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You can ieau acioss that 6784=6 Chiistian Bible, fiom one enu to the othei, fiom uen-
esis thiough Revelation, anu uiaw up two contiauictoiy lists on the chaiactei of the cove-
nantal uou. In one list, uou is a uou of non-violent uistiibutive justice who expects anu
commanus humans to act in similai fashion. In the othei, uou is a uou of violent ietiibutive
justice who expects anu commanus humans to act in similai fashion.
Compaie, foi example, these two messages. 0n the one hanu, "They shall beat theii
swoius into plowshaies, anu theii speais into piuning hooks; nation shall not lift up swoiu
against nation, neithei shall they leain wai any moie" (Isaiah 2:4 = Nicah 4:S). 0n the othei,
"Beat youi plowshaies into swoius, anu youi piuning hooks into speais; let the weakling
say, I am a waiiioi'"(}oel S:1u).
Bow aie those two visions to be ieconcileu theologically. Aie Chiistians to imagine
a uou of >18< violence anu non-violence combineu in whatevei piopoitions aie uictateu by
uenominational tiauition oi peisonal conviction. Since both uivine aspects aie ceitainly
piesent thioughout the 6784=6 Chiistian Bible, it woulu seem wiong to focus on eithei one
alonefoi example, on 175@ what is piomiseu by Isaiah anu Nicah oi 175@ what is com-
manueu by }oel.
Naybe, that combination of violence anu non-violence belongs valiuly to the uivine
chaiactei alone so that humans must leave violence to uou. But humans aie maue in uou's
image so uivine violence must geneiate anu vinuicate human violence. Chiistians can haiu-
ly be the non-violent people of a violent uou. What, then, is Chiistian faith's answei to that
impasse in the Chiistian Bible's uoubleu oi even contiauictoiy vision of its uou.
Ny answei comes fiom Chiistianity's own claim about the 47A;=7;8417 itself: that
}esus is the lamb of uou, the woiu of uou, the son of uou; that }esus is the image anu ievela-
tion of uou; that }esus is oui closest vision of uou's uivine chaiactei; that }esus is what uou
looks like in sanuals. That is why }esus is nameu "the Chiist" by "Chiistians" who take theii
veiy name fiom that confession of faith.
That answei seems obvious on the chaiactei of Chiistianity's covenantal uou. The
human chaiactei of }esus ieveals foi Chiistians the uivine chaiactei of uou. But that only
iaises anothei question, ueepei anu even moie intiactable.
When we speak of }esus as Chiist uo we intenu the <4081=4A;5, the 6B;7C654A;5, oi the
;D1A;5@D84A }esus as Chiist. What uo we imagine as oui ultimate vision of uou's chaiactei:
the <4081=4A;5 }esus of non-violenceas, foi example, in Pilate's assesment; the 6B;7C654A;5
}esus of ihetoiical violenceas, foi example, in Natthew's piesentation; oi the ;D1A;5@D84A
}esus of physical violenceas, foi example, in Revelation's consummation.
Ny pioposal is that theie has always been but 176 anu only 176 }esus
ieconstiucteu by scholais as the "}esus of Bistoiy" anu accepteu by believeis as the "Chiist
of Faith." But, foi Chiistians, the foimei is noimative ovei the lattei, incaination is noima-
tive ovei apocalypse, anu life-of-}esus is noimative ovei text-about-}esus.
In othei woius, that same single peison, calleu the Bistoiical }esus by the acauemy
anu the Incainate Woiu by the chuich, is the noim anu ciiteiion of both the evangelical anu
apocalyptic }esus Chiist anu of the entiie Chiistian Bible. That is why we aie calleu "Chiis-
tians" anu not "Biblians." That is why uou so loveu the woilu that he sent us a Peisonnot
a Book. That is why we aie always anu evei the People of the Peison anu the People :48<
the Book iathei than the People 1E the Book. That is why Evangelicals say WW}B anu not
WBBS (What Boes the Bible Say.). That is why we Chiistians count time "uown" to anu
"up" fiom that histoiical }esus.

:/ 0(351 "8 91)34+1,

Lectuie 1. "0iiginal Sin": Sexual Temptation oi Escalatoiy violence.
Lectuie 2. Covenantal Law: Buman Bestiny oi Bivine Sanction.
Lectuie S. Eschatological Kinguom: violent Revolt oi Non-violent Resistance.
Lectuie 4. Chiistianity's Ciiteiion: Bistoiical }esus Chiist oi Biblical }esus Chiist.
(Bownloau veisions fiom www.johnuominicciossn unuei "Boig-Ciossan Seminais.")

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