Robert Spitzer - God So Loved the World: Clues to Our Transcendent Destiny from the Revelation of Jesus

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D.

Clues to Our Transcendent Destiny
from the Revelation of Jesus

Volume Three of the Quartet:
Happiness, Suffering, and Transcendence

IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Nihil Ostat : Hugh Barbour, O. Praem.
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur: + The Most Reverend Kevin J. Vann, J.C.D., O.D.
Bishop, Diocese Orange

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations (except those within citations) are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Edition 2006 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover design by John Herreid

2016 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-62164-036-3 (PB)
ISBN 978-1-68149-701-3 (EB)
Library of Congress Control Number 2015939073
Printed in the United States of America

In loving memory of my mother, who introduced me to
the Person and love of Jesus Christ, and my father,
who showed me how to express my faith in action .

And to my wonderful nieces and nephews
Kristin, Nicholas, Meghan, Alex, Michelle, Kellie, and Andrew
who show me the face of Christ in their love .

For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him .

John 3:16-17

Introduction

I. General Characteristics and Definition of Love

II. Four Kinds of Love

III. The Power of Agap

IV. Unconditional Love as the Central Meaning of Life

Introduction

I. From Natural Reason to Gods Ultimate Self-Revelation

A. Six Steps from the Creator to Jesus

B. Can We Know the Unconditional Love of God by Reason Alone?

II. A Brief Introduction to the Historical Jesus

A. Evidence of Jesus outside of Christian Scripture

B. The Apostolic Proclamation ( Kerygma )

C. A Brief Portrait of Jesus according to Mainstream Historical Scholarship

III. Jesus Proclamation of Gods Unconditional Love

A. Love as the Highest Commandment

B. Jesus Address of God as Abba

C. The Parable of the Prodigal Son

IV. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Jesus Love and the Challenge of Suffering

A. Why Would God Create an Imperfect World?

B. The Efficacy of Suffering for Jesus and the Apostolic Church

II. Jesus Love of the Poor, Sick, and Sinners

A. Jesus Love of the Poor

B. Jesus Love of the Sick and Possessed

C. Jesus Acceptance and Love of Sinners

III. Jesus Love of Disciples and Friends

IV. Jesus Unconditional Love in the Eucharist and Passion

A. The First Part of the Plan: The Last Supper

B. The Second Part of the Plan: Suffering, Death, and Resurrection

C. A Reflection on Jesus Passion and Death

V. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Gary Habermas Study of Recent Scholarship on the Resurrection

II. The Gospel Accounts of Jesus Risen Appearances to the Apostles

III. Pauls Testimony to the Resurrection of Jesus

A. Witnesses to the Resurrection

B. Saint Pauls Witness Dilemma

IV. N. T. Wrights Two Arguments for the Historicity of Jesus Resurrection

A. The Remarkable Rise of Christian Messianism

B. The Christian Mutation of Second Temple Judaism

V. The Empty Tomb

VI. The Shroud of Turin and the Resurrection of Jesus

VII. Correlations between the Resurrection of Jesus and Near-Death Experiences

VIII. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Jesus Miracles

A. The Purpose and Distinctiveness of Jesus Miracles

B. A Brief Consideration of Historical Criteria

C. The Historicity of Jesus Exorcisms and Healings

1. The Exorcisms

2. The Healings

D. The Historicity of Jesus Raising the Dead

1. The Raising of Jairus Daughter (Mk 5:21-43)

2. The Raising of the Son of the Widow of Nain (Lk 7:11-17)

3. The Raising of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-45)

E. Conclusion to Section I

II. The Holy Spirit in the Apostolic Church

A. Jesus Gift of the Holy Spirit

1. The Visible Manifestation of the Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles

2. Visible and Interior Manifestations of the Spirit in Paul

3. Conclusion to Section II.A

B. The Interior Gifts of the Spirit according to Saint Paul

III. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Jesus Identity: The Exclusive Beloved Son of the Father

A. The Son of Man

B. The Only Beloved Son

1. No One Knows the Father except the Son

2. The Allegory of the Wicked Tenants (Mk 12:1-12)

II. Jesus Mission: To Bring the Kingdom of God

A. Jesus Idea of the Kingdom

B. Jesus as Definitive Bringer of the Kingdom

C. Jesus Accomplishes the Mission Reserved to Yahweh

III. Jesus Is Emmanuel

IV. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Gods Universal Offer of Salvation

A. New Testament Passages in Favor of Gods Universal Offer of Salvation

B. New Testament Passages That Possibly May Imply a Restricted Offer of Salvation

C. Christian Doctrines of Gods Universal Offer of Salvation

D. Why Should Christians Evangelize?

II. Heaven according to Jesus

A. The Messianic Banquet

B. The Kingdom of Love in John and Paul

C. A Reflection on the Kingdom of Heaven

D. Correlation with Near-Death Experiences

III. Why Would an Unconditionally Loving God Allow Hell?

IV. The Path to Salvation

A. Repent and Believe in the Good News

B. Jesus Four Gifts to Inspire and Build His Kingdom

C. Jesus Himself as the Way to the Kingdom of God

D. Six Steps on the Path to Salvation

E. My Personal Journey into the Catholic Church

V. Conclusion

I. The Clues to Our Transcendent Nature from Experience and Reason

II. The Need for Revelation and the Plausibility of Emmanuel

III. The Evidence for Jesus-Emmanuel

IV. Our Transcendent Destiny through Jesus

V. Where Do We Go from Here?

Introduction

I. A Brief Documented History of the Shroud from 1349 to the Present

II. Dating the Shroud

A. Problems with the 1988 Carbon Test

1. Raymond Rogers on Aberrant Samples Used in the 1988 Carbon 14 Testing

2. Garza-Valdes and Mattingly on Microbiological Contaminants

3. Kouznetsov, Jackson, and Moroni on Carbon Contaminants from Fire and Other Sources

4. Summary and Conclusions

B. Four New Scientific Dating Methods

1. Raymond Rogers Vanillin Test

2. Giulio Fantis Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy Test of Cellulose Degradation

3. Giulio Fantis Raman Spectroscopy Test for Cellulose Degradation

4. Giulio Fantis Mechanical Test of Compressibility and Breaking Strength of Fibers

5. Summary of the Fanti and Rogers Dating Tests

C. Other Indications of the Shrouds Age

1. Max Freis Evidence of Pollen Grains

2. Roman Coins on the Eyes of the Man in the Image

3. The Sudarium of Oviedo

D. Summary of the Dating Evidence

E. A Probable Journey of the Shroud from First-Century Jerusalem to Fourteenth-Century France

III. The Image on the Shroud

A. The 1978 STURP Investigation of the Shrouds Image

B. The Hypothesis of John Jackson

C. Partial Confirmation of the Jackson Hypothesis in 2010

D. Does the Shroud Give Evidence of Jesus Resurrection?

IV. Conclusion

Introduction

I. Divine Nature versus Divine Person

A. One Divine Nature

B. Person and Self-Consciousness

II. Making Sense of the Trinity

III. Making Sense of the Incarnation

IV. Conclusion