The Gospel, A Son Of God And A Riddle Essay - 831 Words

I do not agree with Jonathan Z. Smith’s definition, particularly I do not like the word â€Å"a riddle.† The words â€Å"Gospel, a son of God and a riddle† in his definition outstand to me, and I think these words are the key of his definition. Thus, it is important to understand what these words meaning is. What is Gospel? The people usually think the Fourth Gospel that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and it is all about Jesus. In the ancient Hellenistic time, the Gospels were regarded as biographies of Jesus (Boring, 508). If Jonathan Z. Smith represents â€Å"a son of God† as Jesus in his definition, I do not think the Gospel is only the story of Jesus, a son of God. While Jesus appears in every scene of Gospel, Jesus himself is not the main object of the Gospel. But I acknowledge that Jesus is the important character in the Gospel because God reveals himself through Jesus, and Jesus reveals himself as the Christ (Boring, 509). Boring said that the structure of the Gospel is not talking about Jesus’s life, but it is â€Å"who Jesus is in the plan of God† (Boring, 510). Dr. Smith’s definition seems like only focusing on Jesus as a son of God. However, I would like to emphasize God and God’s work through Jesus the Christ in the Gospel rather than Jesus a s a son of God. If only focusing on Jesus, we can easily miss God’s works in the believer’s life and the community in the Gospel. And also, it is easy to think Jesus as only human being. I believe that Jesus, a son of God, cannot be explainedShow MoreRelatedThe Principles Of The Kingdom Of God977 Words   |  4 PagesThe â€Å"Principles of the Kingdom of God† are found abundantly within the text writings of the Gospels and other books within the Bible. It is easy to see that the â€Å"Kingdom of God† came upon us when Jesus walked the earth teaching, healing and preaching; doing the works of our Father, God Almighty. 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