Conclusion of Review and Discussion of I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus - By David Lloyd Dusenbury

 

“The state, or rather, the whole world is in such error that it persecutes good and just men—torturing, condemning, and killing them.” 

– Lactantius, Divine Institutes

With remarkable mastery of scholarship, this fresh understanding of the figure of Jesus shows that traditional interpretations fail to understand the true nature of his activity. In twenty-one tersely-written chapters, which one reads as the unfolding elements of a thriller, Dusenbury succeeds in turning the tables. The work of Giorgio Agamben on Paul is perhaps the closest parallel I can think of. ----Guy Stroumsa, Professor Emeritus of the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, University of Oxford, and Martin Buber Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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For this book, I have included a number of reviews by esteemed colleagues of the author. I was especially interested when I read "In twenty-one tersely-written chapters, which one reads as the unfolding elements of a thriller, I was intrigued and wondered just how a non-fiction study of the Life of Jesus could ever be read as I might a thriller! And, yet, readers will indeed find the routine sense of build up and movement toward some explosive ending that we might expect to find in a thriller!

Indeed, now that I have read it, I wonder just how Dusenbury had written it. Did he use an outline? Was it planned right from the beginning? In any event, I was amazed as the author began to prove his theory, while moving from one Book to Another from the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the central Biblical references.) Of course, because each shares the story from four of Jesus' Disciples, who were right there as actions led toward the ultimate crucifixion of Jesus.

I want to start by sharing that I received an answer to what I've been wondering about for at least six years. I'll be discussing that issue next as a separate post rather than as part of this discussion in order to fully give justice to this quite amazing display of knowledge of the Bible and Jesus in particular. Readers will find an extensive index of the books and other references that was used in the creation of the story of Jesus, honing in on just the short time period leading up to His crucifixion.

This is the key, however, as it is used in this book. The title of the book is "I Judge No One." Dusenbury then begins by moving forward as those who oppose His teachings begin to speak against Jesus. You may recall that it is the Pharisees in the Temple that Jesus frequented that, perhaps, from jealousy begin to ask direct questions, trying to get Jesus to speak of something that they could find illegal by Temple Law.

During this time, I learned that Judas had actually gone to the Pharisees to offer to help them find Jesus. It was the disciples who wanted to know more. Why they didn't leave Jerusalem, away from the danger. Dusenbury even introduces that even Jesus might not have known at that time exactly why He must face the danger that all knew was coming...

The notion that Jerusalem incurs its ruin in 70 CE, by Jesus’ death in the year 30 or so, is rooted in the gospels and many early Christian traditions. It is worth noting, however, that in Matthew and Luke, Jesus’ lament for Jerusalem is not only occasioned by his sense that he will be killed there. Rather, it seems that in Jesus’ mind, his holy city is doomed because “killing the prophets” is a recurring drama in that city. His death belongs to a history of Hebrew prophet-martyrs.23(My emphasis) This must be stressed. For a first- or second-century pagan philosopher such as Mara, ‘killing the philosophers’ is a recurring drama, which crescendos in the gods’ destruction of Mediterranean cities. And for a first-century dissident rabbi such as Jesus, ‘killing the prophets’ is a recurring drama which includes himself, and which calls down God’s judgement on Judaean cities.24 Beyond this, there seems to be a recognizably Syrian physiognomy to Mara’s Jesus. We catch this by glancing at a later text by the dazzling Syrian satirist, Lucian of Samosata. “New Mysteries”: Lucian of Samosata Writing circa 180, Lucian contemptuously refers to Jesus as “the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced new mysteries (kainēn … teletēn) into the world”.25 Note that Jesus’ crime, here, is innovation (Greek kainotomia). The gospels do not list innovation as one of the crimes with which he is charged.,,

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Even with the unique Biblical review of the four Books, which takes readers in and out from each of the books, showing how one disciple includes this, but another does not, but includes this instead... Actually, readers will become somewhat confused afterward, but as we read, there is so much new "knowledge" being gained, at least for me, that awe, but also understanding is being found for future reference. Obviously, my ebook glows with so many highlights being marked! But one thing comes very clear. When you hear the various stories considered in, say, a sermon, you learn much about that individual topic. But, Dusenbury takes us through a sudden, maybe for the first time, awareness of just how quickly, boldly, and utterly disturbing that Jesus Christ was... murdered...

Detail after detail is explored as it relates to Jesus as a part of the political world at that time, which included an explanation from Jesus:

Jesus describes both phases—if my reading is correct—as human. And yet the prophetic context seems, to me, to intimate that both powers which punish him are human in precisely such a way that they, like Peter (in Mark 8), have not discerned the rupture which Jesus introduces between “the things that are God’s” and “the things of humankind”.14 It is precisely because both Judaea and Rome are temple-states that Jesus stresses their humanity. Far from enhaloing the religious character of Caiaphas’ tribunal, Jesus refers indifferently to the “human hands” of the Judaean and Roman temple-states. That is to say, in light of his God–Caesar contrast, neither Caiaphas nor Pilate seems to represent ‘God’. By stressing their humanity, Jesus seems to have placed the Judaean elites who reject him under the rubric of ‘Caesar’. This, ironically, is where they place themselves in the last phase of John’s Pilate trial.

 So what does stating that actions are human really mean? Quite simply, Jesus is totally aware of what many have known all our lives. That Jesus was indeed the Son of God and had a mission on behalf of His Father. Let's make it abundantly clear: The title of the book is entirely correct. Jesus judges No One. He allowed his capture and did not resist, even though He could have. 

Yet, we do know that God did and does judge. All we need do is remember the scene in the Temple where moneychangers and animals were chased out... Once I say it, you will immediately understand. Jesus does not judge actions because they are made by humans. However, once Jesus arose from the dead, he was no longer human... Jesus does judge also. He judges our soul! It is clear that only He has the authority to see, know and judge each of our souls which were given to us by God. He knows our hearts, He knows whether we follow His commission to love one another...

But I'll be exploring my thoughts on this in my next post. It's not normally a good idea to share how a book closes, but I think it is appropriate for sharing the final story:

The ‘religion of love’ is not a negation of political reason, but it is a challenging reminder that our highest desires lie beyond the political. And our sense of that beyond owes incalculably much to the one who, misjudged to the end, never judged—but tried to save.

Back in 1970s, I spent many hours listening to the original Jesus Christ Superstar and, of course, learned much of the specifics characters and their actions in this, one of the most fateful dramas that has been experience by humans. I must say, however, while I've always depended upon music to complement the emotional impact of God's role in my life, this one book has been instrumental not only in seeing how real the Bible can be by somebody who has a deep and committed desire to share Truth - God's Truth! This book should be required reading for all seminary students, instructors and lay staff. It has been an honor for me to meet Jesus through the eyes and words of David Lloyd Dusenbury

God Bless

GABixlerReviews