“What Pagels argues is that the idea or claim of the resurrection of Jesus provided a source of authority for his earthly successor: Peter. It was crucial that some such claim be possible given the fact that the leader or absolute authority within the movement was gone, and hundreds of people were claiming to interpret his teachings in almost as many different ways. In order for Peter to be the established ‘rock’ or foundation of a structured, institutionalized organization, all the other groups had to be discredited. What better way than through his actual contact with a physically resurrected Jesus, who had explicitly given him authority to begin the institutionalization of his (Jesus’) teachings. (See Matthew 16: 13-19.) Given this political necessity for a doctrine of physical resurrection, the Gnostic teachings of a more metaphysical and symbolic concept of resurrection were most threatening to the establishment of the church. Not only did the apostles get authority in this way, but they were the only ones who could confer it on those who succeeded them. Christians in the second century used Luke’s account to set the groundwork for establishing specific, restricted chains of command for all future generations of Christians, concludes Pagles. So that present popes must rely on their connection to Peter, who had originally witnessed the physical resurrection of Jesus, for their authority.” Marimba Ani “Yurugu: An African-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior” Chapter 2 – “Religion and Ideology” Page 139
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 15:08:18 +0000
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