The Historical Jesus: The Life Of A Jewish Mediterranean Peasant - Dr. John Dominic Crossan 

Jacob, thank you for having John "Dom" Crossan as your guest again. You let him communicate and teach which he does more clearly than just about anyone in the world. He has a charisma of humility and teaches as few others do. If you can bring him back regularly there's a lot of fans that will be thrilled!

No one lets a guest speak and teach like Jacob. He understands why we tune in!

Dr Crossan is captivating. I so enjoy taking advantage of his lifetime of study and learning by listening to him. He has a true gift for imparting knowledge. Thank you for sharing this interview.

I think that Crossen is correct. Many that are waiting for an apocalypse have lost hope. They have to believe that their sad lives don't really matter because they will be resurrected.

It is definitely worth subscribing to this channel after listening to this quality program. Thank you

The old guy is smart as hell. Very original

We live the faith by doing, not believing. Thank you, Dom, for the gentle reminder.

Great interview, Jacob. 👍 Crossan's Historical Jesus was one of the first texts I read while developing my interest in religious studies.

i think this was a very significant discussion, thank you

What a joy to listen to JDC! Such wisdom and humility. Also happy early 90th birthday to him next week!

If the purpose of this guy is to obfuscate, he is doing a good job. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.

This bloke has no idea of the Eternal Majestic Christ.

If you want to be led away with some false doctrine, Dom is your guy.

Another top video, very interesting to hear from one of the most important people in this "quest for historical Jesus", just one quick comment: he literally says "I'm interested in these 30 sayings that are common to Q and Thomas, both written gospels from the 50s let's say" at @33:17 so the Q at @42:49 was appropriate, also it would be nice to hear his thoughts on the Goodacre view about Q (that there was no Q) and also Goodacre view on Thomas and the Synoptics (Thomas is later and derivative)

Josephus parallels to Jesus:when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was commended by all for the love I had to learning; on which account the High Priests, and principal men of the city came then frequently to me together, in order to know my opinion about the accurate understanding of points of the law. And when I was about sixteen years old [A.D. 53], I had a mind to make trial of the several sects that were among us. These sects are three: the first is that of the Pharisees; the second that Sadducees; and the third that of the Essens; as we have frequently told you. For I thought that by this means I might choose the best, if I were once acquainted with them all. So I contented myself with hard fare; and underwent great difficulties; and went through them all. Nor did I content my self with these trials only: but when I was informed that one whose name was Banus lived in the desert, and used no other clothing than grew upon trees; and had no other food than what grew of its own accord; and bathed himself in cold water frequently, both by night and by day, in order to preserve his chastity, I imitated him in those things; and continued with him three years [from A.D. 53 to A.D. 56]. (4) So when I had accomplished my desires, I returned back to the city: being now nineteen years old: and began to conduct my self according to the rules of the sect of the Pharisees: which is of kin to the sect of the Stoicks, as the Greeks call them.

Great talk from professor Crossan

Thanks!

If God is already "there" then, why would Jesus, supposedly, predict the "coming of the kingdom for some who were standing there?"

Dr. Crossan is presenting so much speculation as fact. Assuming Q was a real document used by both Matthew and Luke, I don’t see why it should be dated to the 50s. No one speculates that Matthew was written before the year 80 and Matthew may have been written in the 90s or even the second century, and the same is true for Luke. How can you conclude that Q was written in the 50s. Does being a source used by a book written in the 80s mean it had to have been written 30 years prior? By that line of reasoning Matthew and Luke must be second century documents to allow Mark which was written in the 70s 30 years of circulation before Matthew ever used it. Then Crossan is asserting that the Q sayings that are also in Thomas date to the 40s because Thomas has the sayings in a different order from Q and therefore Thomas and the Q document must share a pre-Q source that must date to the 40s. There are so many other reasons Thomas and the Q document could list the sayings in a different order beyond just random oral traditions were circulating in the 40s that independently made their way into Q and Thomas. In fact the probability that the author of Thomas knew the Q document or the canonical gospels that derive from Q is so high that positing a pre-Q source is a completely unnecessary conjecture. Also, if you are speculating that Q had to exist 30 years before Matthew, why not speculate that the pre-Q source shared with Thomas dates 30 years pre-Q to the 20s? Then we have sayings of Jesus written down during Jesus’ life. Just too much excessive speculation being asserted as fact.

