John Dominic Crossan

John Dominic Crossan is a renowned Irish-American New Testament scholar, historical Jesus researcher, and former Catholic priest. He is best known for his work on the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars and theologians who aimed to rediscover the historical Jesus through a critical analysis of the New Testament and other ancient texts, such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Q document. Crossan's research has been influenced by the works of Rudolf Bultmann, Martin Heidegger, and Paul Ricoeur, and has been compared to that of other notable Jesus scholars, including Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright. His scholarship has also been shaped by his interactions with feminist theologians like Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Rosemary Radford Ruether.

● Biography

John Dominic Crossan was born on February 17, 1934, in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland, to a family of Catholic farmers. He was educated at St. Flannan's College in Ennis, County Clare, and later at St. Patrick's College in Maynooth, where he studied theology and philosophy under the guidance of scholars like Jean Daniélou and Henri de Lubac. Crossan was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1957 and served in various parishes in Ireland before pursuing further studies at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute, where he was influenced by the works of Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer. He also spent time at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, where he studied under the guidance of Dominican scholars like Marie-Joseph Lagrange and Roland de Vaux.

● Career

Crossan's academic career began in the 1960s, when he taught at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and later at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He also held positions at Loyola University Chicago and Chicago Theological Seminary, where he interacted with scholars like David Tracy and Langdon Gilkey. In the 1980s, Crossan became a key figure in the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars and theologians who sought to rediscover the historical Jesus through a critical analysis of the New Testament and other ancient texts, such as the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew. He worked closely with other Jesus scholars, including Robert Funk and Marcus Borg, to develop a new understanding of Jesus of Nazareth and his message, drawing on the insights of social historians like Géza Vermes and Richard Horsley.

● Theology and Scholarship

Crossan's theological and scholarly work focuses on the historical Jesus and the early Christian movement, with a particular emphasis on the social and cultural context of 1st-century Palestine. He has written extensively on the parables of Jesus, the Lord's Prayer, and the Passion Narrative, drawing on the insights of scholars like Joachim Jeremias and C.H. Dodd. Crossan's research has also explored the relationship between Christianity and Judaism in the 1st century, and he has written about the apocalyptic and eschatological themes in the New Testament, engaging with the work of scholars like Albert Schweitzer and Klaus Koch. His scholarship has been influenced by a range of theological and philosophical traditions, including liberation theology, feminist theology, and postmodernism, and has been shaped by his interactions with theologians like Gustavo Gutiérrez and Dorothee Sölle.

● Notable Works

Crossan has written numerous books on the historical Jesus and early Christianity, including The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant and Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, which have been widely reviewed and discussed by scholars like N.T. Wright and Luke Timothy Johnson. His other notable works include The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus and God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now, which have been praised by scholars like Walter Brueggemann and Ched Myers. Crossan has also co-authored several books with Marcus Borg, including The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus' Final Days in Jerusalem and The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus' Birth, which have been widely read and discussed by scholars and theologians like Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer.

● Criticisms and Controversies

Crossan's work has been subject to various criticisms and controversies, particularly from conservative and evangelical scholars who disagree with his historical-critical approach to the New Testament. Some critics, such as William Lane Craig and N.T. Wright, have argued that Crossan's portrayal of Jesus is too secular and humanistic, and that he neglects the divine and supernatural aspects of Jesus' life and teachings, which are emphasized by theologians like Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Others, such as Luke Timothy Johnson and Richard Hays, have criticized Crossan's use of social science models and historical analogies to interpret the New Testament, arguing that these approaches are too reductionistic and neglect the theological and literary complexity of the texts, which are highlighted by scholars like Hans Frei and George Lindbeck.

● Influence and Legacy

Despite these criticisms, Crossan's work has had a significant influence on contemporary theology and biblical scholarship, and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and innovative New Testament scholars of his generation, along with scholars like Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright. His research has been praised by scholars like Walter Brueggemann and Ched Myers, and has been widely discussed and debated by theologians and scholars from a range of Christian traditions, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy. Crossan's legacy continues to shape the field of New Testament studies, and his work remains a vital part of the ongoing conversation about the historical Jesus and the meaning of Christianity in the modern world, as seen in the work of scholars like Amy-Jill Levine and Warren Carter. Category:New Testament scholars