Study Questions on Introduction to the New Testament
WEEK 2 STUDY QUESTIONS
1. What does Powell mean by “the earthly Jesus?” What does Powell mean by the “historical Jesus” and the “exalted Jesus?”
According to Introducing the New Testament, Mark Powell discusses the two type of “Jesus’s” found in the New Testament. Powell explains that the earthly Jesus, and the exalted Jesus are the same person but the Christian faith likes to distinguish between the two. For instance, the earthly Jesus is explained as the actual person. The Jewish man who was born in the province of Galilee, who was the son of Joseph and Mary, who had several brothers and sisters, and who was some sort of carpenter of builder. The New Testament focuses mainly on the last years of Jesus’s life, and presents him as a Jewish peasant who assumes the roles of rabbi and prophet on behalf of other Jewish peasants in Galilee during the rule of Herod Antipas; the most prominent phase of his ministry (Powell, 2009). What the “earthly Jesus” means to me is the idea or the encompassment of everything that it means to be human or earthly. In other words, it is to recognize that Jesus was an actually person who, like you and I, did many regular “earthly” things. The exalted Jesus, on the other hand, is the idea that Jesus is active in human lives even though he is not physically alive. Mark Powell explains that when a believer has “found Christ” it means that who is part of the corporate entity that now makes up Christ’s body on earth (Powell, 2009), and is in reference to the exalted Jesus. The exalted Jesus can be identified as the bridegroom of the church or as a great high priest who serves God in a heavenly sanctuary, who communicates with people through visions and prophecies, who answers prayers and also offers prayers for his followers (Powell, 2009). The exalted Jesus is also expected to return to earth at the end of time to preside at the final judgement. The way these two are tied together is how they are viewed in the writings and Jesus
1. What does Powell mean by “the earthly Jesus?” What does Powell mean by the “historical Jesus” and the “exalted Jesus?”
According to Introducing the New Testament, Mark Powell discusses the two type of “Jesus’s” found in the New Testament. Powell explains that the earthly Jesus, and the exalted Jesus are the same person but the Christian faith likes to distinguish between the two. For instance, the earthly Jesus is explained as the actual person. The Jewish man who was born in the province of Galilee, who was the son of Joseph and Mary, who had several brothers and sisters, and who was some sort of carpenter of builder. The New Testament focuses mainly on the last years of Jesus’s life, and presents him as a Jewish peasant who assumes the roles of rabbi and prophet on behalf of other Jewish peasants in Galilee during the rule of Herod Antipas; the most prominent phase of his ministry (Powell, 2009). What the “earthly Jesus” means to me is the idea or the encompassment of everything that it means to be human or earthly. In other words, it is to recognize that Jesus was an actually person who, like you and I, did many regular “earthly” things. The exalted Jesus, on the other hand, is the idea that Jesus is active in human lives even though he is not physically alive. Mark Powell explains that when a believer has “found Christ” it means that who is part of the corporate entity that now makes up Christ’s body on earth (Powell, 2009), and is in reference to the exalted Jesus. The exalted Jesus can be identified as the bridegroom of the church or as a great high priest who serves God in a heavenly sanctuary, who communicates with people through visions and prophecies, who answers prayers and also offers prayers for his followers (Powell, 2009). The exalted Jesus is also expected to return to earth at the end of time to preside at the final judgement. The way these two are tied together is how they are viewed in the writings and Jesus
References: Powell. (2009). Introducing the New Testament: A historical, literary, and theological survey (pp. 66, 72, 73, 77, 82, 85, 160). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic