Mr. Doherty concluded his Top 20 with these thoughts:
"It is often claimed, in relation not only to this silence but to a host of others, that the epistles, being "occasional" writings, simply don't happen to contain any "occasion" for mentioning such things. Well, the object of the present exercise is to demonstrate that this is not the case. But there is a larger rejoinder to such a rationalization. Had these things existed in the early Christian world, they would have been impressed on the minds of the epistle writers, commending themselves for mention; such writers would have made occasion for working them into their letters. Indeed, they could not have prevented themselves from doing so.
If one analyzes the epistles, one finds a consistency in the motifs employed, the modes of expression used. To a great extent these are drawn from the Hebrew Bible; and they reflect the atmosphere of revelation and inspiration which characterized the 1st century. But if the words and deeds, the places and relics of Jesus' recent life had been in the air, remembered and discussed and visited and touched, these are the things around which we would find an inevitable orientation of thought and expression. Such a phenomenon would have been unavoidable if everything had begun with a response to an historical man whose life and death so impressed his followers and those who were told of him. A focus on the man himself, and the physical trail of him, would pervade the record. But for these writers to show not the smallest sign that any of Jesus' words, deeds, places and relics were present in their thoughts when they took pen to paper, is a situation so bizarre, so unlikely, that we are obliged to look for another explanation. The one which most commends itself is that they knew of no such things and no such person. Perhaps by the time we have gone through the entire corpus of New Testament epistles, and the picture of the extent and arresting nature of the silence is complete, you the reader may come to the same conclusion as well."
FINAL RESPONSES
Summary of Doherty's top 20 expectations:
Most of the passages Mr. Doherty has cited do not raise a reasonable expectation for the for the issues he says are missing. Let's review: Each are followed by my answer to the following question: Would a mention of the issue fit in reasonably with the passage, had it occurred?
1. Reflected God's attributes, knowledge of God. No, the expectation is not reasonable given the context.
2. Appearance and teachings revealed a mystery. The mystery is misunderstood, so it is not reasonable.
3. Had a ministry of teaching: No.
4. Taught about brotherly love. Yes, but it is possibly an invalid claim of silence.
5. Taught to "turn other cheek'. Was a teacher. The context doesn't support a high expectation for either.
6. Appointed apostles. Yes, it would reasonably fit in with the passage.
7. Savior on earth, death and resurrection witnessed by others. The expectation is too high given the context.
8. His coming was the hour of deliverance. No.
9. Physical resurrection witnessed. Yes, it would fit in reasonably.
10. Patience in suffering in front of Pilate. No.
11. John the Baptist prophecied of him. Jesus baptism was a big moment. Somewhat for reasononable for Paul, not for the others.
12. Initiated the Eucharist. Yes, it would fit in reasonably.
13. Betrayal by Judas. No.
14. Crucified by authorities, who can't be trusted. Somewhat/possibly reasonable.
15. Appearance testified by tradition. No, not given the wider context.
16. Messiac fulfillment of salvation expectation. No.
17. Came to earth, to come again. Yes, but linguistic comparisons show the answer to be no.
18. His life was the source of faith. Possibly.
19. Ministry of healing. Yes, it would have fit in.
20. Places of events, relics. No, but the expectation in general is reasonable, though I would not say "strong".
The difficulty in determining proper expectation levels for silences--My top 20 Silences:
It is one thing to say that a mention would fit a given passage. It is quite another to have a high expectation for a mention. Within the very early writings are numerous silences that one might also expect the early writers to have "made an occasion" for. Here are my top 20 silences:
1. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell us why he used an Aramaic word for "Abba" (Father)? Why didn't the writer of the Didache or Paul make an occasion to explain the use of Aramaic "Maranatha" (Our Lord, come!)?
2. Why didn't the author of 1 John make an occasion to tell us who the antichrists were, and the details of their objections?
3. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell us how Jesus was originally revealed to him, and why he believed? And why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell us how Jesus was revealed/appeared to others before him?
4. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell us more about how the scriptures foretold the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah?
5. Why didn't Paul, or the authors of 1 Peter make an occasion to tell us how the early tradition of baptism began?
6. Why didn't the author of the Didache make an occasion to explain the origin of the Eucharist?
7. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tout and discuss the "signs and wonders and miracles" he performed among the Corinthians (2 Cor 12:12) anywhere in his epistles?
8. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell more about who the pillars or the "twelve" really were? Why didn't he make an occasion to identify any of them by referencing their father and hometown, ala "John of Capernaum, son of Zebedee"? And why didn't he make an occasion to explain the reason(s) he was perceived by some as inferior to them?
9. Why didn't the writer of 1 Peter make an occasion to explain what sufferings of Christ he says he witnessed?
10. Why didn't the writer of 1 John make an occasion explain what exactly he meant by Jesus having come by water and blood?
11. Why didn't the author of James make an occasion to tell us where all of the sayings that are remarkably similar to those of the gospel Jesus and weren't derived from scriptures came from?
12. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain how he could receive the account of the Lord's Supper from the Lord, if the implication of the word he used does not apply?
13. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain why the "brothers of the Lord" and "James, the Lord's brother" were called that if they weren't references to biological brothers?
14. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain why Jesus' appearance to him was "last of all" and "as to one untimely born"?
15. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain the tradition that "the Lord commanded" that apostles of the gospel be paid for their work, and be allowed to eat and drink whatever is set before them?
16. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain why the Messiac kingdom didn't get established as expected?
17. Why didn't the author of Hebrews make an occasion to tell us more about when Jesus "in the days of his flesh" offered up prayers with "loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death."?
18. Why didn't Paul or James make an occasion tell us why the early saints in Jerusalem were so focused on helping of the poor?
19. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to tell us why he was so concerned with having the approval of the pillars as he himself implied and clearly showed by his actions?
20. Why didn't Paul make an occasion to explain that the 92 times he referred to Jesus in a way that normally is used to describe a human being on earth, really applied to a heavenly figure that lived and died somewhere else if that were the case?
We know from the writer of Hebrews why he didn't "make an occasion" to write about baptism of laying on of hands because in his writing he says he wanted "go on to more maturity" and "leave the elementary doctrine of Christ". Maybe all of these silences, including references to a historical Jesus found in the gospels are simply explained by the idea that these writers had no desire or need to rehash a lot of things already known. They were not writing gospels about the man Jesus for benefit of skeptical thinkers in the 20th century.. They were writing to address specific concerns for specific people. Paul spends much ink in his 72 pages of "authentic" epistles, devoted to explaining how salvation can be possible to Gentiles--a concept not really addressed much by Jesus in the Gospels. His entire book of Galations is primarily devoted to his defense against dissenters who insist on circumcision for Gentile believers! The Didache was written as an instruction guide to living the faith. Hebrews was written to show how Christ's death substituted for and replaced dependence on Jewish law for purification. 1 Clement was written to admonish and instruct the Corinthian church to be more submissive to the Church in Rome. One thing these were not: They were not conversion documents for those that had never heard of Jesus Christ, nor for those who didn't already believe. Nor were they documents written for the purpose of recording everything known about the sects' beginnings.
I have shown that in most cases Mr. Doherty has an unreasonably high expectation for a gospel detail to be found in passages he has given. In some cases one might indeed expect a mention, but it is easy to have too high an expectation, as my list of top 20 silences illustrates. It is reasonable to assume that the authors knew the answers to all or almost all of my top 20 silences. Is it really unreasonable to assume they didn't know about the issues Mr. Doherty has raised, when there are other explanations for the silences?
