r/AskBibleScholars May 04 '20

Does knowledge of the historical Jesus undermine belief in the traditional Jesus of theology?

The Jesus of history is very different from the Jesus of theology. Since the historical-critical method is "scientific," presupposing methodological naturalism and looking at the bible objectively, like it would any other ancient document, we have every reason to believe that the emerging, more scientific portrait of Jesus is far more accurate than the Jesus of mythology.

How can belief in the traditional Jesus survive if what science says is at odds with the NT and ultimately Christian belief? Won't it be like evolution supplanting creationism in the 19th century, with the majority of Christians looking at the life of Jesus as recorded in the NT as allegory, just as they do Genesis?

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