Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time - Marcus Borg
The Meaning of Jesus - Borg and N.T. Wright
I don't have jury duty tomorrow, yay! Last Tuesday was a doozy civil case, every argument slipping down the slope toward tyranny or autarchy! As nervous as I am, probably any case would have seemed like a doozy...I'm so grateful I wasn't on a criminal case.
I know first-hand now how amazingly pliable "negligence" can be in a court room - and in a jury deliberation. The trial experience was surreal and disturbing; I felt like we were in a submarine, several miles deep, way out in the pacific, rehearsing a scene from Beckett or Pirandello. I knew it was important to pay attention but it was hard not to make sour faces at the lawyers whenever they turned our way.
My fellow jurors were great. Everyone was genuinely interested to hear what everyone else had to say. Three favored the defense, a couple favored the plaintiff, and the final two wanted to use "comparative negligence" (who is more at fault and by how much), which is not allowed. In Virginia, if the plaintiff is "contributorily negligent," he or she "cannot recover [any damages]." If you're interested and have a moment - google "contributory negligence vs comparative negligence."
Nevertheless - we compromised in a comparative way and came up with an award to the plaintiff that everyone could sign.
One of my take-a-ways: the atmosphere of a courtroom - the dress, the language, the seating arrangement, the debate method - all seemed to demand "fault." Technically we could have decided that neither side was negligent, but somehow that was hard even to consider.
Enon v Tinkers
In the case of Enon - Paul Harding's second novel, something of a sequel - v Tinkers - his first book, winner of a million awards, we rule in favor Enon and find the defendant, Tinkers, guilty of setting unreasonable standards for any other book Harding ever writes.
You gotta read Tinkers, the memories and reflections of a dying old man (George Crosby) flowing into and out of the life of his family, especially his father the tinker, flowing into and out of the rural New England landscape, flowing into and out of dovetailed wonder-worlds, natural and mechanical.
Enon isn't as marvelous, but you gotta read it, too. Harding again magically achieves seamlessness between human and natural, tools and plants, culture and landscape, dreams and weather. Enon is the story of Charlie Crosby (grandson of George), drenched in grief after the death of his young daughter. A couple of drug-insomia-grief induced vision scenes blew me away: one based on his swirling scribble all over a wall in his house with it's hurricane eye hole saw-zawed out - another in the middle of the night, in the graveyard, a garish, theatrical, frightening coronation scene of his daughter, Kate (youtube Danse Macabre).
So why isn't it as good as Tinkers? The character Mrs. Hale. Well, it's not her fault at all - she's great...just too great. Too convenient. Too necessary to the story.
A good character actively resists the question, "are you necessary to the plot?" You try to pin Iago down, he just slips away. Of course he's necessary, but he's also gratuitous, and lots of other things. Oliver Twist is necessary. He's great. But that's about it. That's not Oliver Twist's fault, he just never had a chance; he was always primarily a means to an end.
I don't mean to use Forster's round character vs flat character distinction, because both round and flat can qualify as "good" here. I guess I'm saying that Harding "showed his [plot] hand" with Mrs. Hale; her personality filled a big hole in the story like new plaster in an old dent. Harding ushered her on stage at obvious moments and held up cue cards with her perfect words.
N.T. Wright v Marcus Borg
In the case of N.T. Wright v Marcus Borg, we rule in favor of Jesus, since they do as well.
The Meaning of Jesus contains most of Borg's vision from Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, so if you want a brief intro to Borg, pick up The Meaning of Jesus and you'll get two for one. Tom Wright frequently references his book Jesus and the Victory of God, so I'm assuming what he says in Meaning summarizes his conclusions there.
This is not so much debate or dialogue as dueling confessions. Borg and Wright speak personally, devotionally, and respectfully of their research and their faith. Scholarship and discipleship are of a piece to them - that comes across as genuine. I was hoping that they might give some specific examples of their New Testament reading methods - and then give and take a little criticism - but mostly they stick to presenting their matured conclusions.
Notes
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time
- images of Jesus: fideistic, moralistic, transformational
- beginning sayings with "amen" unusual
- compassion plural of womb
- "Be compassionate as God is compassionate" key for Borg's interpretation
- significant that "wisdom" feminine in Hebrew and Greek
- "wisdom of God" asso with banquet also
- "macro-stories:" exodus from Egypt, return from exile, priestly atonement
- Jesus the Spirit person, teacher of wisdom, social prophet, movement founder
The Meaning of Jesus
- Wright - "History and faith need each other at every step, and never more so than here."
- Wright - Jesus the 1st century Jewish eschatological prophet, announcing kingdom of God, kingdom inaugurated in his work, summoning others to join in movement, warning of judgment of nation and destruction of Jerusalem if people don't join, movement a replacement of Temple, cryptically proclaims himself Messiah, takes judgment and punishment upon himself on the cross
- Wright - metaphor into metonymy
- Borg - ideally a creed provides a theological frame to understand Jesus, doesn't exclude but creates platform for historical Jesus
- Messiah, Son of Adam/Man, Word of God, Sophia of God, Son of God
- Wright - worship and mission: spirituality, theology, politics, healing
- Borg - God is near ("at hand"), immediately accessible, compassionate, wants justice
- Borg - tradition as a sacrament
No comments:
Post a Comment