Introduction
Carl Jung, a renowned psychiatrist described mythology as a necessary aspect of the human psyche which present itself in a meaningless and chaotic fashion. In relation to Greek mythos, the concept of mythology relates to the interpretation and study of sacred fables or tales termed as myths linked to culture or religion. In other words, myths describe the origin of humans or tell stories about supernatural beings, gods or heroes who were endowed with extraordinary powers. Morford, Lenardon and Sham (2011) terms mythology as a story presented as having transpired in a previous era detailing the supernatural traditions, cultural traits and religious convictions. An example is the Christian mythology that relates to the story of God and His creations such as Jesus Christ myth.
The myth of Jesus Christ also termed as Jesus mythicism or Jesus ahistoricity relates to the hypothesis captured in the Biblical New Testament Accounts on the chronology of Jesus Christ life. The mythology examines narratives surrounding the life of Jesus Christ as detailed in the Christian gospels, theology and traditions ( Drews, 2010) . The accounts of Jesus Christ are mythical in nature as Jesus Christ is described as a mythological character. The myth of Jesus Christ relate to the mytheme of his incarnation, life, demise and exaltation. Information in this study is gathered from secondary and primary sources, by reading through the published materials relating to the myth of Jesus Christ. The myth of Jesus Christ as interpreted through the lens of Christianity presents Jesus as a religious leader whose teachings are followed as an example of leading a spiritual life.
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Analysis
The myth of Jesus Christ depicts him as a son of God who was a central figure, embodied as God’s incarnation. Jesus Christ is portrayed as having been born in Bethlehem in 6B.C ( Thompson & Thompson, 2009) . According to the Christianity religion, his birth is a representation of human redemption from their first sin. Jesus Christ was born by a virgin named Mary who was betrothed to Joseph a carpenter. Christian faith believe that Jesus Christ birth was through Immaculate Conception. The canonical gospels capture the background and story of Jesus Christ background and early life. The Christian community regarded Jesus birth as messianic coming and that he came to teach, suffer and later die on behalf of humankind sinful nature. The main stream Christian denominations regard Jesus as the son of God and the second in the Holy trinity ( Drews, 2010) . The lens of Christianity take Jesus Christ birth, his ministry life, crucifixion and resurrection as a way through God offered humanity eternal life and salvation. According to Christians, Jesus Christ was the Jewish messiah whose coming had been prophesied in Hebrew Bible also termed in the Old Testament in Christianity. The meaning of Jesus’s birth as narrated by the myth was meant to counterbalance the fall of Adam by repairing the damage caused by Adam through redemption.
The myth of Jesus Christ portrays him as having been born from a humble background. Joseph his foster father is depicted as a carpenter. The myth trace references Jesus helping his father in his carpentry while he was a young adult. According to Drews (2010), Christians have over time interpreted this depiction as a show of humility which Christians ought to emulate in their livelihoods. The humility meaning is also exemplified through Jesus teachings and parables which are encapsulated in the myth of Jesus Christ. For example, in one of his teachings, Jesus Christ taught that people should turn around and be like children for them to enter the kingdom of God. This meant that humility is a requisite component that should be exercised for one to gain God’s kingdom. The myth of Jesus Christ elucidates that his ministry started when Jesus was 30 years old after his baptism in river Jordan by John the Baptist.
The myth of Jesus Christ presents Jesus’s ministry through teachings, miracles and parables. For example, ‘words and works’ are used to present Jesus teachings. Interpretation of his miracle and other acts during Jesus ministry equates Jesus’s works to divine revelation. Christianity take his teachings to be the true words of God and a representation of God’s spirit. The Christian community believe that the teachings narrated by the myth, were not Jesus teachings by God’s who had sent him to the world. Through the parables and miracles, Jesus is positioned as having a mutual knowledge with the father (God), as narrated by the extract which states that “no one knows the son but his father and no one had the knowledge about the father except the son”. Some of his teachings as told by the myth include Beatitudes which are interpreted as an expression of blessings, love and humility. The Beatitude discourses encapsulate spiritual teachings of compassion.
His teachings narrated by the myth of Jesus Christ are regarded by the Christian community as a foundation of code of conduct that promote morality ( Drews, 2010) . The myth narrate that as Jesus travelled through Judea and Galilee he made use of miracles and parables such as the parable of the sower, parable of the tenants and the parable of the leaven to explain the fulfilment of God’s prophesies and an indication that God’s kingdom was near. The parables means earthly stories which carry a heavenly meaning. Christians take Jesus ministry teachings as not mere similitudes but as internal analogues where nature witnesses the spiritual world ( Wells, 1999) .
The miracles told by the myth of Jesus Christ for example cleansing the ten leapers emphasize on the importance of faith. Christians learn a key lesson about faith when Jesus walks on water that it is important to have firm faith and not to be doubtful. Jesus ministry as showcased by the myth was an attestation of his hypostatic union and divinity. Jesus miracles are interpreted to mean actual historical events and evidence of Jesus deity. The Christian regard the miracles elaborated on the myth of Jesus Christ as acts of omnipotence, power, love and mercy ( Williamson, 2017) . His works meant to show compassion to the suffering humanity and for the sinful.