Early non-silences excluded from consideration:
Another silence which should be mentioned is one that seems artificially created by way of exclusion. Doherty wants to set aside preconceptions one gets from reading the gospels. And, he does this to more than just the 4 gospels of the New Testament. Nowhere in this discussion do we see reference to the early hypothetical Passion Narrative, or Lost Sayings Gospel Q, or the Signs Gospel. Nor the other gospels which now exist or that we know did exist: The Gospel of Thomas, Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel, Egerton Gospel, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of the Egyptians, Gospel of the Hebrews. Nor does he include the Epistle of Barnabas which references a number of gospel traditions. These works do "focus on the man himself, the physical trail of him, his words, deeds, and places" he visited, and they are typically dated within a range that overlaps the dates given to the early writings Doherty quotes from here, with the only exception being Paul's letters. Mr. Doherty may be right to exclude these works from consideration on certain basis, but it is an issue far from settled. The pattern he would like to establish of an evolution from a spiritual-only Jesus to the one found in the gospels is dependant on these unsettled issues. The belief of perhaps most scholars, for example, that GMark was written around 70AD is for reasons other than preconceptions about a historical Jesus. They appeal to the internal clues in the book itself. This is only a few years after Paul's last epistles were probably written. By excluding all of these works a silence is created which may be unreasonable. The sounds from these gospels may have been just as early as some of the writings not excluded. As such, the picture created from excluding them might be highly distorted and unrealistic.
A Historical Jesus in the Early Writings
Mr. Doherty claims above that that the writers "show not the smallest sign that any of Jesus' words, deeds, places and relics were present in their thoughts when they took pen to paper". The record, as I've shown herein, shows many signs that the writers believed Jesus to have been a man who lived on earth in the flesh, reflected godly attributes, taught about things of God, possibly performed miracles, and even appointed apostles to carry on his message.
Paul's authentic epistles plus Colossians consist of a total of 1589 verses. In my bible the average full page has about 22 verses. Therefore Paul's epistles consist of only about 72 pages! There are 92 different verses that reference Jesus in ways that sound human. That's more than one reference per page. 31 of these refer to Jesus' death with no further detail. Another 27 include further detail associated with Jesus' death. The remaining 34 or so do not pertain to his death.
If one were to try to reconstruct a chronological biography of Jesus based on references from Paul's "authentic" epistles plus Colossians (which is widely accepted), and the other early writings Doherty relies on, one might come up with the following. The proper interpretations for supporting scriptures have been debated many times, so I realize this doesn't settle the matter. However, these may help provide another perspective.
Citations for each of the following recostructions are given below.
PAUL'S HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus was born of a woman, and lived in the flesh. He was Jewish, descended from King David. He had brothers, and one was named James. He possibly was poor. He was meek and gentle. God dwelled within Jesus, and he referred to God as his Father, using the term "Abba". He did not live to please himself, but only God. He was sinless, perfect. He taught that things are not sinful or unclean but that it is man's thoughts that makes them so, that divorce is forbidden, that preachers of the gospel should be paid, and that upon his coming the dead shall precede the living to gather with him in the air. He initiated a ritual as a way to be remembered after he was gone. The ritual was called the Lord's supper and involved drinking from a cup of wine which represented his blood, and eating bread which represented his body given for those that believed in him. That same night, he was betrayed. He willingly humbled himself. He suffered, shedding his blood through the hanging on a cross--sometimes also called a tree, with nails driven into him. He did this obediently, and as a righteous act. Though he came to be a servant to the Jews, the Jews were responsible for his death. Yes, he was crucified. This happened in Jerusalem during the Passover event. The men responsible were rulers living about the time of Paul. They didn't understand they had crucified the "Lord of Glory", stumbling as a result. Jesus physically died on the cross. He was buried, but the early Christians believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, and Peter, James, a special group of twelve, and many others testified to his having appeared them . James, Jesus' brother believed and along with Peter and John become pillar in the early Church. Later on Jesus appeared to Paul, who also believed.
