Jesus's historical background and humanity in Raymond Brown's scholarship

....Jesus learn from John the Baptist? How is the movement of Jesus different from John's?

According to Rausch, John the Baptist is "clearly a historical figure" who was not necessarily preaching anything new or revelatory (p. 1). John the Baptist works within the prophetic tradition and his teachings were rooted in Jewish Old Testament philosophy, eschatology, and theology. When Jesus went to see and meet with John the Baptist, the event "changed his life," according to Rausch (p. 4). John the Baptist may have so strongly influenced and impacted the young Jesus because of the content of his teachings: the emphasis on impending judgment and/or doom for a sinful and unrepentant humanity. Rausch also claims that there is historical and textual evidence linking Jesus's own ministry with the teachings of John. There are five main similarities between the core elements of John's teachings and Jesus's preaching, according to Rausch. The first is that both "called people to conversion of mind and heart," (p. 5). The second was the intensity and urgency of their teachings, because of the overarching belief in God's impending judgment and the need for salvation. Third, both John and Jesus focused on eschatological issues. Fourth, both had disciples, and finally, both baptized others. The latter two issues show how the movement of Jesus was similar to that of John's, but it also differed significantly in tone and content especially as Jesus's own teachings evolved.

One main difference between their movements is that Jesus transformed John's pessimistic and alarmist message into an optimistic and salvific one. God's judgment is here, but God's grace can help save believers. Another is that John was actually trained in the Jewish legal traditions whereas Jesus was not. The latter issue actually became a bone of contention with John at first, who apparently had "second thoughts" about Jesus (Rausch, 2007, p. 5). Rausch implies that Jesus also attracted many of John's own followers, essentially a case of the student surpassing the master. Related to the "good news" theme, Jesus preached a universalist doctrine of inclusivity that depended on the "renewal of communities," which John did not do (Rausch, 2007, p. 6). Similarly, Jesus preached of a "new family," a motif that was absent in John's teachings (Rausch, 2007, p. 7). Jesus's concept of family would have seemed radical: more an emphasis on family ties based on faith than on blood. Jesus did not overtly refute the Ten Commandments but in calling upon his followers to leave their mothers and fathers in favor of the new family does pose a direct challenge to the Jewish doctrine that John would have been more heavily steeped in.

2. Does anything in this chapter challenge or disagree with Church doctrine as you understand it?

Most of what Rausch discusses in relation to the origins of Jesus's teachings in John the Baptist reiterates Church doctrine. However, Rausch humanizes Jesus to a greater degree than Church doctrine is typically willing to do. For example, Rausch describes Jesus's baptism by John the Baptist as being something that had a "psychological" impact on him, not as if it were something that was divinely ordained (p. 4). Being baptized by John and being in John's circle gave Jesus his foundational teachings, from which he built a future community of disciples. The author remains committed to historicity, more than Church doctrine that supports a more metaphysical interpretation of scripture.

The concept that Jesus was a "layman" also significantly challenges Church doctrine (Rausch, 2007, p. 6). Rauch's assertion of Jesus's "layman" status is based primarily on the interactions and differences between Jesus and his mentor John, who was trained in Jewish law. Jesus inherited the emotional character of John's teachings more than their substantive content. In fact, Rausch claims that John the Baptist had "second thoughts" about Jesus, which even if it is written in Luke 7: 20 and Matt 11: 3, tends to cast some doubt as to Jesus's identity -- something that clashes significantly with Church doctrine.

References

Rausch, Thomas P. Who is Jesus: An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007.