Dr. John Dominic Crossan I have a question for you. What were the teachings of Jesus according to Jesus? Can you break it down concisely point by point what was the theology of Jesus and what were his goals. Because in the whole presentation the "teachings of Jesus" were only mentioned as the combination of words "teachings of Jesus" without actually going into what they are.

Christ was before John , John prophesied about Christ and said he’s greater and for fact John did not want to Baptist Christ because he knew that Christ was of greater essence Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Jesus was sometimes wise, sometimes wrong and sometimes absurd. How did Christianity get going? The Romans promoted it as a pillar of secular power and then the Catholic Church persecuted alternative points of view.

This man is 90 years old 😮

Nicholas Cage really branched out

I like how Jacob doesn't interpret his guests

What JDC relates about the mustard seed and John the Baptist is supported by the sayings in The Gospel of Thomas. In Thomas (Saying #20), the parable of the mustard seed correctly describes the mustard seed as “falling on prepared soil”, rather than being planted. Mustard, even though but a humble weed, grows to provide shelter and protection for birds. The point is that the kingdom of heaven is in all places revealing the entire creation to be a manifestation of God's self-love, even in its most humble regions. And regarding John the Baptist, where Quelle says that the least in the kingdom is greater than John, The Gospel of Thomas (Saying #46) says in contrast: “Anyone who becomes a child will be acquainted with the kingdom and will be greater than John.” Huge difference. In Quelle's apocalyptic view, the executed John simply missed out. In Thomas, God's kingdom is here and available to anyone who becomes childlike. This comparison has led me to believe that the Gospel of Thomas, bringing us the deeper teachings, is giving us a more accurate account of Jesus than the synoptic gospels relate. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this. Peace.

Crossan was the guy who made me obsessive about the historical Jesus and early Christianity.

The conflict between Good and Evil is endemic in the human condition. The people of the Good want to live in a world where the people of the Evil do not exist. History has shown that people of Goodwill have no power to vanquish the sovereign rulers of the world, who, by their very nature, have no Goodwill. Thermo-nuclear war or the collapse of a habitable earth climate will probably finish the Creator's experiment here in our solar system. *' ' Choose Good so that you and future generations will not perish ' '*

After Alexander, the Ptolemys, then Seleucids, then Hasmoneans, then the Romans

I find Crossan's interpretation so far as the message of Jesus plausible and useful. I mean that in a society where a God is a given and people perennially wait for external salvation, then saying that God is now waiting for people to allow God to work *through* and/or *with* them in a movement they must participate in is a step in evolution toward later ideas that we all can be God or that there is no God. Plus, for those with the Roman Provenance or influence theories, this interpretation doesn't prevent later writers from providing their own interpretation that benefits their goals and supresses the movement. Which then leads to questions of how much persecution and early non-violent protest movement persisted. That's something I'm not sure about. I've seen there are books on the martyrs but I'm not sure to what extent that was historical, yet.

It appears to me that Jesus was caught in the middle of two opposing beliefs: ths son of man coming in the clouds and establishing a physical kingdom of god, and the gnostic view of god, god's kingdom within us.

I don’t understand what the overall message is here? Is this to discredit Jesus? I am a Catholic but I’m not coming at this from a my religion is better than yours view. I just don’t really understand what the point or the message is to this? Is he pointing out inconsistencies with the Bible? I feel like saying yeah no shit, that’s why it’s called blind faith. There’s inconsistencies and have truths littered throughout history with everything. If somebody can help me out here as to what the overall message that Dominic is trying to convey here?

Good video.

Ok he says that God doesn’t do it for us, there must be teamwork ( = a covenant) between God and his ppl to bring the kingdom of God or to live the kingdom of God. But what does that mean? Doing what? Rebelling against the Romans? Living like described in the Torah? Doing what exactly?

Dr Crossan claims that the, "embarrassment" of having Jesus baptized by John the Baptist lends itself to the historicity of Jesus, is a worn out piece of non evidence, and hardly, "rock bottom historical". It assumes that the writers of the Gospels are incapable of intrigue, or theological 'leg-pulling'. It seems that on the one hand that theologians bend over backwards to laud about how clever the writers of the Gospels were, but then on the other to apply their vacuous deductions on the assumption they were literary automatons. If we assume that the theologians of history are of the same cut as those of today, then fooling them was pretty easy. If we hypostasize that the Gospels were generated by the writers of fiction for an audience thirsty to pay good money for the genre,, then it is hardly a surprise that there are twists and turns in the narrative. "I believe the theologians of today are the incredulous bookworms they always were, with hardly an ounce of common sense between them",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Agathatus Christous 80AD.......... ( or whoever wrote the Gospels, as I'm not, "rock bottom sure" )

Jesus has influenced many societies, that is the evidence that no one can deny.

