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The Founder of Christianity
Fontana books, 3137R
New Testament theology.
New Testament theology.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
C.H. Dodd
54 books15 followersCharles Harold Dodd was a Welsh New Testament scholar and influential Protestant theologian. He is known for promoting "realized eschatology", the belief that Jesus' references to the kingdom of God meant a present reality rather than a future apocalypse.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 1, 2015
A book about Jesus
2 March 2013
When I first picked this book up from the second-hand bookshop I thought it was going to be about Paul the Apostle. The reason I thought that was because there is this belief drifting around these days that Jesus never actually existed (and even if he did he did not necessary found a religion) and that the person that actually created Christianity was Paul the Apostle. The other theory is that the true creators of Christianity were Constantine and Eusebius, around three hundred years after the events outlined in the Bible.
Dodd in his book takes the traditional belief that Jesus was the founder of Christianity, though I tend to hold the line that Constantine and his cronies were the true founders of the religion that we know of today. The reason that I say this is because Jesus never set out to found a new religion, and he never indicated that this would be some form of cult. What Jesus did was throw open the ability to have a relationship with God to everybody in the world without the need of performing endless rituals, or communing through a priest.
What Jesus did was to challenge the prevailing thoughts of his day. It is true that he only ever left his homeland for short periods of time (though there was a three to four year period in which he was a refugee in Egypt) and that he spent most of his time among what he termed as 'the lost sheep of Israel'. The main reason for this was because his appearance was the fulfilment of hundreds of prophesies that had come about beforehand, and the people that he spent the most time around were the people who would have been more familiar with these prophesies.
It is not that he was not prophesied outside of the Jewish religion, it is just the prophecies that appeared in the mystery cults were very eclectic at best and did not form the solid foundations that the Jewish prophecies did. However the pagans of the Roman world would have been familiar with the concept of the dying and resurrecting God king, and would have also been knowledgeable of the concept of the God-man. However Jesus took that idea beyond what the pagans, and the Jews, understood at the time.
As for Paul being the founder of the religion of Christianity, I would dispute that as well namely because Paul never added anything new to what had already been established. Further, Paul was not some wonderful preacher that everybody loved. In fact, from Paul's lips himself, he tells us about many of his sufferings as he travels the Roman world as the missionary to the Gentiles. Paul did not create a religion, he only took the original message, as came from the lips of Christ, to the world at large. Further, there were many that had also travelled out into the Roman world that were able to corroborate what Paul was saying. As Paul points out in the book of Corinthians, Christianity is not defined by the preacher, but is defined by Christ alone.
The reason I fall into the category of Constantine and his cronies being the flounders of Christianity is that they were the ones that established the church as we know it today. Under Constantine's rule, Christianity was legitimised, and in turn, made the state religion of the Roman empire. The problem is that whenever a religion becomes a state religion, bad things end up happening to that religion. By the time of Constantine, Christianity ceased to be the relationship with God and returned to the works based religion that Christ came to destroy.
2 March 2013
When I first picked this book up from the second-hand bookshop I thought it was going to be about Paul the Apostle. The reason I thought that was because there is this belief drifting around these days that Jesus never actually existed (and even if he did he did not necessary found a religion) and that the person that actually created Christianity was Paul the Apostle. The other theory is that the true creators of Christianity were Constantine and Eusebius, around three hundred years after the events outlined in the Bible.
Dodd in his book takes the traditional belief that Jesus was the founder of Christianity, though I tend to hold the line that Constantine and his cronies were the true founders of the religion that we know of today. The reason that I say this is because Jesus never set out to found a new religion, and he never indicated that this would be some form of cult. What Jesus did was throw open the ability to have a relationship with God to everybody in the world without the need of performing endless rituals, or communing through a priest.
What Jesus did was to challenge the prevailing thoughts of his day. It is true that he only ever left his homeland for short periods of time (though there was a three to four year period in which he was a refugee in Egypt) and that he spent most of his time among what he termed as 'the lost sheep of Israel'. The main reason for this was because his appearance was the fulfilment of hundreds of prophesies that had come about beforehand, and the people that he spent the most time around were the people who would have been more familiar with these prophesies.
It is not that he was not prophesied outside of the Jewish religion, it is just the prophecies that appeared in the mystery cults were very eclectic at best and did not form the solid foundations that the Jewish prophecies did. However the pagans of the Roman world would have been familiar with the concept of the dying and resurrecting God king, and would have also been knowledgeable of the concept of the God-man. However Jesus took that idea beyond what the pagans, and the Jews, understood at the time.
As for Paul being the founder of the religion of Christianity, I would dispute that as well namely because Paul never added anything new to what had already been established. Further, Paul was not some wonderful preacher that everybody loved. In fact, from Paul's lips himself, he tells us about many of his sufferings as he travels the Roman world as the missionary to the Gentiles. Paul did not create a religion, he only took the original message, as came from the lips of Christ, to the world at large. Further, there were many that had also travelled out into the Roman world that were able to corroborate what Paul was saying. As Paul points out in the book of Corinthians, Christianity is not defined by the preacher, but is defined by Christ alone.
The reason I fall into the category of Constantine and his cronies being the flounders of Christianity is that they were the ones that established the church as we know it today. Under Constantine's rule, Christianity was legitimised, and in turn, made the state religion of the Roman empire. The problem is that whenever a religion becomes a state religion, bad things end up happening to that religion. By the time of Constantine, Christianity ceased to be the relationship with God and returned to the works based religion that Christ came to destroy.
