ASSUME, for a moment, the person known as Yeshua/Jesus is genuine … that he was a living, breathing human who traveled the countryside and preached about Yahweh/God.
Now offer your opinion on who you think Jesus really was.
Ignore the Christian perspective that he came to “save the world.” Visualize him without all the fancy trappings of the gospel writers and Paul.
Also, for the sake of discussion, please put aside any belief you might have in the Christ myth theory. Assume that he did indeed exist.
Now offer your opinion … Why Jesus?
- What was his role in the Abrahamic religion?
- Why did this unknown Jew reach out to the people?
- Did he truly see himself as the long-awaited Messiah?
- Or was his role simply to inspire his people to honor Yahweh?
ADDENDUM
Stephen Wylen, a rabbi at Temple Beth Tikvah, Wayne, NJ, in his book, Jews in the Time of Jesus, asks:
How did the masses to whom Jesus preached understand his message? Who did he seem to be to them? Since the masses did not have a doctrine of the Christ into which they could fit Jesus, what did they think he was?
Nan's Notebook 