Setting aside the birth narratives, what reason is there to say Jesus was a peasant?

Is Dr John a Christian? It's the first time I've heard his name. This is an excellent interview.

I know no Scholars have Pick it up yet or Maybe I'm not Sure , but THE JESUS NAME WAS USE FOR DIFFERENT PERSON IN THE NT NARRITIVE IF YOU Read the Josephus Writings and New Testament you can pull the Characters and Narratives in Josephus that matches the Jesus Character in the New Testament is Like the Name was use to include the Historical Jesus but also to include Josephus, Titus,Vespasian they place themselves in the Name so everyone got some Worship under the name I don't know but this is what I'm picking up Because in this John the Baptizer Narrative I can't help seeing that Jesus in this part of the Narrative is speaking of Josephus Himself he going in the wilderness and been Baptize and Follow a Character he call BANUS for 3years,which do have parallels with John and Jesus in the NT, and then u see Josephus under The Name of Jesus and Paul also Switch believe after the Temple was destroyed and the Kingdom of God didn't come as told by Banus Aka John so He Started a New Believe of Judaism. AND CONTINUE THAT NEW BELIEVE IN Promoting Vespasian and His Empire, as the Biblical Messiah that was expected but He include Himself also to gain some worship in a High Priest Position that he had so long crave, Even The Name Paul was use for more than one Character including Josephus and Even Vespasian, I saw that , actually if u follow the New Testament writings Very Carefully with the Josephus Writings Most of the Jesus Narrative was About Josephus, Titus,Vespasian, than the Historical Jesus Himself, JACOB let me also say YOU GUYS ARE ON TO SOMETHING WITH THE Dating of the Paul writings and if you all can just accept that Josephus is also the Paul Character I believe you all will be able to unlock the code better.the names in the New Testament some real some fake but I'm telling u all this is base on the Josephus Writings the Jesus Name that was use in New Testament was use for more than one Historical Character in the story, outside of the mystical part of it. Look in it carefully.And some of these writings that have authors names like Thomas and Paul, Luke ,Matthew, Mark, Acts They all are written by The Same Person or group of Persons but just Different Names Use to Make the Argument seem more Convincing to establish that we have more evidence and witnesses to the claims.These Narratives when through many rewriting in order to come up with what would be Convincing to establish the New Religion Christianity And the Rewriting was under Constantine I believe.

I need to read Crossan's books, but just from this talk, I wonder if he hasn't given Jesus' teaching a facile coloration? Crossan at one point says, "I do understand and am sympathetic towards a battered people, feeling that God is going to do it for them." Well, yes. No doubt Jesus also was very aware that his following was not only beaten down, but traumatized by a history of oppression. So, it's clearly not enough for Jesus to reprimand his following, saying something like, "peasants of Israel, lift yourselves up by your bootstraps and help God make the kingdom a reality." That would clearly be a rather pointless ministry...and it's also why I think the more militant aspects of Jesus' ministry were erased by later Christians, fearing Roman reprisals? At any rate, I think Jesus had more of a concrete strategy for liberation than simply wagging his finger at the peasants and saying, "stop complaining and change the world yourself."

"Jesus changed." You have to be kidding. Nonsense. No idea of who Jesus is. This isn't a novel, it's the Word of God and Jesus is the Word of God. Read the first paragraph of John and you've got it. How can one stand on the dock with the Cruise Ship right in front of him, with his rubber ducky in one hand and an inflatable in the other and MISS the Cruise Ship? Can't explain it, but here he is.

Isaiah 43:11 I, even I am the Lord and beside me there is no savior Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our G-D, the Lord is one Jesus is a myth! Christia"Nutty" is Idolatry and that pesky First Commandment I overlooked for 65 yrs, I am the Lord thy G-d and thou shalt not have any other gods before my face

I read this book many years ago.

As a Muslim I must admit that JDC scholarship is extraordinary. He makes a lot of sense. I enjoyed his teachings. In fact he is correct on most of the things he said. The Holy Quran is actually not incorrect by condemning those who say Jesus is the son of God of Allah has taken a son(incarnate).... The Holy Quran corrects this by saying Allah created Jesus. Finish Therefore Jesus is a creature just like all of us, he is not God incarnate. So stop equating him to Caesar Augustus, Caesar title is blasphemy and nonsensical. Don't use that with the messengers of Allah.

