Ridley Hall, Cambridge

Resources: Biblical Studies Bulletin 20

Vol 20: June 2001

The Word on the Tube

Two fascinating TV broadcasts of particular interest came our way this Easter; we asked specialists to give us their views...

Son of God

In the run-up to Easter, the BBC screened a series of three programmes entitled 'Son of God.' The previews had been positive, the name 'Dr N T Wright' featured as an adviser and in the light of recent media offerings ('The Real Jesus' - a travesty aired on Channel 4 at Christmas) I was intrigued.

The series had a number of attractions. Jeremy Bowen, the presenter, had been for five years Middle-East correspondent for BBC based in Jerusalem, and so knew the territory well. His neutral but genuine curiosity gave the programmes an engaging feel; several times he commented to the effect that 'I never realised how much good historical evidence there was for Jesus.' The computer effects were stunning, with first-century landscape and buildings emerging from the earth that Bowen trod. The high-point was Bowen actually walking up the steps at the south end of the Temple Mount and into the tunnel to the Temple itself as the stones now blocking the entrance virtually melted away. And there was a generally positive approach to the historical value of the New Testament documents (the gospels were written 'within only forty years'; the implication being that this makes them reliable) which was a refreshing contrast to other programmes still in the thrall of twentieth-century scepticism.

There were weaknesses too. Much was made of Tom Wright's criticism of the series in the press, but he played a positive part both in the programmes and in the online chat after the last episode. His chief criticism was of the overemphasis on the political dynamic in relation to the Temple rather than the centrality of Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom. Jesus was portrayed as a 'biblical social worker' in one person's words. The series also did not explore the significance of the phrase 'Son of God' in first-century context, especially in relation to expectations of the Messiah, or why people attached it to him after his death, which was odd give that this was the title of the programme. A lesser criticism is that there was much hedging around the subject of whether Jesus actually healed people. Tom Wright commented in the online chat that this is the best historical explanation for why Jesus attracted such large crowds.

The final episode was a curious mixture of positives and distractions. Again, the gospels were treated as broadly historically reliable, with John's gospel giving us insight into the seating arrangements of the Last Supper, though there was no reference to John's comment on the water and blood from Jesus' side. William Klassen's unconvincing theory that Judas did not betray Jesus got an airing, as did an equally doubtful speculation about mandrakes being used as an anaesthetic for Jesus on the cross. While much was made of looking at the ankles of a crucified skeleton found in Jerusalem, no reference was made to its wrists, which in fact provide as many insights into the nature of crucifixion. The computer reconstruction of a first-century face ('Meet the Ancestors'-style) was pure techno-theatre and massively oversold. But Tom Wright brought us back to a central question: How do you account for church without the resurrection?

What was the value of the series? Much, in every way. The pace felt slow to this viewer, but was a lesson here for all of us involved in teaching. This kind of study is not going to convert the sceptic, or even reassure church folk. The questions explored are simply too far away from the practical concerns of faith and life for most people. My wife is no fool, but [Ed: Steady on, Ian!] she is not a biblical scholar, and at times she struggled to see much significance in the questions being explored. Still, the series did create a sense of positive interest and general plausibility; it made it a lot harder to say 'Well, I don't need to bother with all this.'

There was a contrast in another direction too. 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' was screened on Easter Sunday, and four decades on there is an overwhelming sense of later tradition muffling the biblical data. The resurrection scene here is frankly incredible; the disciples are simply waiting to spring with joy at the news that Jesus is alive, as if they had read the script beforehand, and, with the benefit of hindsight, the growth of the church is inexorable and inevitable. But in 'Son of God' the biblical data gets a fair hearing, and the result is something altogether more authentic and believable.

The real question is: how can we encourage such positive programmes? If you saw it, why not write to the BBC, tell your bishop (or equivalent) and ask him to do the same? If we do not respond positively, we will only have ourselves to blame if it does not happen again.

TRUE CROSS or HOLY GRAIL?

This year's menu of religious Eastertide TV programming was refreshingly free of the usual menagerie of snide sceptics and jaded dons. One of the more intriguing offerings was Channel Four's 'Quest for the True Cross', broadcast during prime time on Palm Sunday. The subject was Carsten Peter Thiede's theory that among the diverse relics of the church of Santa Croce in Rome is an identifiable piece of the authentic titulus over the cross of Jesus, retrieved from Jerusalem around 325 by Constantine's mother Queen Helena. The surviving fragment of the inscription clearly shows the word 'Nazarene' in Greek and Latin, and possibly Hebrew, all written from right to left. With a supporting cast of historians and archaeologists, Thiede argued that both the circumstances of the discovery and the epigraphical features of the text suggest that this relic is genuine. In the wake of his researches, the Vatican has announced a formal inquiry of its own.

In a claim of this magnitude, the scope for self-deception is clearly enormous, and it is not only Protestants who will feel that extreme discretion is the better part of valour. A few months ago your faithful correspondent went to see the object in question for himself. It is certainly a strange business, if nothing else - a kind of case study in Christian relics: Santa Croce's extensive reliquary contains a great deal of other exotic bits, the good thief's cross and St Thomas's index finger being not the least of them. Still, the claim is theoretically possible; the church is built over Helena's former palace, the preservation of ancient wooden writing tablets has several precedents, and Thiede's claim of first-century epigraphic features seems at least worth testing (eg in relation to the Latinizing orthography and use of the typically Byzantine OU-diphthong ligature in NAZAREN^OUS). Carbon-14 analysis will surely be essential, too.

In view of the ongoing debate between devotees and despisers of high-profile relics like the Turin Shroud, it is worth considering that a properly Christian approach to such claims ought to be reluctant in practice but sympathetic in principle. Church history's thick icing of (to us) alien superstition and hocus-pocus, ironically, testifies to the persistence of the faithful in their belief in the power of 'the real thing', the incarnation of the Word of God and the concrete works of his Spirit among the saints. That belief has undoubtedly encouraged legions of fraudsters and innumerable pious fakes. But it also seems to have ensured a quasi-sacramental interest in tangible 'spiritual souvenirs' from the start - and thus made it unlikely that, if once acquired, the genuine article would willingly be lost.

Letters to the Editor

Ray Pooley writes,

Re your Bible Puzzle I gave up after 20 minutes; all I could find was the one the minister missed! Try this if you're feeling brave - based on I Thess 4.16:

Q: Why do the dead in Christ rise first?

A: Because they've got six feet further to go!

Richard Martin writes,

I have just uncovered alarming evidence that Jesus condoned bribery of the police force on a comprehensive scale. In his parable about settling with your opponent before going to court, he mentions that if you fail to do so you will end up in prison. 'You will not get out', he concludes, 'until you have paid the last copper' (Luke 12:59, RSV).

Of course this could just be a corrupt text.

From Australia, Annabel Bristow proves that librarians have a sense of humour:

A doctor, a civil engineer, and a computer scientist were arguing about what was the oldest profession in the world. The doctor remarked, 'Well, in the Bible it says that God created Eve from a rib taken from Adam. This clearly required surgery, so I can rightly claim that mine is the oldest profession in the world.' The civil engineer interrupted and said, 'But even earlier in the book of Genesis, it states that God created the order of the heavens and the earth from out of the chaos. This was the first and certainly the most spectacular application of civil engineering. Therefore, fair doctor, you are wrong; mine is the oldest profession in the world.' The computer scientist leaned back in his chair, smiled and said confidently, 'Ah, but who do you think created the chaos?'

Books in Brief

Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark's Gospel
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000) xx+244pp, £14.99pb, ISBN 0-664-22255-2

Elizabeth Struthers Malbon is known as an acute narrative critic of Mark's Gospel, principally through her Narrative Space and Mythic Meaning (San Francisco 1986; Sheffield 1991). Her second book on Mark deals with people rather than places, and is a re-issuing, without major amendment, of seven essays first published between 1983 and 1994. The opening chapter outlines the nature of narrative criticism, and exemplifies the method with a treatment of Mark 4 to 8. Then follow six chapters on characters and characterisation: chiefly on disciples and discipleship, but touching also on gender roles, opposition to Jesus, minor characters, and the ways in which the story involves and invites the response of its readers. There is a certain amount of repetition, but not enough to devalue the collection - just enough indeed to draw attention to its unity. The style is straightforward and accessible, by no means clouded with technical terminology.

