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Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

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§11.5 Beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> Baptism of John<br />

of <strong>the</strong> account itself. For as Dibelius po<strong>in</strong>ted out, <strong>the</strong> disciples could have been<br />

made privy to such an <strong>in</strong>tensely personal experience only if <strong>Jesus</strong> had told <strong>the</strong>m<br />

about it. But <strong>in</strong> that case <strong>the</strong> story would presumably have been narrated <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

words of <strong>Jesus</strong> and as teach<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>Jesus</strong> (cf. Luke 10.18), 171 whereas what we<br />

have here is a story told from <strong>the</strong> viewpo<strong>in</strong>t of <strong>the</strong> narrator. Whatever lies beh<strong>in</strong>d<br />

<strong>the</strong> tradition, it is less than likely that <strong>the</strong> tradition was first formulated by <strong>Jesus</strong><br />

himself. 172<br />

This observation correlates with <strong>the</strong> fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>dications that <strong>the</strong> tradition<br />

has been developed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> course of transmission. In <strong>the</strong> history of <strong>the</strong> tradition,<br />

<strong>the</strong>re seems to be a steady trend to make <strong>the</strong> whole event a more visible, more<br />

objective wonder. Our earliest version beg<strong>in</strong>s as a description of someth<strong>in</strong>g seen<br />

and heard by <strong>Jesus</strong> alone: <strong>Jesus</strong> saw <strong>the</strong> heavens torn open and <strong>the</strong> Spirit descend<strong>in</strong>g;<br />

<strong>the</strong> heavenly voice is a personal communication, 'You are my son .. .'<br />

(Mark 1.10-11). In Mat<strong>the</strong>w <strong>the</strong> opened heaven is not a vision of <strong>Jesus</strong> alone, and<br />

<strong>the</strong> heavenly address is more <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> nature of a public announcement, 'This is my<br />

son . . .' (Matt. 3.16-17). In Luke, <strong>in</strong> accordance with his own predilection for<br />

tangible spiritual experiences, 173 <strong>the</strong> Spirit descends '<strong>in</strong> bodily form' (sömatikö);<br />

<strong>the</strong>re really was a dove to be seen (Luke 3.22). In <strong>the</strong> Gospel of <strong>the</strong> Ebionites 'a<br />

great light shone around <strong>the</strong> place . . .'. 174 And <strong>in</strong> Just<strong>in</strong>, 'fire was k<strong>in</strong>dled <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

171. Dibelius, Tradition 21A (cited above, chapter 5 n. 35). Those who th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> terms of<br />

an actual experience of <strong>Jesus</strong> communicated to <strong>the</strong> disciples <strong>in</strong>clude Scobie, John <strong>the</strong> Baptist<br />

146-47; Jeremias, Proclamation 49, 55-56; Leivestad, <strong>Jesus</strong> 39; Taylor, Immerser 264-77;<br />

Theissen and Merz, Historical <strong>Jesus</strong> 211-12; Funk, Acts of <strong>Jesus</strong> 54. Borg notes <strong>the</strong> heavenly<br />

voices <strong>in</strong> stories of 'o<strong>the</strong>r Jewish charismatic holy men' (see below, chapter 16 n. 19) and deduces<br />

that 'it is historically possible to imag<strong>in</strong>e this as part of <strong>the</strong> experience of <strong>Jesus</strong>' (New Vision<br />

41). Chilton takes <strong>the</strong> vision as a paradigmatic <strong>in</strong>dicator that <strong>Jesus</strong> was becom<strong>in</strong>g a skilled<br />

practitioner <strong>in</strong> merkabah mysticism, <strong>the</strong> technique of envision<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> div<strong>in</strong>e Chariot as <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

vision of Ezekiel 1 (Rabbi <strong>Jesus</strong> 50-53, 55, 58, et passim). M. Barker, The Risen Lord: The <strong>Jesus</strong><br />

of History as <strong>the</strong> Christ of Faith (Ed<strong>in</strong>burgh: Clark, 1996), pushes <strong>the</strong> same <strong>the</strong>sis much fur<strong>the</strong>r:<br />

a merkabah experience at Jordan conv<strong>in</strong>ced <strong>Jesus</strong> that he had become <strong>the</strong> son of God, <strong>the</strong><br />

Lord manifested on earth; 'he achieved at his baptism that sense of complete identification with<br />

God which <strong>the</strong> mystics so often call <strong>the</strong> resurrection life' (55, 107-10). S. L. Davies, <strong>Jesus</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Healer (New York: Cont<strong>in</strong>uum, 1995) suggests that <strong>Jesus</strong> 'entered <strong>in</strong>to a state of alter-persona<br />

consciousness, which he came to def<strong>in</strong>e as possession by God's spirit' and 'believed that. . .<br />

when <strong>the</strong> spirit was active <strong>in</strong> him he was transformed <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Son of God' (65, 61). Similarly,<br />

R. E. DeMaris, 'Possession, Good and Bad — Ritual, Effects and Side-Effects: The Baptism of<br />

<strong>Jesus</strong> and Mark 1.9-11 from a Cross-Cultural Perspective', JSNT 80 (2000) 3-30, sees <strong>in</strong>dications<br />

of an altered state of consciousness (ASC) or possession trance, and suggests that <strong>the</strong> vision<br />

of Mark 1.10-11 has a greater claim to historicity than <strong>the</strong> account of <strong>Jesus</strong>' baptism (also<br />

Mal<strong>in</strong>a, Social Gospel 145).<br />

172. Contrast Cullmann (Christology 283-84) and Wi<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>gton (Christology 148-55),<br />

who push directly from <strong>the</strong> present form of <strong>the</strong> tradition to <strong>Jesus</strong>' self-consciousness.<br />

173. Dunn, Unity and Diversity 180-84.<br />

375

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