crucifixion

I am holding a couple of Bible studies on the meaning of Jesus’ death tonight and next Monday here in the Hague. The following brief notes outline what I think are the main interpretive perspectives on his death in the Gospels. Next week I will look at Paul. To my mind, the main points to be grasped from these perspectives are i) that we need to make sense of Jesus’ death primarily within a (multilayered) narrative rather than systematic theological framework; and ii) that at least in the Gospels his death is understood as being not for humanity but for Israel. In essence, his death is interpreted by means of various extended stories drawn from the Old Testament that articulate a hope of forgiveness and restoration for Israel following judgment and alienation from YHWH. It seems to me that any attempt to understand his death in universal terms must first respect the historical contingency of the Gospel accounts. This is not to say that the cross has no universal significance, rather that whatever universal significance it has comes by way of its significance for first century Israel.