The myth of Jesus Christ tells that Jesus went through suffering through his crucifixion. One extract of the myth explains that he was mocked, beaten and condemned for regarding himself as the Son of God. His suffering is interpreted as a sign of his obedience to God’s will as a servant and agent of God. The myth tells of Jesus Christ being crucified among two thieves and later on buried by Joseph of Arimathea. His misery and demine was an atonement for sins to make the human race right with God ( Thompson & Thompson, 2009) . Christianity perspective positions Jesus as a man of obedience in contrast to the Adam’s disobedience
The myth of Jesus Christ gives a description that three days after his death, his tomb was found empty by his disciples as an indication that he had risen from the dead. Christians believe that it is God who had resurrected Jesus as a guarantee that those who are dead will come to life during the second coming of Jesus Christ. His resurrection signifies restoration to life and a transformation of the body that is powered by the Holy Spirit. The resurrection also implies that human soul is indestructible. The rising to life showcases that the soul is immortal but the fresh is not. The body will therefore be resurrected to house the soul.
His resurrection is believed to be the part of the redemption and salvation plan to complete atonement of man’s sins. The Christian community regards the resurrection as the mystery and the heart of faith that surpasses and transcends history ( Drews, 2010) . The rising from the dead is also interpreted as the impetus to Christ devotion and exaltation of Jesus. The second coming also termed as Parousia is captured in the myth of Jesus Christ. The second return is interpreted to be an act of saving the earth from the antichrist and the beast of darkness caused by unrighteousness, evil and sorrow that will be rampant during the end times which will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. The return in Christian community signifies a momentous turning point that will pull the earth out of the grasp of sins and place it on Jesus’s hands.
Conclusion
The story of Jesus as narrated by the Myth of Jesus Christ paints him as the son of God. One of the key issue from the interpretation of the myth is the belief by Christians that Jesus birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection was symbolic of God’s acts of salvation and eternal life offer to human kind. Another highlight is that the death of Christ was meant to make human right with God. The myth of Jesus Christ topic is significant in unearthing the in-depth meaning of the occurrences surrounding the life of the extra-ordinary being. Additional key issues identified include the implications of Jesus teachings, miracles and parables narrated by the myth. Additional question that I would like to explore is how the myth of Jesus Christ compares and contrasts to Islamic mythology such as the myth of Prophet Muhammad.
References
Drews, A. (2010). The Christ Myth . Prometheus Books.
In his book, Drews emphatically presents a premise that there has been no independent historical evidence on existence of Jesus Christ as depicted by the Biblical writings. He elaborates the story of Jesus Christ but refers the entire narration as a violation of historical method. The author terms the Jesus who is presented by the gospels as a mythical character arguing that there has never existed a basis for the historical figure behind the myth of Jesus Christ. In discussing the Christ myth, Drew through a comparative study portrays the Jesus led Christianity as syncretism of Jewish convictions. The text is significant as it presents the Jesus of the gospels and who he was in the life of Christian community through a critical lens.
Morford, M. P., Lenardon, R. J., & Sham, M. (2011). Classical mythology . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The Bible. King James Version, New Testament, Canonical Gospels
Thompson, T. L., & Thompson, L. (2009). The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David . Basic Books.
The text is authored by Thompson who was an assistant professor specializing in Old Testament studies. In his book, Thompson presents a criticism of the myth of Jesus Christ. He posits that the Biblical accounts that give a narration about Jesus of Nazareth are literary mythical and are only based on Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Roman Literature. He highlights the life and stages that Jesus Christ underwent for example resurrection. He however criticizes the rise of Jesus from the dead and states that it is drawn directly from Dionysus myths which regarded as ‘dying and rising god’. The reading is important in this study as it provides interpretation of myth of Jesus Christ albeit through criticism.
Williamson, G. S. (2017). The Christ Myth Debate: Radical Theology and German Public Life, 1909–1913. Church History , 86 (3), 728-764.
Wells, G. A. (1999). The Jesus Myth . Open Court Publishing.
G.A Wells in his book explores the birth and the story of Jesus of Christ in the Jesus mythology. The book investigates Jesus miracles historicity with a focus on exorcisms and a provocative discourse on the Biblical New Testament as an ethical guide. In the text, wells contends that the tale of Jesus as narrated in the four canonical gospels have conflicting perspectives. Wells refers to the life of Jesus and his ministry as captured by in the New Testament but presents a view that the accounts of Jesus contradict with ancient Christian documents which never associated Jesus with Nazareth nor as a performer of miracles. The reading is significant in instilling an understanding of events in the life of Jesus Christ such as his background and ministry hence enabling readers to have an in depth interpretation of the myth of Jesus Christ.
