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Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
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Jesus Christ is the central figure for
Christians of whatever persuasion. Following and believing in him is what makes
us Christian. And yet, particularly in the early days, there have been
differences of opinion as to exactly who he was, what his precise
relationship to God was or whether he even existed at all. The word
‘orthodox’ means ‘right belief’ and holding the right belief is very
important to Orthodox Christianity. However, folk Christianity is by its
nature less concerned with fixed and precise beliefs. As a form of English
Folk Christianity, Saxon Christianity should also be more flexible in these
matters. It may surprise some readers, but expert
scholarly opinion is that there really was somebody called Jesus of Nazareth
on whom the Bible stories are based. However, this doesn’t
mean that everything that the Churches teach about him is true. This Christ
was almost certainly more myth than man, but this doesn’t mean that there
isn’t truth in the myth. Myth is a powerful way of expressing underlying
truths that go beyond our everyday understanding of reality. We just need to
make sure that we focus on the core issues rather than the detail. Jesus of
Nazareth – man or myth? Jesus: Christos, Chrestos or
Messiah |
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