And the substance? Following Jesus is a complex business, both inside and outside Mark's Gospel. So the disciples serve as models through the interplay and tension between their successes and their failures. They are 'round' characters, portrayed as complex, ambiguous and fallible, even in their following. By contrast the Jewish leaders are 'flat', consistent in their opposition. Three exceptions - Jairus, the enquiring scribe of 12.34, and Joseph of Arimathea - do not make flat characterisation into round, but prevent type from becoming stereotype. Finally the women at the tomb offer a bridge from story to reader, and say in effect, 'This could involve you': 'anyone can be a follower, no one finds it easy' (67).

There is much more, and all supported with plenty of detail. Malbon's judgment generally commands respect, not least because she understands the limits of the narrative method. Anyone who teaches or preaches Mark could benefit from this lucid analysis of the complexity of human response to Jesus.

Professor Anthony Thiselton's long-awaited commentary on 1 Corinthians is now available in the New International Greek Testament Series (Paternoster). I sold one of my children and purchased the 1446 page tome since I will be teaching a course on 1 Cor next term. A review will appear in BSB 21.
The Editor

The Big Picture (Continued)

In response to Ian Paul's article in the last issue of BSB, we received a veritable avalanche of emails. Well, actually, three. Dr Simon Coupland (team vicar in Broadwater) writes:

I, too, have tried to give my congregation an overview of the OT, though in morning sermons rather than studies. I like Ian's idea of a course better, though mine reached a lot more people!

Because we are a church plant which reaches many unchurched folk, the course was called 'Why read the OT?' It was only the second sermon series ever to focus on the OT in the church's short life, so it was very much starting at square one. Sermons were: 1. Why read the OT at all?, including a focus on Genesis; 2. Why read the Jewish Law?; 3. Why read Israel's history?; 4. Why read the Psalms?; 5. Why read Israel's Wisdom?; 6. Why read the prophets?.

Each sermon was accompanied by a handout summarising the main points and with a suggested list of a week's readings (five passages, being realistic!) to follow up the theme.

Duncan Weaver (team vicar in Bourne Valley, Sarum) writes:

We have just had a weekend when Walk Thru the Bible Ministries came and did two seminars on the Old Testament and its big picture. Over 5 hours they seek to show how the OT fits together in an interesting and lively manner. They use hand signs to help you memorise as you go along. This is a bit American, but good fun [Ed: BUT good fun??]. It is in a sense quite basic but in many ways that is where most of our congregations are it seems in their biblical knowledge. It was very well received by all who came. I hope to get them back to do a NT seminar in the future.

They can be contacted by email: (Walkthru@Bible.org.uk) or by telephone: 01255 861868. Their website is http://www.bible.org.uk

Richard Hibbert (vicar at Christ Church, Bedford) writes:

I successfully used 'Full of Promise' (pub. The Good Book Company) - an eight week course through the history part of the OT with a group of new Christians, reasonably fresh off an Alpha course. Its effect was to give them a deeper appreciation of why Jesus came and how the whole story of God and his people held together across the Testaments.

In subsequent email correspondence with Ian Paul, Richard observes,

'Full of Promise' is primarily concerned with pointing people to Jesus through the OT than actually understanding the OT in its own right. To that end, there are constant references to how the passage in question fits into the NT salvation story in Jesus. It therefore limits itself in the material it handles and in how it handles that material...Thus the ups and downs, for example, are pointedly used to show the need for the cross of Christ, rather than be seen as part of the rocky relationship Israel had with God.

Computer Corner

Philip Jenson offers us three weblinks that may be of interest:

• For an excellent introduction to the Internet for theologians have a look at
  http://www.humbul.ac.uk/vts/theology/index.htm
• Those interested in art related to the Bible, may benefit from
  http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb/images.html
  The Ecole initiative also contains other useful documents and links.
• Not specifically on theology, but a fascinating site on learning, memorising etc. is http://www.mindtools.com