The Historical Jesus of the Gospels by Craig S. Keener

Author:Craig S. Keener
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: The Gospels & Acts, Jesus, Religion, Biblical Studies, Christology, Christian Theology
ISBN: 0802868886
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Published: 2009-11-02T20:00:00+00:00

121 E.g., Corn. Nep. 4 (Pausanias), 1.1; Suet. Calig. 44. Many elite biographers were rhetoricians, who knew how to describe a person’s character directly to make a case (Rhet. Her. 4.50.63). Josephus adapts some biblical characters, adding virtues (e.g., Feldman, “Jehoram”); Matthew reduces Mark’s unbelief to “little faith” (Matt 6:30; 8:26).

122 Theophrastus even provides, in graphic and often humorous ways, thirty basic character types (such as a flatterer or one overly talkative) that offer various kinds of examples (Char. passim). At other times the storytelling was certainly sufficient. Even in Greece’s ancient epic poetry, the stark character of a wrathful Achilles, proud Agamemnon, or clever Odysseus is impossible to miss. Ancient literature abounds with developed examples of dysfunctional relationships; for example, Dido in Virgil’s Aeneid appeared exceptionally susceptible to Aeneas because she had never recovered from her first lover’s death. In contrast to some later psychologizing approaches, some ancient biographers proved reluctant to speculate concerning their characters’ inner thoughts, but this again is not a rule (see Arrian Alex. 7.1.4).

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