August 23, 2024
THE THEOLOGIAN'S LATE THOUGHTS ON THE LIFE OF JESUS
Charles Harold Dodd (1884-1973) was a Protestant theologian; he also wrote books such as Parables of the Kingdom (wherein he proposed the concept of "realized eschatology"). He explained in the Preface of this 1970 book, "The nucleus of this book was a course of four... Lectures given in February 1954... For various reasons publication has regrettably been delayed longer than was contemplated. In the interval the material of the lectures has been extensively shaped and rewritten, though their broad pattern has been retained, and the proportion of added material is considerable." (Pg. vii)
He notes, "The attentive reader cannot fail to be struck with the amount of space allotted in [the gospels] to the closing stages of the story: the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus, and the events immediately preceding and following. If the gospels were offered as 'Lives of Jesus,' this allocation of space would be out of proportion. The intention of the writers is unmistakable: to lay all possible emphasis on these closing scenes because of their intrinsic importance." (Pg. 33)
He points out, "We note here a characteristic difference between John and the others. Matthew and Luke have allowed the truth about the authority of Jesus to come out obliquely; John puts it in the mouth of Jesus himself. In this he is employing a method not unfamiliar with Greek writers... with whom he has some affinity. He gives what may appear to be revelations about the inner life of Jesus, in the words of Jesus himself, but they must often be read as John's interpretation... This is not to say that they should be disregarded in the attempt to understand the mind of Jesus." (Pg. 50-51)
He observes, "We may be sure that here were others [than Simon] with a Zealot background among the wider body of adherents. After the death of Jesus, so Luke relates, one of those who had followed him said wistfully, 'We had been hoping that he was the man to liberate Israel.' It is likely that many others thought he might turn out to be the national liberator." (Pg. 131)
Of the Resurrection, he states, "We have here, therefore, a solid body of evidence from a date very close to the events. Something had happened to these men, which they could describe only by saying that they had 'seen the Lord.' This is not an appeal to any generalized 'Christian experience.' It refers to a particular series of occurrences, unique in character, and confined to a limited period." (Pg. 168)
In these days of "Third Quest" books about Jesus, Dodd's calmer, more conservative approach may seem "tame" to some readers; however, it is precisely his lack of "excess" and hyperbole that make this book of continuing value.
Charles Harold Dodd (1884-1973) was a Protestant theologian; he also wrote books such as Parables of the Kingdom (wherein he proposed the concept of "realized eschatology"). He explained in the Preface of this 1970 book, "The nucleus of this book was a course of four... Lectures given in February 1954... For various reasons publication has regrettably been delayed longer than was contemplated. In the interval the material of the lectures has been extensively shaped and rewritten, though their broad pattern has been retained, and the proportion of added material is considerable." (Pg. vii)
He notes, "The attentive reader cannot fail to be struck with the amount of space allotted in [the gospels] to the closing stages of the story: the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus, and the events immediately preceding and following. If the gospels were offered as 'Lives of Jesus,' this allocation of space would be out of proportion. The intention of the writers is unmistakable: to lay all possible emphasis on these closing scenes because of their intrinsic importance." (Pg. 33)
He points out, "We note here a characteristic difference between John and the others. Matthew and Luke have allowed the truth about the authority of Jesus to come out obliquely; John puts it in the mouth of Jesus himself. In this he is employing a method not unfamiliar with Greek writers... with whom he has some affinity. He gives what may appear to be revelations about the inner life of Jesus, in the words of Jesus himself, but they must often be read as John's interpretation... This is not to say that they should be disregarded in the attempt to understand the mind of Jesus." (Pg. 50-51)
He observes, "We may be sure that here were others [than Simon] with a Zealot background among the wider body of adherents. After the death of Jesus, so Luke relates, one of those who had followed him said wistfully, 'We had been hoping that he was the man to liberate Israel.' It is likely that many others thought he might turn out to be the national liberator." (Pg. 131)
Of the Resurrection, he states, "We have here, therefore, a solid body of evidence from a date very close to the events. Something had happened to these men, which they could describe only by saying that they had 'seen the Lord.' This is not an appeal to any generalized 'Christian experience.' It refers to a particular series of occurrences, unique in character, and confined to a limited period." (Pg. 168)
In these days of "Third Quest" books about Jesus, Dodd's calmer, more conservative approach may seem "tame" to some readers; however, it is precisely his lack of "excess" and hyperbole that make this book of continuing value.
October 30, 2023
An interesting and well written examination of the historical Jesus. I felt that it showed a leader or prophet whose intentions and aims may have been substantially different to the religion that was subsequently developed in his name. Indeed, I feel that the book suggests that his aim may have been to persuade his fellow followers to look again at Judaism, and his interpretation of it, rather than found a new religion.
The author was a leading academic Biblical scholar of his day and his writing is clear, concise and often forensic.
The book focuses on worldly issues rather than the supernatural, making it of possible interest not just to Christians, but to people of other faiths and possibly even to those without faith.
The author was a leading academic Biblical scholar of his day and his writing is clear, concise and often forensic.
The book focuses on worldly issues rather than the supernatural, making it of possible interest not just to Christians, but to people of other faiths and possibly even to those without faith.
November 6, 2019
Written as an analysis not as a biography of Christ but his dual role as teacher and savior. A description of the Middle East civilization of the time puts the relevance of his actions and outcome into clear perspective. For me this was a somewhat slow read as Dodd wrote this in the academic style without much regard to being preachy. I gained even more insight into the originator of our current Christian faith.
September 17, 2017
A good introductory book for someone who wants to learn about Jesus as presented by the New Testament (especially the Gospels). Dodd engages with then-contemporary scholarship as well as ancient writers to present a challenging picture of Jesus to a world that doesn't want to picture him at all.
December 29, 2021
A great introduction to Jesus from a scholar of a previous generation.
February 9, 2022
Great book very thoughtful and inspiring. So full of useful perspectives and facts
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews