The Brother of Jesus and the Lost Teachings of Christianity | Book Review

Reviewed by Thomas Scarborough

Jeffrey Bütz recently sent me an autographed copy of his new book, "The Brother of Jesus and the Lost Teachings of Christianity". One tends to have misgivings about a book which claims to have recovered "lost teachings" of Christianity. However, this is a serious work which does indeed reflect on early teachings now largely "lost" to the Christian Church. What remains to be considered, though, is whether these teachings deserve to be dusted off. What is the book about?

The publishers make a bold statement on the back cover: "James [the brother of Jesus] can serve as a desperately needed link between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that could heal the wounds of centuries of enmity." The author adds: "Through Jesus' brother James, God seems to be calling us to a common jihad - reconciliation and healing to God's splintered and wounded family" - namely "the children of Abraham", Christian, Muslim, and Jew.

STRENGTH OF ARGUMENT

It would be difficult, in such a short review, to do justice to a book which is intended throughout to argue a case - and it is inevitable that this review will omit by far the largest part of the argument. It is the type of book that would deserve a complete reading in order to make a genuine assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.

Before getting "stuck into" the issues more seriously, the book has three obvious strengths:

Firstly, it represents a fine portrayal of the history of James, the brother of Jesus. There may be few, if any, books which deal in as rich detail with this very important historical character, who was central to the history of the early Church. It is a grand tour of early historical information on James, spanning the entire continuum of trustworthy to dubious, with appropriate observations on the reliablity of the sources.

Secondly, it highlights the desperate battle for the heart of Christianity in the early Church - between the Judaizers on the one hand, and the gospel of grace on the other. I myself only had a vague notion as to just how far-reaching and serious this problem was, until I read this book. I believe that many of Bütz's arguments as to the gravity of the situation are justified.

Thirdly, Bütz understands the issues relating to his core ideas, and does not side-step them. While many questions came to mind that he did not answer, he did answer a few of those that seemed most crucial to the argument. Further, he declared his methodology ("primarily historical critical"), he hinted at his basic assumptions early on (he surely could not reveal too much too soon), and he followed a carefully reasoned path throughout. This cannot be said of a great many theological books.

CORE ARGUMENT

What is it that separates Christians, Muslims, and Jews from the point of view of faith? The "stock standard" answer would run more or less as follows:

Firstly, it is the doctrine of the divinity of Christ - the stone of stumbling for both Muslims and Jews. Secondly, it is the doctrine of the atoning death of Christ - which incorporates the crucial doctrine of grace. That is, rather than gaining God's approval through dutiful obedience, one gains entrance into a "new and living way" through grace. One might add to this that, in the Christian life, the motivation for a transformed life comes through the entrance of the Holy Spirit into one's life. All of this, in turn, hinges on repentance and faith.

It therefore stands to reason that if one were to seek to reconcile the three great Abrahamic faiths, something would need to be done about these seemingly irreconcilable doctrines - and this is precisely what Bütz attempts to do. On the basis of his understanding of "what was certainly the original orthodoxy" of Christianity, and based on his analysis of James the brother of Jesus, he sidelines the doctrines of the divinity of Christ, and of grace. The book states this plainly, as follows:

On the divinity of Christ: "Pauline Christianity increasingly adopted an understanding of Jesus that Judaism could not ultimately bear: the Hellenistic theological belief that Jesus was literally God incarnate in human flesh [...] The doctrine of the incarnation is also the great wall that separates Muslims and Christians [...] Neither Jesus' family, nor the apostles, nor his Jewish disciples, believed that Jesus was literally God."

And on grace: "In the final analysis, it is inconsequential whether a Christian's desire to live a godly, ethical life comes out of a sense of duty to God ('works righteousness'), or out of a sense of thankfulness for God's undeserved love (Grace). It is the end result - transformed lives - that matters."

FURTHER ISSUES

At the core of Bütz's writing lies the concern that "the mainstream Christian view" has led to "some of the greatest atrocities that human has inflicted upon human. It is no exaggeration to state quite bluntly that the ultimate blame for the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust can be squarely laid at the feet this traditional understanding of Jesus and the early church".

Without going into the merits and demerits of this statement, I would be concerned that it has been precisely the desire to please God through works - more than this, the heart's concern that one has not done enough to please God through works - that has led to much of the religious fanaticism and conflict over the ages. For instance, many of the Crusaders were motivated by the promise of a sure salvation.

I would further have the reservation as to whether - supposing that all three of the Abrahamic faiths were ultimately to find a way to unite over "works righteousness" - this truly would hold the potential to heal the religiously rooted upheavals of our time. Are there not all too many examples of atrocities which have been committed in the name of "works righteousness"?

A further reservation is that Bütz, who employs the historical critical method, bases much of his argument about James on the reliability of the Biblical source material. At the same time, he continually undermines the trustworthiness of Scripture. He speaks of Luke's "wont to override his concern for historical accuracy", and "filler material", the deletion of verses, "the 'L' source", and more. In fact, he states that it is "impossible to know" whether the Bible records the actual words of James. And yet he proposes James as the paragon of "original orthodoxy".

In fact, supposing even that Bütz's particular interpretation of James were correct, on what basis should he decide that the religious view represented in the source material should represent the true faith, or even an approximation of it?

SYNTHESIS

Bütz proposes to introduce a new paradigm in the Christian Church. In fact, "the emerging paradigm shift presented here could forever change how the three great Western religions [...] understand their holy scriptures and their relationship to each other". He states: "Pauline Christianity survived because it was the most successful of all the early heresies (or parties) of the Christian movement." Yet, with a little luck (Bütz: "You may say I'm a dreamer"), "the wasteland of the Western world can be healed at last".

One doubts, however, that this would be accomplished through the comparatively narrow focus of this book - which, in the event, gives little consideration to the issues beyond how they relate to the person of James. There is a vast realm of Christianity which exists beyond this book - all of which might have a bearing on the issues, and few of which are touched on by the author.

All in all, one can hardly say that this was an uninteresting book. Also, it contained a wealth of historical information and theological argument. However, it contains no shortage of shibboleths, and, dare we say - is it kosher?

CITATION OF REFERENCE

Bütz, Jeffrey J. The Brother of Jesus and the Lost Teachings of Christianity. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions, 2005. ISBN 1-59477-043-3. Publisher Price $14.95.

Thomas Scarborough is the minister of an Evangelical Congregational Church in Sea Point, Cape Town - Africa's most densely populated suburb. He has served as national chairman of the Evangelical Congregational Churches in Southern Africa, and is currently studying for a Master's degree through Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena.