in order to shine a light on the way Jesus was. This book argues that Jesus suffered from manic-depressive illness. He identified with God. He suffered from extreme mood changes and felt great compassion towards people. All of these are mental states which may be triggered by manic depression. Manic depression is not a dementing illness. This author is not saying that Jesus suffered from a backward type of psychosis. But manic depression, when manifested in talented persons, acts as a catalyst to trigger artistic creativity. Many great artists and poets have suffered from manic depression: Byron, Schumann, Tennyson, van Gogh, Fitzgerald, and Lowell, to name a few. It is among great poets and artists such as these that the author place the historical Jesus. This book therefore argues that the writers of the Gospels, when they record Jesus as asserting his divinity, were conveying an accurate picture of him. His assertions of divinity were not fabrications of the early church.


The Historical Christ

The Historical Christ

Author: Bruce W. Behrman

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-02-16

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1666797820

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This book uses the recent findings of cognitive and clinical psychology to draw a picture of the historical Jesus. The author uses recent research on conversational memory and clinical psychology in order to shine a light on the way Jesus was. This book argues that Jesus suffered from manic-depressive illness. He identified with God. He suffered from extreme mood changes and felt great compassion towards people. All of these are mental states which may be triggered by manic depression. Manic depression is not a dementing illness. This author is not saying that Jesus suffered from a backward type of psychosis. But manic depression, when manifested in talented persons, acts as a catalyst to trigger artistic creativity. Many great artists and poets have suffered from manic depression: Byron, Schumann, Tennyson, van Gogh, Fitzgerald, and Lowell, to name a few. It is among great poets and artists such as these that the author places the historical Jesus. This book therefore argues that the writers of the Gospels, when they record Jesus as asserting his divinity, were conveying an accurate picture of him. His assertions of divinity were not fabrications of the early church.


Historical Jesus

Historical Jesus

Author: Anthony Le Donne

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0802865267

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Historical Jesus asks two primary questions: What does historical mean? and How should we apply this to Jesus? Anthony Le Donne begins with the unusual step of considering human perception how sensory data from sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are interpreted from the very beginning by what we expect, what we ve learned, and how we categorize the world. In this way Le Donne shows how historical memories are initially formed. He continues with the nature of human memory and how it interacts with group memories. Finally, he offers a philosophy of history and uses it to outline three dimensions from the life of Jesus: his dysfunctional family, his politics, and his final confrontation in Jerusalem. This little book is ideal for those with no background in religious studies even those with no faith who wish to better understand who Jesus was and how we can know what we do know about him.


Questioning the Historicity of Jesus

Questioning the Historicity of Jesus

Author: Raphael Lataster

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-07-01

Total Pages: 508

ISBN-13: 9004408789

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This volume moves beyond the mainstream scholarly scepticism over the Christ of Faith and considers if there is sufficient evidence to establish the existence of the more mundane Historical Jesus. Using the logical tools of the analytic philosopher, Lataster finds that the relevant sources are unreliable as historical documents, and that the key method of those purporting that the Historical Jesus existed is to appeal to sources that do not exist. Considering an ancient hypothesis suggesting that Jesus began as a celestial messiah that certain Second Temple Jews already believed in, and was later allegorised in the Gospels, Lataster discovers that it is more reasonable to at least be agnostic over Jesus’ historicity.


Jesus at Thirty

Jesus at Thirty

Author: John W. Miller

Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishing

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13:

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Through the centuries the portraits of Jesus have varied from age to age and place to place. John Miller shows that despite sparse information about Jesus' early life, enough data can be found to illustrate a profound psychological transition at age 30. The book explains tensions between Jesus and his family at the start of his ministry, emotional distancing between Jesus and Mary, and more.