1 PETER'S HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus lived in the flesh, yet never sinned. He didn't lie to avoid suffering. Nor did he threaten or fight back. Rather, he trusted God. Peter, his apostle, witnessed his suffering. He hung on a tree shedding his blood to death. But he came to life and went and preached to those who died previously before taking his place in heaven at the right hand of God.
1 JOHN'S HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus came to earth by water and blood, sent by God, in the flesh. He was a man who the author and others saw, heard and touched. He was "The Righteous", who walked as an example for those who wisehd to know God. He helped others to understand God's call to purity, walking in light, loving one another, and the eternal life that comes from it. The world didn't know who he was. He sacrificed his life, shedding his own blood, which the author believed enables others to receive atonement and to also become God's children and share in eternal life. He sent his spirit to guide those who passed along his message to others.
THE DIDACHE'S HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus was the Lord and Christ, God's Son. He was called the Son of David. He was the source of great knowledge, giving commandments known as his "gospel". Among these were sayings concerning the Eucharist: "Give not that which is holy unto dogs". A prayer: "Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done as in heaven so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debt, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil; for thine is the power, and the glory, for ever." He also commanded to love God your maker, and your neighbour as thyself. His gospel included doctrines related to discerning the truth of an apostle or prophet. He inspired, if not commanded, others to bless and pray for their enemies, and to turn the other cheek, and abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts, and to rebuke others peaceably, as well as many other things. He is the source of everlasting life, remembered through rites of baptism and the Eucharist, which is closely related to sacrifice and purity from sins. His teachings were passed along through twelve apostles. His followers expected him to return in the last days, coming on clouds from heaven with his saints who will be resurrected from the dead.
HEBREWS' HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus came into the world in flesh and blood, descended from Judah. He was a human being in every respect, except that even though he was tempted, he was sinless, reflecting God's very nature. He declared God's salvation, and was heard by others. His message was proven by signs and wonders and miracles. He respected and feared God. As death approached, he prayed with loud cries and tears. He offered himself up as a human sacrifice, to die to bear the sins of many. Sinners were hostile toward him, but he was made perfect through his obedient suffering. He shed his blood outside the gate of Jerusalem, enduring the shame and suffering of the cross. He died, but is now seated at the right hand of God. He will come again for those awaiting him.
1 CLEMENT'S HISTORICAL JESUS
Jesus lived on earth in the flesh, and taught others forbearance and long-suffering. He was humble, and was a holy teacher. He loved others, and taught love. Among his teachings were the following: "Have mercy, that ye may receive mercy: forgive, that it may be forgiven to you. As ye do, so shall it be done to you. As ye give, so shall it be given unto you. As ye judge, so shall ye be judged. As ye show kindness, so shall kindness be showed unto you. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured withal to you.", and of those that cause a loss of faith: "Woe unto that man; it were good for him if he had not been born, rather than that he should offend one of Mine elect. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about him, and be cast into the sea, than that he should pervert one of Mine elect." He had apostles whom he charged to spread his message. He was rejected as an outcast of the people, mocked. He suffered for others, bearing their sins, shedding his blood, giving up his life from the earth. He was resurrected. His resurrection assured his apostles that the kingdom of God would come, so they went out and spread the good news.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mr. Doherty raises many interesting questions regarding the silences within certain early writings. However, most of the examples he draws from are out of context. Rather than conclude that there is a gaping hole if a gospel detail is left out of a passage in which it could be placed, one needs to understand what the author is writing about, why, when, and to whom. Just as there are reasonable explanations for my Top 20 silences, there may be reasonable explanations for the 4 or 5 of Doherty's Top 20 which may reasonably fit into the contexts in which they were written. We must also keep in mind that Mr. Doherty has greatly narrowed the pool of material from which he is forming his hypothesis, an action which is still highly debatable. And finally, there are the numerous positive references which, though some are not clear, are clear enough to conclude that the early writings were talking about a man who they believed had come to earth, taught followers to live righteously, was willingly crucified, and whose own purity enabled him to have been resurrected, thereby assuring their salvation.
In light of the conclusion that the 20 silences are for the most part not surprising, as well as the seemingly clear references by all of Mr. Doherty's early writers to a historical Jesus, it appears that Mr. Doherty alternative explanations repeatedly require him to rely on his creative imagination to interpret passages in another fashion than has traditionally been the case. Doherty has suggested that those who look through "gospel-colored glasses" are unable to see the true picture, but one might well question whether the portrayal of Jesus found in Doherty's "Top 20" is a result of looking through "myth-colored glasses". The issue may never be resolvable for those of us who like concrete proof, but my own judgment is that at the very least the evidence points to a man who was influential enough to have inspired the creation of Christianity among a group in Judea, and whose act of redemption so inspired Paul and others to take the message of salvation through faith to the rest of the world.
CITATIONS FOR THE ABOVE HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTIONS:
PAUL:
Romans, 16 chapters
* Was a direct descendent of King David, and his father Jesse. 1:3,15:12
* Was in the flesh 1:3,8:3, 9:4-5a
* Shed his blood 3:25, 5:9
* Was put to death 4:25
* Was a man 5:15, 5:17, 5:18, 5:19
* His death was an act of righteousness 5:18
* Was buried 6:4
* Was crucified 6:6
* Had a body 7:4
* Suffered 8:17
* Was of the Jewish race 9:5
* Was a stumbling block to Jews 9:33 Gal 5:11 says the stumbling block is the cross
* The stumbling took place in Zion (Jerusalem) 9:33
* He will come from Zion (Jerusalem) as a deliverer 11:26
* Somehow persuaded Paul that thoughts make things unclean 14:4 possible teaching of Jesus}
* Did not live to please himself, reproached by man 15:3
* Became a servant to the Jews 15:8
* He died. 16 additional verses
1 Corinthians, 16 chapters
* Was crucified 1:13,23, 2:2, 2:8
* Is associated with a cross 1:17,18
* Was crucified according to the flesh by rulers (almost for certain speaking about men) of Paul's age (time) 2:8,
* His death was a "paschal lamb" sacrifice, implying that it happened during Passover Celebration. 5:7
* He expressly forbid divorce. (if Lord applies to him) 7:10
* He had brothers 9:5
* He commanded that "preachers" should be paid for their preaching. (if Lord applies) 9:14
* He initiated the Lord's supper and referred to the bread and the cup, in the same way as presented in the gospels This is my body which is broken for you.etc. 11:23
* Jesus was betrayed on the night of the Lord's Supper. 11:23
* He had a body with blood 11:24,27
* Jesus was buried. 15:4
* He was a man 15:20-21, 15:45, 47,47,49
* He died. 5 additional verses
2 Corinthians, 13 chapters
* He suffered 1:5
* He was sinless 5:21
* He became poor 8:9
* He was meek and gentle 10:1
* He was crucified. 13:4
* He died. 3 additional verses
Galations, 6 chapters
* He had a brother named James, who later became a pillar in the early church. (if Lord applies to him) 1:19
* He was crucified 2:20, 3:1
* He died 2:21
* He fulfilled the OT curse of those hung on a tree 3:13
* He was born in human fashion of a woman 4:4
* He was a Jew 4:4
* He referred to God as his Father using the term "abba". 4:6
* Is associated with a cross 5:11, 6:12,14
Philippians, 4 chapters
* He was in figure as a man, in human form 2:7,8
* He humbled himself 2:8
* He was obedient 2:8
* He died on a cross 2:8
* He suffered 3:10
* He died 3:10
1 Thess, 5 chapters
* Jewish authorities were responsible for Jesus' death. 2:15
* He taught about the end-time. (if Lord applies to him) 4:15
* He died. 3 additional verses
Colossians, 4 chapters
* His blood associated with the cross 1:20
* His body of flesh died 1:22
* In his body dwells deity 2:9
* Nailing associated with the cross 2:14
* He died. 2 additional references
In addition, there are numerous references to Jesus as having been raised from the dead thoughout all of Pauls epistles..