Where is 99% of the information about Christ from?

There wasn't anywhere called Israel at the time. The 'Israel' that the Bible refers to is a family, the descendants of Jacob, renamed Israel.

"Bad Judaism", have you read the old testament, it's toxic morality!!

The word "messiah" refers to an anointed KING. If Jesus was the messiah, he was NOT a peasant. If he was a peasant, he was NOT the messiah. The truth, Crossan is wrong, Jesus was not a peasant. OR Jesus was a peasant and was therefore not the messiah, and again, Crossan is wrong, but this time, for thinking of Jesus as a messiah. Which way is Crossan wrong? I suggest the first way. Jesus was not a peasant.

This man admits he does not understand many things In this interview. He says carefully compared data but his conclusions are completely opposite of what the actual gospels are and what they are for. Bringing “good news” to a lost, confused, dying world. Very sad

29:30 the Q document

What are the sources of the stories about Jesus? Only the gospels, written by unknown authors, several decades after the supposed life of Jesus from unknown sources, from tales told orally from people to peope! There is no extra biblical souces or outside of the gospels. Writers and historians of the 1st century never knew nor wrote about Jesus. As far as secular history is concerned, Jesus never existed!

Crossan is the most confusing scholar to listen to. I have no idea what he thinks even after listening to him for a long time.

this Jacob is either uneducated or just a poor interviewer. crossan seems shocked by Jacob misunderstanding both history and the New Testament

Romanisation of his country a motive? I don't think that Rome had much impact on the countryside, Roman cultural influence was in the cities among the elite and the countryside stayed pretty much the same under Judean rulers, Persian , Greek or Roman rulers , the nloy thing that changed was the tax and not even the taxcollecting middlemen, those were recruted from the same stock as before. Rome was not interested in Romanisation of the Empire, it was interested in taxes and the peacefull collecting of taxes. When ever the peasants saw Romans it was them or their auxiliries marching from one city to another or to an area that was in revolt. And I think the harsh condition caused by the local indiginous rulers was the main cause for uprisings. What could have happened was a resentment between the autarktic and conservative countryside and the mondain city of Jerusalem, a conflict that often exploded in riots during the three pilgrimage festivals. Pontius Pilatus did not like Jews very much, but he liked to suppress riots less and acted very harsh on it. So when a group or conservative and devote pilgrams from Galilee caused a riot at the templemarket and the templepolice had to asked asstince from the romans, he was double annoyed. When the Jesus crucified according to Josephus was part of that riot, he was most likely a very conservative Jew from the backwaters of Judea, who had never heard of a Messiah as Saviour of Souls. That idea had no feeding ground in countryside Judea nor in pharisee Jerusalem or in the Jewish triving community of Alexandria or Babylon. But it did had fertile soil among the Greek speaking Jews in Greece and Asia Minor, who had closer contact with their Greek neighbours then with Jerusalem. Peasants are about the last social group to come up with a new filosophy, religion of belief.... they dont't have the time for it, all their time is spend on survival, it has been the case since the Neolithicum.

Jesus is a fictional character made up by unknown professional liars! .

Shows that everyone has their own human ideas. lol If it sells books, good for him. Better than being a snake oil salesman I guess.

My apologies John is an interpolator.

pure imagination. well done fiction.

