Most people think of Jesus as the “Prince of Peace”, the ultimate non-violence advocate, a precursor to Gandi and MLK. Yet there is reason to believe that while Jesus preached peace, he also preached violent action. As astounding as that may be for most people, let’s look at the evidence. First we’ll look at some of Jesus’ sayings that suggest a harsher view of humanity that we usually ascribe to Jesus. Next we’ll look at his disciples, and then we’ll look at his behavior in Jerusalem, and finally we’ll examine the relationship between the Essenes and the Zealots.
Jesus’ Sayings
Jesus has sayings that are overtly aggressive/violent and some that while not being violent, show a side of him that is vindictive and unforgiving. Here are some examples:
Violent Advocacy and Imagery
“And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30)
"And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." (Matthew 10:21)
“Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. “(Matthew 10:34-38)
“I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him. But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me .” (Luke 19:26-27)
“And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.” (Luke 22:36-38)
Vindictive and Unforgiving Sayings
“Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” (Matthew 11:20-24)
“He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:30-31)
“And on the morrow, when they were come out from Bethany, he hungered. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever.” (Mark 11:12-14)
Apologists will explain away each of these sayings as metaphor, symbolism, or mere zealousness. Moreover, they will point to sayings that uphold Jesus’ image as the Prince of Peace (e.g., Matthew 26:52 - "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."). Certainly the violent and/or vindictive sayings represent a minority of Jesus’ sayings, yet they are not a miniscule minority, and certainly most of Jesus’ sayings are of a loving and caring nature. Nonetheless, there are a substantial number of sayings of Jesus from the canonical gospels which suggest that as zealous as Jesus was in his devotion to God and as much as he emphasized love toward one another, he could be equally zealous in his attitudes against people with whom he disagreed.
The Zealot Disciples
Jesus’ disciples included a high percentage of people who appear to have been Zealots, including Simon the Zealot Peter called Simon bar Jona , Judas the Dagger man, and the Sons of Thunder. Moreover, Jesus’ own philosophy and the philosophy of the Zealots were similar in many ways. They both stressed the importance of the law and both were dissatisfied with the sad state of affairs in which the Temple authorities were corrupt and the Romans ruled Israel with an iron fist, exacting taxes that impoverished the people. Of course, Jesus, on the whole, professed peace while the Zealots were committed to the violent overthrow of the Roman authorities. However, there were occasions in which Jesus also advocated armed resistance, as when he urged his disciples to gather up swords (Luke 22:36) or when he said: “Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).”
Dimont (1991) also believes that Jesus was a Zealot, and he claims that when viewed in this light, Jesus’ advice to his disciples (Matthew 10:5-23) takes on new meaning:
“He gave them strict instructions to contact only Israelites. They were to stay in one place only long enough to deliver the message, then take off. If they felt they were under suspicion, they were to disappear quickly from the scene. They were to exercise great caution in speech and action…(p. 67).”
In other words, Jesus’ advice suggests that the disciples are Zealots who need to be extremely careful in what they do. Had they been merely religious teachers, many of Jesus’ cautions would appear to be highly unusual.
In addition, the violent deaths of many of the disciples (Peter, Simon, Andrew, and James were crucified, Bartholomew was flayed to death, Thomas was killed by arrows, etc.) makes sense from this perspective. Dimont claims “…it was not the Jews who killed the apostles because they were Christians, but the Romans who executed them because they were…Zealots (p. 69).”
Biblical scholar N. T. Wright (1999) says that Jesus “…was not so much a wandering preacher giving sermons or a wandering philosopher offering maxims as like a radical politician gathering support for a new and highly risky movement (p. 36).”
We get another hint that Jesus may have been a zealot from the good shepherd imagery. Going back to the Gospel of Luke, the appearance of shepherds may be a hint of Jesus’ Zealot sentiments. Today we associate shepherds with pastoral peace, but in Jesus’ time the shepherds were considered robbers (Spong, 1992, p. 147), and robbery was often a profession taken up by the Zealots. The good shepherd may be an analogy to the person who takes care of his sheep, but it would have a second meaning for First Century Jews – the good robber chief.