1 PETER, 5 chapters
*His sufferings were witnessed by Peter 1:1, 5:1
*He never sinned 2:22
*He didn't lie 2:22
*He didn't threaten or fight back 2:23
*He trusted God 2:23
*He died on a tree 2:24
*He lived in the flesh 3:18, 4:1
*His spirit came to life after death, and he preached to those who died previously who hadn't obeyed 3:19
*He went to heaven and sits at the right hand of God 3:22
1 JOHN, 5 chapters
*He was seen, heard and touched by the author and others 1:1
*He was sent by God 1:2
*He taught about God's purity and walking in the light 1:5
*He gave his life for sins, shedding his blood 1:7, 2:2, 3:16, 4:10
*He was "the Righteous" 2:1
*He walked (lived) as an example 2:6
*He promised eternal life 2:25
*His was a message of brotherly love 3:1, 3:23
*The world didn't know who he was 3:1
*He sent his spirit to guide others 3:24
*He came in the flesh (implied) 4:2
*He came by water and blood 5:1
DIDACHE, 16 short chapters (Charles Hoole translation)
*He had apostles (maybe 12?) Title
*He was a teacher 4:1
*He had a gospel 8:2 11:3 15:3,4
*His gospel included the Lord's prayer in full 8:2
*He was God's Son 9:2,3 10:2
*He said the following concerning the Eucharist: "Give not that which is holy unto dogs" 9:5
*The Eucharist honors Jesus as the source of everlasting life 10:3
*He is called the Son of David 10:6
*His gospel included instructions regarding the treatment of apostles and prophets 11:3
*His gospel included instructions to rebuke one another not in wrath, but peaceably 15:3
*In the end times he will come on clouds from heaven with the resurrected saints 16:7,8
A number of sayings match the gospels, but without attribution to Jesus, such as:
*First love God, your neighbor, the golden rule 1:2
*Pray for your enemies, turn the cheek 1:3,4
*The meek shall inherit the earth 3:7
*No one knows the hour of his return 16:1
Finally, there are two rituals in which he is remembered: *Baptism in his name Ch 7
*The Eucharist ch 9,10
HEBREWS, 13 chapters
*He reflected God's very nature 1:3
*He declared God's salvation and was heard by others 2:3
*His message was proved by signs, wonders, and miracles 2:4
*He lived in flesh and blood 2:14, 5:7, 10:20
*He partook of the same nature as man 2:14,17
*He was vulnerable like humans in every respect 2:17, 4:15
*Though tempted, he was sinless 4:15
*As death approached he prayed with loud cries and tears 5:7
*He was made perfect through his obedient suffering 5:9
*He was descended from Judah 7:14
*He offered himself up as a sacrifice to died to bear the sins of man 7:27, 9:26
*He came into the world (implied) 9:28
*He will come again for those awaiting him 9:28
*He is now seated at the right hand of God 12:2
*He endured the shame and suffering of the cross 12:2
*Sinners were hostile toward him 12:3
*He shed his blood outside the city gate (Jerusalem implied) 13:12
1 CLEMENT, 65 short chapters (J.B. Lightfoot translation)
*He taught others forbearance and long-suffering 13:1
*He taught "Have mercy, that ye may receive mercy...." 13:2
*He was a holy teacher, giving commandments 13:3, 49:1
*He had apostles whom he charged to spread his message 42:3
*He taught about those that cause others to lose faith "Woe unto that man..." 46:8
*He lived in the flesh 49:6
*He was rejected as an outcast of the people, mocked 16:3,15,16
*He suffered for others, bearing their sins 16:4
*He shed his blood 49:6
*He gave up his life from the EARTH 16:8
*He was resurrected 42:3
*His resurrection assured his apostles that the kingdom of God would come 42:3
*His apostles went out and spread the good news following the resurrection 42:4
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