Continuing our summary/review of Tom Wright and Marcus Borg's discussion... For other articles in this series visit http://jmm.aaa.net.au/catalog/section/jc1.htm.

These brief excerpts are meant to provoke thought/reflection...

More from Marcus Borg:

'Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power'... 'When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes' (Mark 9:1, cf. Mark 1:15, which speaks of the nearness of the Kingdom; Matthew 10:23, cf. Mark 13:24-27)

[So] Jesus did not speak of his own second coming, but he did expect the immiment coming of the kingdom of God and the Son of Man. After his death, this expectation got transferred to the expectation of his immiment return as king of the kingdom that he had proclaimed.

Put most simply: Jesus expected the kingdom of God; the early church expected Jesus... The apocalyptic eschatology of early Christianity and the expectation of the second coming of Jesus emerge within the early Christian community after Easter.

This is my own position.' (p. 193).

[Note from Rowland: To be fair to Tom and Marcus I'm presenting their summary-views before I offer some of my own... You'll have to *think* first, and then wait for my appraisal].

-- --

Shalom! Rowland Croucher

'It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so' (Mark Twain)

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ - 18,000 articles/ 4000 humour