The formation of the Spiritual Monarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has a long history. Its roots go back to the first century after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the itinerant preacher who refused to accept the Roman emperor as God.
The Monarchy serves well as a guardian of its ‘infallible’ interpretation of faith. However, a serious problem is evident with the exposure of the pedophile scandal. The isolated and insolated male celebat monarchical structure of the Church is suited for the crimes of pedophilia as well as other crimes against society. Is it time to separate the wheat from the chaff? (Q Gospel-Mt.3:12)
A Divided Legacy
When and where did it begin? After Jesus’ execution two traditions emerged among his followers. J.D. Crossan in his book, The Birth of Christianity, explains:
The Life Tradition, with its emphasis on the sayings of Jesus on living within the kingdom of God, is centered in Galilee and goes out from Galilee. The Death Tradition with its emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus and on lives lived in expectation of his return, is centered in Jerusalem and goes out from Jerusalem. (1. Crossan, p. xxxiv)
The Life Tradition
The Life Tradition is the older tradition and is based on sayings of Jesus found in the Gospels of Mathew and Luke. Both Mathew and Luke depend on the Gospel of Mark as a source but differ in that they incorporate sayings of Jesus not found in Mark. As a body of material these sayings are called the ‘Q Gospel.’ The sayings represent the wisdom and life of Jesus. An example would be Jesus’ preaching on the Beatitudes - Lk. 6:20-49, Mt. 5:3-12. (H. C. Kee, p. 466).
Attached to the Life tradition are the sections of the Gnostic Gospels which are outside of the official cannon of Gospels recognized by main line Christian Churches – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. One of these, the Gospel of Thomas, is cited by J.D. Crossan. He notes that 37% of the Q Gospel has parallels in the Gospel of Thomas. (1, J.D.C. p.248) The Life Tradition was not interested in a monarchy and emphasized equality.
Elaine Pagels notes that: “Orthodox Christians believe that Jesus is Lord and Son of God in a unique way: he remains forever distinct from the rest of humanity.”(Pagels, p. xx)
‘Jesus is Lord’ is the basic preaching or kerygma of main line Christians. Pagels points to the differing opinion of the Thomas Gospel: “Jesus said ‘I am not your master. …He who will drink from my mouth will become as I am: I myself shall become he.’“ (Pagels p. xx)
The Gnostic Gospel of Faith Wisdom reports Jesus as saying: “…whoever the Spirit inspires is divinely ordained to speak, whether man or woman.” (Pagels p. 65)
The Life tradition generated a realized and actualized ethical eschatology. The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew and the Sermon on the Plain from Luke are the ‘Guide to Living’ in the kingdom of God. Ethical activists differ from the advocates of an apocalyptic approach who wait for the second coming of Jesus.
The Death Tradition
The death tradition was based in Jerusalem and focuses on the passion death and resurrection of Jesus. The tradition is best exemplified in the Gospel of Mark which is bereft of the sayings of the Q Gospel. Mark emphasizes Jesus’ authority even of the cosmos. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is the basis for kerygmatic preaching. The Monarchical Church is based on this theology with the pope as Christ’s Vicar on earth. The Death Tradition awaits the second coming of the Lord to triumphantly establish the Kingdom of God.
The need for absolute authority was considered of supreme importance with the threat of the Gnostics with Gospels such as the Gospel of Thomas. Bishop – Saint Irenaeus (130 - 202) of Lyons along with the Church of Rome and others declared the Gnostics to be heretics. The Death tradition then became dominant in Christian practice and theology. Emperor Constantine in the fourth century enforced a unity in theology or world view with military support.
A Mixed Orthodoxy of Two Traditions
John Dominic Crossan, after a review of some of the literature on the “divided tradition”, explains:
“In my own understanding, I rephrase those twin traditions of the sayings and of the passion –resurrection as twin traditions of Jesus’ life and Jesus’ death. They are for me two sides of the same coin.” (1 J.D.C. p. xxxiv)
Look at Paul as an example. He surely did not succumb to the authority of Peter, John, or James the Just, Jesus brother in Jerusalem. Paul writes to the Galatians with a message that is similar to the Gospel of Thomas that claims equality:
“As a result these people who are acknowledged as leaders – not that their importance matters to me, since God has no favorites – these leaders as I say, had nothing to add to the Good News as I preach it.” (Gal. 2:6-7)
Paul won the debate and the uncircumcised were allowed membership in the Christian movement - a practical decision by the Jerusalem leaders – John, Peter, and James the Just. (J. Murphy O’Connor, p.141)
Were Paul’s ethics determined by his apocalyptic belief in the imminent second coming of Jesus? Slavery was to be tolerated, (Letter to Philemon), and the government to be obeyed (Romans.) Paul’s basic preaching - kerygma was ‘Jesus Christ as Lord,’ but did not cite John, Peter, or James the Just as Christ’s Vicar on earth. (Phil. 2:11)
Freedom from the Monarchy
John Dominic Crossan writes: “Here is the heart of the original Jesus movement, a shared egalitarianism of spiritual (healing) and material (eating) resources.” (2 J.D.C., p. 107)
The pedophile scandal has shocked Roman Catholics into recognizing that the religion of the Monarchy is false. The message of the itinerant preacher, without a place to lay his head, is being heard outside of the Cathedrals and Basilicas once filled with faithful worshipers. Now only tourists grace these beautiful buildings.
References:
1.J.D. Crossan, The Birth of Christianity, Harper, San Francisco, 1998.
2.J.D. Crossan, Jesus a Revolutionary, Harper San Francisco, 1995
Jerome Murphy O’ Connor, O.P. Paul a Critical Life, Oxford University Press, 1966
H. C. Kee, F.W. Young. K. Froehlich, Understanding the New Testament, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1965.
Elaine Pagels, Gnostic Christianity, Random House,
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