Jesus in Jerusalem
Pike and Kennedy (1972) believe that Jesus was a Zealot and they point out that his first public recognition as the Davidic Messiah comes during the Feast of the Dedication (John 10:22), a ceremony that commemorates the first Jewish revolution under the Maccabees. In addition, both the Zealot movement and the Jesus movement were controlled by dynastic succession: in the case of the Zealots, from Hezekiah to Judas to Menahem and Eleazar, and in the case of Jesus, from Jesus to James to Simeon to Jude’s grandsons.
The scene in the Temple (John 2:15 – “and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables…”) in which Jesus overturns the tables and chases the money lenders out shows a Jesus who is certainly not your classic peacenik. This example of civil disobedience goes beyond the traditional non-violent code and borders on aggression.
It’s always been questionable as to why his disciples deserted him once he was arrested. Had his movement been purely theological, his disciples had no need to fear from the Romans. Yet all the men fled, suggesting that perhaps they were afraid for their lives, implying that the Jesus movement had political overtones rather than merely being theological.
Michael Baigent in The Jesus Papers (2006) also theorizes that Jesus was a Zealot, and he claims that the two “leste” who were crucified with him were also Zealots, as was Barabbas. Baigent adds to his list of Zealots, Paul (Acts 21:38) as well as the Essenes, and he claims that: “The Dead Sea Scrolls…provide original documents from the Zealots (p. 36).”
The Essenes and the Zealots
There is some justification for linking the Essenes and the Zealots (see Eisenman, 1997). Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus, in his 2nd Century text Origenis Philosophumena sive Omnium Hæresium Refutatio wrote:
"Some of these [Essenes] observe a still more rigid practice in not handling or looking at a coin bearing an image, saying that one should neither carry nor look at nor fashion any image; nor will they enter a city at the gate of which statues are erected, since they consider it unlawful to walk under an image. Others threaten to slay any uncircumcised Gentile who listens to a discourse on God and His laws, unless he undergoes the rite of circumcision; should he refuse to do so, they kill him instantly. From this practice they have received the name of 'Zealots' or 'Sicarii.' Others again call no one Lord except God, even though one should torture or kill them (Jewish Encyclopedia v. 228-230)."
Thus, according to Hippolytus, the Zealots emerged as the military wing of the Essenes, in much the same way that the Therapeuts emerged as the healing wing of the Essenes. And given Jesus’ involvement with the Essenes, it would be surprising if he had not been exposed to the Zealot philosophy and felt comfortable in the presence of Zealots among his disciples. Perhaps the situation is best described in contemporary terms. The Republican Party in the 21st Century has under its broad umbrella individuals and groups that advocate bombing abortion clinics, invading foreign countries, deposing leaders of sovereign countries, editing school books, and building enormous fiscal deficits to fund massive government spending. In these aspects they can be distinguished from the Libertarian and the Democratic parties, as well as from the 20th Century Republican Party. Yet not all Republicans advocate all these positions. In a similar way, Jesus as an Essene may have adopted the Therapeut orientation to healing as well as the Essene eschatology, while rejecting the extreme violence of the Zealots.
Summary
Our major image of Jesus is as the Prince of Peace, however, this view ignores substantial evidence that Jesus had a harsher side, that could involve violent actions (in the Temple) and advocating violence as well as vindictive and unforgiving attitudes. We tend to ignore this evidence or find explanations to negate it, but the sheer number of examples and their wide spread reference across various gospels and at different times in Jesus’ life suggest that indeed these tendencies were there. The fact that ultimately Jesus chose peace and non-violence shows the strength of his character. The real life Jesus had to struggle with the same problems as everyone else, and the hallmark of the story of his life is the fact that he chose peace over violence, not that he was without any violent impulses.
Updated 11/30/2006
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