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The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics
Did Jesus ever do anything wrong? Judging by the vast majority of books on New Testament ethics, the answer is a resounding No. Writers on New Testament ethics generally view Jesus as the paradigm of human standards and behaviour. But since the his-torical Jesus was a human being, must he not have had flaws, like everyone else? The notion of a flawless human Jesus is a paradoxical oddity in New Testament ethics. According to Avalos, it shows that New Testament ethics is still primarily an apologetic enterprise de-spite its claim to rest on critical and historical scholarship. The Bad Jesus is a powerful and challenging study, presenting de-tailed case studies of fundamental ethical principles enunciated or practised by Jesus but antithetical to what would be widely deemed 'acceptable' or 'good' today. Such topics include Jesus' supposedly innovative teachings on love, along with his views on hate, violence, imperialism, animal rights, environmental ethics, Judaism, women, disabled persons and biblical hermeneutics. After closely examining arguments offered by those unwilling to find any fault with the Jesus depicted in the Gospels, Avalos concludes that current treatments of New Testament ethics are permeated by a religiocentric, ethnocentric and imperialistic orientation. But if it is to be a credible historical and critical dis-cipline in modern academia, New Testament ethics needs to discover both a Good and a Bad Jesus.
461 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Hector Avalos
15 books36 followersHector Avalos is a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and the author of several books about religion. He is a former Pentecostal preacher and child evangelist. Recognized as one of the foremost scholars of health care in the ancient world, Avalos is also one of the most prominent secular humanist biblical scholars today.
He has a Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies from Harvard University (1991), a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1985), and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1982.
Avalos arrived at Iowa State University in the Fall of 1993 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship (1991-93) in the departments of Anthropology and Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1996 Avalos was named Professor of the Year at Iowa State University, where he was also named a Master Teacher for 2003-04. Other awards include The Early Achievement in Research and Creative Activity Award (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1996), and the Outstanding Professor Award (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1996).
Since his arrival at Iowa State, Avalos has become an internationally-recognized critic of Intelligent Design creationism, and he is often linked with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, the advocate of Intelligent Design who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in 2007. Avalos co-authored a statement against Intelligent Design in 2005, which was eventually signed by over 130 faculty members at Iowa State University. That faculty statement became a model for other statements at the University of Northern Iowa and at the University of Iowa. Gonzalez and Avalos are both featured in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008).
He has a Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies from Harvard University (1991), a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1985), and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1982.
Avalos arrived at Iowa State University in the Fall of 1993 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship (1991-93) in the departments of Anthropology and Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1996 Avalos was named Professor of the Year at Iowa State University, where he was also named a Master Teacher for 2003-04. Other awards include The Early Achievement in Research and Creative Activity Award (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1996), and the Outstanding Professor Award (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1996).
Since his arrival at Iowa State, Avalos has become an internationally-recognized critic of Intelligent Design creationism, and he is often linked with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, the advocate of Intelligent Design who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in 2007. Avalos co-authored a statement against Intelligent Design in 2005, which was eventually signed by over 130 faculty members at Iowa State University. That faculty statement became a model for other statements at the University of Northern Iowa and at the University of Iowa. Gonzalez and Avalos are both featured in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 14, 2021
The study of ethics in the christian “New Testament” (N.T.), let alone the ethics of christianity in general, is usually a subject only discussed by those well encased within the believer bubble. Avalos (who sadly died just last month, April 2021) here examines the writings of the christian bible from the outside as a non-believer (Avalos was an atheist/secular humanist, and a professor of religious studies). This is a heavily researched, well documented discussion of how the “ethics” of the N.T., especially as reflected in words put in the mouth of Jesus, fit with modern concepts of ethics, concluding that “much of what passes for N.T. ethics involves religiocentrism and special pleading.” If you are interested in a serious look at what the N.T. actually says, and what it may have meant in the early centuries c.e., this is a good place to start. [one caveat: this is not an easy read, some basic knowledge of the philosophy of religion, the concepts of theology, and the history of the ancient world, are necessary to fully understand what is being discussed]
February 17, 2024
A book like this doesn't come up on a lay-person's radar very often, but I'm glad it did in my case, because I feel that Avalos is tapping into a rather important subject. Cathartic for some, but more importantly it serves to deconstruct the narratives built around a revered figure, a figure much less subject to scrutiny than so much else in the religion said figure is central to. This very much earns its place as part of socially and culturally conscious literature, urging readers to challenge assumptions, and it does so with very modern concerns regarding social and economic justice.
