Mythologizing Jesus

From Jewish Teacher to Epic Hero

By (author) Dennis R. MacDonald

Not available to order

Publication date:

07 May 2015

Length of book:

178 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442233508

Our culture is well-populated with superheroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and more. Superheroes are not a modern invention; in fact, they are prehistoric. The gods and goddesses of the Greeks, for example, walked on water, flew, visited the land of the dead, and lived forever. Ancient Christians told similar stories about Jesus, their primary superhero—he possessed incredible powers of healing, walked on water, rose from the dead, and more. Dennis R. MacDonald shows how the stories told in the Gospels parallel many in Greek and Roman epics with the aim of compelling their readers into life-changing decisions to follow Jesus. MacDonald doesn’t call into question the existence of Jesus but rather asks readers to examine the biblical stories about him through a new, mythological lens.

Dedication
Mythological Names and Places (Greek and Roman)
List of Figures
Introduction: The Christian Superhero
1. Born Divine and Human
2. Empowered from Above and Enlisting Sailors
3. Feeding Thousands
4. Master of the Winds
5. Tamer of Monsters
6. Curing an Old Woman and Bringing a Girl back to Life
7. Water Walker
8. Land of the Dead
9. Blind Seer
10. Daring Hero Eats with the Enemy
11. Hero in Disguise Transformed
12. Curing a Boy with a Demon
13. Entering a City in Disguise
14. Clearing out a Den of Robbers
15. Prophet Anointed by a Woman
16. Following a Water Carrier
17. Preparing for Death while Friends Sleep
18. Traitor in the Midst
19. Cowardly Promise Breaker
20. Preferring a Rascal to a Hero
21. Heroic Death and Mourning Women
22. Rescuing a Corpse
23. Living Dead
24. Disappearing into the Sky
Conclusion: The Mythologized Jesus and Modern Culture
Appendix: The Gospels of Matthew and John
Works Cited
Further Reading on the Homeric Epics and Greek Mythology
Further Reading on the New Testament and Classical Greek Literature

VERDICT MacDonald doesn’t intend to assail belief; this is not an atheist’s or a scoffer’s approach but rather a post–Rudolf Bultmann view of the Christian ideal, suitable for believers who are ready to embrace a Christianity that acknowledges its own myth.