Great catch, Mind-numbed Robot!
Hegelian dialectics applied to this question: Thesis (i.e., Good)–Antithesis (i.e., Evil) resolve into "Synthesis" (whatever that might be) — which becomes the next "thesis" invoking a new "antithesis," resolvable into a new "synthesis." And so this process continues ad infinitum.
But it never "resolves" into anything definite, let alone "objective." It is merely an operation of abstract mind detached from reality as experienced, and is, as such, relentlessly subjective. IMHO, it is the highest form of the fine art of "navel gazing" ever produced in human history.
But it has the dubious virtue of promising us that by use of this method, we can move "beyond" Good and Evil.... Marx and Engels evidently caught onto that aspect right away. Their resulting "systems" speak for themselves.
Thanks again, Mind-numbed Robot, for your excellent insight!
I post this to you two because I bought both your books a while backand I greatly respect you.
The crux of the New Testament is the virgin birth, crucifixion and resurrection combination. Although the story cannot be fragmented the part that resonates most with me is the Passion of the Crucifixion. This is truly a story of Love.
Jesus basically came from nowhere, though His coming was prophesied and the angels spoke to the shepherds in the field at night, directing them to follow the star to his birth site. The shepherds, Kings, Wise Men or whomever. spread the word of a King being born, prompting Herod to kill all babies under one year old. So, He did make a big stir upon His first appearance but He then faded from sight until age twelve.
At that time He reappears by amazing the elders with His knowledge and intelligence, causing them to wonder, “Who is this kid?” Then He stormed the Temple and threw out the money changers and sellers of sacrificial animals. (What kind of sacrifice is it to buy and animal for that purpose?) He then disappears again until age thirty.
The Jewish Temple had become an entity unto itself rather than a place to worship and sing praises to God. Instead, the elders and priests had become the center. They made great public displays of their piety by praying aloud in the town square and turning the temple into a business for their purposes. They became the center rather than God.
Jesus came to change all that and to establish a New Covenant with Man, a Covenant with the God of Love as its center to replace the God of Revenge and the elders and priest who were trying to replace HIm. He also gave man a direct pipeline to God rather than having to go through the priests and elders. (Years later, the Church of Peter, the Catholic Church, sort of re-instituted the Old Covenant.) As a result, He made enemies early on.
As He wondered the hills He told his story of true salvation, of Loving thy neighbor as thyself, of helping the beggar in the ditch rather than pretending to not see him, of humbling oneself in God’s service rather than boasting of piety. Along the way He also performed a few miracles such as turning water into wine, walking on the sea and calming the storm, curing the incurable, healing the lame and raising the dead. Naturally, this caught the attention of some and He developed a small following of disciples who accompanied Him and helped spread the Word.
As He drew more and more attention from the citizens He also drew more attention from the Temple elders and priests. He was a direct threat to their livelihood. They began to complain to the powers-that-be, the Romans, and suggested He was a threat to them also. They said, “Here is a man claiming to be King of the World. We must rid ourselves of this man as he is a threat to social order.”
They frequently tried to trick Him into saying just that, that He was God or that He was a King. He always slipped the noose and proclaimed Himself the Son of Man rather than the Son of God. Still, they managed to bring Him before Pilate and demand his execution. In their fervor to rid themselves of this scourge they sought His disciples, too, and any others they could tie to Him. Those who had recently declared eternal devotion, including His most dedicated disciples, like Peter and Judas, betrayed Him, with Peter protesting he had never known Him and Judas betraying His whereabouts to save his own skin.
Here was God, come to Earth as Man, spreading Love and Salvation, and He was rejected and defiled. He had previously told His disciples that they would face the same, He said they would be persecuted in HIs Name, that the road was wide but the gate was narrow, that many would be called but few would answer.
With the repeated demand of the temple elders Pilate relented and condemned Jesus to crucifixion, the most barbaric form of punishment. Pilate offered to crucify Barabbas, a known criminal, instead, but the crowd demanded that it be Jesus.
We all know of the abuse and mistreatment He received as He was forced to carry His own cross up Calvary Hill, how He was nailed instead of tied to the cross, how the Roman soldiers pierced his head with a crown of thorns and His side with a spear, how he fell several times in His tortured journey up the hill, how He suffered in His time hanging on the cross. Yet, during all this, He was still full of Love and Forgiveness for those who were tormenting Him.
To me, that is the true story of the Bible: How Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to show us the route to salvation on Earth and Eternal Life afterward. All we had to do was believe Him. He had displayed Himself through the miracles He performed and through the Love He had shown and preached, and, yet, He was met with rejection, ridicule, and torment. Through it all, He never wavered in His devotion to and Love for us. That was His purpose and that is what He fulfilled, and most of us still reject Him.
That is my thumbnail description of the Gospel. Naturally, I invite your critique and corrections.