Conflicting Viewpoints: Perceptions of the Historical Jesus

Religious historians debate the political and philosophical positions of Jesus of Nazareth. The researchers conducted qualitative content analysis of literature encompassing various perspectives. Particular attention was paid to the work of Ehrman and Funk, in order to better understand questions arising from disparate beliefs. This analysis provides the reader a brief history of the ancient Israelites, and Palestine, followed by an examination of apocalyptic ideology. With this as a foundation, content analysis was used to examine the meaning of passages from the work of Ehrman and Funk comparing and contrasting New Testament Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas. Themes arose suggesting that, rather than being a Hellenistic sage, Jesus of Nazareth was an apocalyptic teacher who led his disciples to believe that the end of the age was imminent. It was for this reason that the Roman state sentenced him to death for sedition. This world view was replaced by a Hellenistic philosophy propagated by the Apostle Paul which ultimately became the foundation of the modern Christian church. This research should be continued with an expansion of the literature base by including other disparate views and perspectives.