it is written, if everything Jesus did were written down, the world itself could not contain the books: WHY? WE ARE THE LIVING BOOKS IN WHOM JESUS MUST RISE as the MESSIAH IN US: I explain more below: I'm talking to Jews who completely deny Jesus as Messiah and I can understand denying what you have not yet EXPERIENCED, but those who have, for them the evil root of their tree of knowledge (their brain) is going to go through a huge transformation into the TREE OF LIFE and here is HOW: well serpents bit the Israelites and then Moses had them make a pole to lift them up so they could LOOK upon the brass serpent and LIVE? Serpent caused the fall of Adam and you think its just a snake in the grass that doesn't mean anything? I think the Bible is just a ridiculous book anymore. People fighting over it and they don't even understand all the weird stories in it. I mean I see the whole book as an allegory and parable and it works that way completely. Judaism created Kabbalah to show that the Bible isn't about snakes and weird stories but about the inner journey. If you just think God wants you to know that he made enemies between woman and snakes, well then go ahead: Its all good if it works for you. Leah (weak eyed) and Rachel (sheep) and all their children are parts of the soul that must rise above the serpent in EVERYONE because the serpent is the EVIL ROOT of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE that Adam inherited for US ALL. In the end, David's soul does what none of the Israelites could do: HE brought the GOOD ROOT of Adam Rishon into the world. Adam who became 'MANY" (egos) first rejected the GOOD ROOT (MESSIAH) and till you all return (DO TESHUVAH) to the good root and choose that root which is the HOLY ONE OF HASHEM, the Messiah in you, the good root that gives you life and overcomes the EVIL ROOT the VOID the emptiness, the death and darkness and evil ROOT, you are not going to be ONE WITH HASHEM who is ONE with the good root the Messiah in you: Hashem can only be ONE WITH HIMSELF so until you choose the MESSIAH whom he MOVES IN within you, there is no UNITY with Hashem: ARISE O God and let your enemies be scattered: When Hashem arises in you through his ANOINTING, the HOLY OIL, the MESSIAH, he will destroy the serpent (evil root) because the OIL LIFTS HIM UP for his destruction: When you LOOK UPON HIM LIFTED UP, Zechariah 12, you will LIVE to this day: HE IS WITHIN YOU and he must be overcome: Only the good will overcome the evil and only the light will overcome the darkness and only LIFE will swallow death: SO MESSIAH is the ONLY FORCE and SOURCE to overcome the FALL and SPIRITUAL DEATH of Adam whom we all are. Fighting about religion won't help anyone lift up their serpent: ONLY THE ANOINTING, the MESSIAH, so if Jesus is or isn't the Messiah, that's not my question: MY ANSWER to who is the seed of the serpent is, the EGO, the SELF, the carnal corporeal mind that is ENMITY WITH HASHEM: The seed of the serpent is your own mind, will, desire, and it rules through your HEART, the HOLY PLACE, where Hashem wants to live and only the HOLY OIL will get rid of this ABOMINATION that causes DESOLATION within you. Daniel 9 Zec 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. HOW will he save Judah/David first? Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. JUST LIKE ISRAEL had to LOOK UPON THE SERPENT LIFTED UP, so will David/Judah finally receive the SPIRIT OF GRACE and supplication (asking for help) and shall "LOOK UPON ME' (whom they have pierced and the word is dâqar, daw-kar'; a primitive root; to stab; by analogy, to starve; figuratively, to revile:-pierce, strike (thrust) through, wound. and shall mourn for his ONLY SON (YECHIDA) a very Kabbalistic term meaning the CROWN OF LIFE in you): and David and all Israel and all the world who has this VISION because it is a vision that comes to you when YOUR HOLY OIL REACHES THE PLACE OF THE SKULL (the serpent (ENERGY that pulls you down into ENTROPY and death) will be LIFTED UP and JOINED to Hashem's HOLY OIL, hence the GOOD ROOT saves the TREE of knowledge making it a TREE OF LIFE and then you will GRASP ALL the TORAH: The YECHIDA is the ONLY SON because it is the OFFSPRING from whatever is before it: Yechida is the HIGHEST consciousness mortals can hold: yāḥîḏ Pronunciation yaw-kheed' KJV Translation Count - Total: 12x H3173 in the following manner: only (6x), darling (2x), only child (1x), only son (1x), desolate (1x), solitary (1x). now look at this beautiful ROOT word for Yahid (Yachida in now day language) yāḥaḏ Pronunciation yaw-khad' KJV Translation Count - Total: 3x The KJV translates Strong's H3161 in the following manner: unite (2x), join (1x). to join, unite, be joined, be united (Qal) to be united (Piel) to unite THERE YOU GO: This is HOW HASHEM UNITES YOUR SOUL TO HIS KETER, his CROWN OF LIFE, the YACHIDA: THE ONLY ONE, ONLY LIVING ONE, hence Hashem is ONE and his NAME IS ONE (ECHAD) so anything that comes FROM HIM IS ALSO ECHAD, ONE: if you don't get it, don't worry: God seems to have lots of time

Poor Dr Crossan... He is so clearly reading back into the gospels his own left-wing political leanings. The Jesus myth is very powerful. It can adapt to any political ideology and function as its spiritual underpinning. How can a man like Dr Crossan reconcile his anti-imperialist gospel with the naked fact that we have a NT only *because* of the Roman imperialist power, one can only wonder.

Sub Mediterranean that is.