"Who Killed Jesus?"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses John D. Crossan's views of the claim that Jews were responsible for Jesus' death, as expressed in his book "Who Killed Jesus?: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus". The author relates Crossan's argument that the death of Jesus was instead caused by the Romans who saw him as a public agitator and wanted him out of the way. The paper explains how Crossan deconstructs the story of the death of Jesus by considering the historical accuracy of the story's detail. The paper also stresses the relevance on this age old debate as Jews continue to struggle against anti-Semitism and as passion stories are being told and retold.

From the Paper:

"In his book, Who Killed Jesus?, John Crossan takes a look at the biblical story of the arrest, trial, execution, burial, and ultimate resurrection of Jesus. In doing so, Crossan calls the old claim that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus the longest lie in Christianity. Crossan argues instead that the death of Jesus was actually caused by the Romans, who saw him as a public agitator and wanted him out of the way. This debate continues to be relevant since Jews continue to struggle against anti-Semitism and passion stories continue to be told. In 2004, Mel Gibson depicted a passion story in a major motion picture in The Passion of the Christ. While the movie was a box office hit, many critics, particularly those in the Jewish community, claimed that it was just another example of Christians blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crossan, John D. Who Killed Jesus?: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins, 1996.

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