When making specific cases, this book's best strength is probably in shedding light on historical cultures and texts that are far less well-known than the Bible, and giving them a fair hearing when they evidently surpass the Gospels ethically. This has given me plenty of resources for further reading. Avalos' expertise is very useful here, and he is thorough in hammering home even the smallest points.
This is probably where the only major issue I'd bring up comes into play though - it being an academic text, there is plenty that will go over the heads of lay-readers, even those who take an interest in this topic, particularly the specifics of grammar in Koine Greek, for example. This is possibly an odd criticism, since I knew going in exactly what kind of book it would be, and is it really a flaw that it obeys its structural conventions? But it's such a useful topic, I feel that Avalos could have found a decent way to balance accessibility with academic prowess. Certainly, a lot of the individuals he directly critiques in their attempts to exonerate Jesus are much less famous names that the people steeped in mainstream apologetics and counter-apologetics. Of course, the claims from crypto-apologetic scholars have trickled down into mainstream apologetics, so it's still relevant, but it may seem less relevant to a lot of lay people who might be interested. In the final chapter, Avalos briefly dips into pop culture when comparing Jesus' self-serving biblical exegesis to that of Mel Gibson, and notable contrast to the rest of the book, and only brought up there because he felt that a lot of Gibson's academic critics were not applying the same scrutiny to Jesus.
Overall, quite enjoyable for those who can look past the academic dryness. I wish I could recommend it to more people, but for what it is, a decent work.
When making specific cases, this book's best strength is probably in shedding light on historical cultures and texts that are far less well-known than the Bible, and giving them a fair hearing when they evidently surpass the Gospels ethically. This has given me plenty of resources for further reading. Avalos' expertise is very useful here, and he is thorough in hammering home even the smallest points.
This is probably where the only major issue I'd bring up comes into play though - it being an academic text, there is plenty that will go over the heads of lay-readers, even those who take an interest in this topic, particularly the specifics of grammar in Koine Greek, for example. This is possibly an odd criticism, since I knew going in exactly what kind of book it would be, and is it really a flaw that it obeys its structural conventions? But it's such a useful topic, I feel that Avalos could have found a decent way to balance accessibility with academic prowess. Certainly, a lot of the individuals he directly critiques in their attempts to exonerate Jesus are much less famous names that the people steeped in mainstream apologetics and counter-apologetics. Of course, the claims from crypto-apologetic scholars have trickled down into mainstream apologetics, so it's still relevant, but it may seem less relevant to a lot of lay people who might be interested. In the final chapter, Avalos briefly dips into pop culture when comparing Jesus' self-serving biblical exegesis to that of Mel Gibson, and notable contrast to the rest of the book, and only brought up there because he felt that a lot of Gibson's academic critics were not applying the same scrutiny to Jesus.
Overall, quite enjoyable for those who can look past the academic dryness. I wish I could recommend it to more people, but for what it is, a decent work.
July 25, 2016
A dear friend of mine, Dr. Hector Avalos, explains his perspective of Jesus's ethics.
It took me more than a year to actually grasp the idea of this book.
The book consists of over 10 chapters of detailed anaylization in a very scholarly manner. Usage of Greek is consistent and other scholarly materials. The analyzation is top-notch and I have learned what some critical blbilical scholars think of Jesus's teachings.
However, there is a very clear biased view on Jesus and his teachings that I cannot help to see.
As an atheist and an intellect, Dr. Avalos is very knowledgable and a go-to expert. I wish Dr. Avalos can understand where the faith (emphasis) of believers comes from.
I recommend this book to my believer friends who are interested in what critical scholars think of and their knowledge to be challenged.
It took me more than a year to actually grasp the idea of this book.
The book consists of over 10 chapters of detailed anaylization in a very scholarly manner. Usage of Greek is consistent and other scholarly materials. The analyzation is top-notch and I have learned what some critical blbilical scholars think of Jesus's teachings.
However, there is a very clear biased view on Jesus and his teachings that I cannot help to see.
As an atheist and an intellect, Dr. Avalos is very knowledgable and a go-to expert. I wish Dr. Avalos can understand where the faith (emphasis) of believers comes from.
I recommend this book to my believer friends who are interested in what critical scholars think of and their knowledge to be challenged.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews