Theologians: William Wrede,
Albert Schweitzer and the
Quest of the Historical Jesus
New Testament Theology for Th.M (Master of Theology)
Edwin Don Paskin Ciriaco
November 2020
The First Quest
Hermann Samuel Reimarus and David
Friedrich Strauss represent a first stage in the
historical Jesus quest. That first stage involved
calling into question the assumption that the
Gospels were accurate reports of Jesus’ words
and deeds, which could be called upon in
support of the claims of Christian faith.
The First Quest
Reimarus fired the opening salvos, claiming that
the ideas put forward by the disciples after
Jesus’ death were quite different from what they
had believed during their Master’s lifetime.
Strauss effectively agreed, undermining both
traditional supernaturalist and modern
rationalist assumptions about the accuracy of
the Gospels.
The First Quest
For Strauss, the Gospel stories represent not
fraud but unconscious process of
mythologization, whereby the disciples’
genuine religious convictions were clothed in
the form of a historical narrative.
Yet both Reimarus and Strauss believed that
the Gospels could be used as a historical
source.
William Wrede (1859-1906)
William Wrede
Wrede moved away from Ritschl’s position as
he began to view the rise of Christianity in the
broader context of the history of religions. He
is best remembered for his writing The
Messianic Secret in the Gospels (1901).
William Wrede
The first deals with the Gospel of Mark,
already widely recognized as the earliest of
the four Gospels. Wrede argues that, despite
its priority, the Gospel of Mark cannot be
regarded as a reliable source for the life of
Jesus. In other words, one cannot produce a
portrait of Jesus by taking Mark’s story-line
about the historical development and
psychological development of Jesus himself.
William Wrede
The first deals with the Gospel of Mark,
already widely recognized as the earliest of
the four Gospels. Wrede argues that, despite
its priority, the Gospel of Mark cannot be
regarded as a reliable source for the life of
Jesus. In other words, one cannot produce a
portrait of Jesus by taking Mark’s story-line
about the historical development and
psychological development of Jesus himself.
William Wrede
For him, the Gospel of Mark can only be
understood as a document of faith: it belongs
already to the history of Christian dogma. As
an author Mark shows no interest in historical
causation or psychological development, but
merely presents early Christian belief about
Jesus in the form of a series of individual
stories.
William Wrede
DOGMA of STORIES about
the Apostles Jesus
Gospel of Mark as
a dogma-influenced
historical presentation
Unreliable history
William Wrede
It is true that the Gospel does take a particular
historical context for granted, but this warp of
history is so interwoven with a weft of
dogmatic considerations that the Gospel as we
have it can no longer function as an outline for
a reconstruction of the life and work of the
historical Jesus.
The Messianic Secret by Wrede
William Wrede
“Present-day investigation of the Gospels is
entirely governed by the idea that Mark in his
narrative had more or less clearly before his
eyes the actual circumstances of the life of
Jesus, even if not without gaps.”
[What Wrede tries to say here is that Mark was
not an eyewitness, therefore he is not even
sure about what he is reporting.]
William Wrede
This is its criterion for the investigation and
criticism of the Gospel in particular. It does, to
be sure, assume chronological displacements
and inaccuracies in matters of fact, alterations
in the wording of pronouncements ascribed to
Jesus and even an accretion of later dogmatic
views.
William Wrede
This is where it finds its motivation,
supplementing the information by the
consequences which might naturally be
expected to follow from them, and so clothing
the skeleton of dry data with flesh.
This view and this procedure must be
recognized as wrong in principle. It must frankly
be said that Mark no longer has a real view of
the historical life of Jesus.
William Wrede
It is axiomatic that Mark has a whole series of
historical ideas, or ideas in a historical form.
Jesus came on the scene as a teacher first and
foremost in Galilee. He is surrounded by a
circle of disciples and goes around with them
and gives instruction to them… A larger crowd
sometimes joins itself to the disciples. Jesus
likes to speak in parables.
William Wrede
He takes up a somewhat free attitude towards
the Law. He encounters the opposition of the
Pharisees and the Jewish authorities. They lie
in wait for him and try to entrap him. In the
end they succeed after he has not only walked
on Judean soil but even entered Jerusalem. He
suffers and is condemned to death. The
Roman authorities cooperate in this.
William Wrede
We may say that these will be the main features. To them
may be added indeed many a detail as to the miracles,
the discourses and the locations, and it may be possible
to abstract features of significance from them. But for
Mark’s view and thus for his presentation as a whole this
is not of importance… In so far as these come under
consideration, almost all the ideas are quite general and
undefined. On no account can we say that with them a
concrete picture of his life is given. We only get the
external framework or as I see it a few trivial sketches.
William Wrede
The person of Jesus is dogmatically conceived.
He is the bearer of a definite dignity bestowed
by God, or which comes to the same thing, he
is a higher supernatural being. Jesus acts with
divine power and he knows the future in
advance. His knowledge is such as no man
can possess on his own account but he
conceals it and conceals his own being.
William Wrede
But the other main factors of the story are also
theologically or dogmatically conceived. The
disciples are by nature receivers of the highest
revelation and are naturally and indeed by a
higher necessity lacking in understanding. The
people are by nature non-recipients of
revelation, and the actual enemies of Jesus
from the beginning are as it were essentially
full of evil and contrariety.
William Wrede
These motifs and not just the historical ones
represent what actually motivates and
determines the shape of the narrative in Mark.
Then he got into the boat with them and the
wind ceased. And they were utterly
astounded, for they did not understand about
the loaves, but their hearts were
hardened. (Mk. 6:51-52 NRS)
William Wrede
And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them,
"Why are you talking about having no bread?
Do you still not perceive or understand?
Are your hearts hardened? Do you have
eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail
to hear? And do you not remember? (Mk. 8:17-
18 NRS)
Then he said to them, "Do you not yet
understand?" (Mk. 8:21 NRS)
William Wrede
There is naturally a connection, but it is the
connection of ideas and not of historical
developments. It could indeed be conceived
that Mark might have given a sort of historical
life to the dogmatic or semi-dogmatic ideas
which he presents formally as historical motifs
and that in his own way he might have
thought historically in them.
William Wrede
DOGMA of STORIES about
the Apostles Jesus
Gospel of Mark as
a dogma-influenced
historical presentation
Unreliable history
William Wrede
A second point concerns the individual
accounts and this is even more instructive. It
is demonstrable that this author only has a
limited capacity for transposing himself into
the historical situation which he is dealing. His
presentations of material are of the utmost
brevity. Otherwise it would not be possible for
such strange things.
William Wrede
He took her by the hand and said to her,
"Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get
up!“ And immediately the girl got up and
began to walk about (she was twelve years of
age). At this they were overcome with
amazement. He strictly ordered them that no
one should know this, and told them to give
her something to eat. (Mk. 5:41-43 NRS)
William Wrede
And they answered him, "John the Baptist;
and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the
prophets.“ He asked them, "But who do you
say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are
the Messiah.“ And he sternly ordered them
not to tell anyone about him. (Mk. 8:28-30
NRS)
William Wrede
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment
in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on
him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd,
and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched
his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and
said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened.“ And
immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was
released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered
them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the
more zealously they proclaimed it. (Mk. 7:32-36 NRS)
William Wrede
Mark seems very quickly to forget his own
presuppositions. According to 7:33 Jesus is
alone with the deaf-mute but in 7:36 we read:
‘and he charged them to tell no one, but the
more he charged them the more zealously
they proclaimed it. The second sentence
shows that here the disciples are not tacitly
regarded as witnesses.
William Wrede
For the text does not only say ‘taking him aside
from the multitude privately. In reality Mark has
displaced the situation introduced at the start. To
begin with he is thinking of the sick man as being
alone with Jesus. Then, while he does hold on the
idea of isolation, as the prohibition shows, he
thinks of the others as being together with the
sick man without perceiving that the prohibition
to the multitude does not improve matters.
Conclusions
In the concealing of the messiahship up to the
Resurrection is concealed Jesus’s prior
knowledge. Would this be the salient point?
Jesus very probably knew in advance that the
Resurrection would bring him the messianic
dignity he only concealed it during his lifetime?
This is even less conceivable… The secrecy
would have been merely an evasion [or
excuse].
Conclusions
Certain it is, that the messiahship beginning with the
Resurrection does not demand the idea of the
concealed messiahship. It does not necessarily
exclude the possibility that Jesus called himself
messiah on earth, but still less does it exclude the
possibility that the earthly Jesus simply was not
thought of as messiah. As against this the secret
messiah in my opinion presupposes the future
messiah and thereby shows itself to be the
later view.
Conclusions
Certain it is, that the messiahship beginning with the
Resurrection does not demand the idea of the
concealed messiahship. It does not necessarily
exclude the possibility that Jesus called himself
messiah on earth, but still less does it exclude the
possibility that the earthly Jesus simply was not
thought of as messiah. As against this the secret
messiah in my opinion presupposes the future
messiah and thereby shows itself to be the
later view.
Conclusions
Thus if the secret messiahship really is an idea of
the community which arose after the life of Jesus I
cannot see how it should have arisen if everyone
already knew and reported that Jesus had openly
given himself out as messiah on earth… But what
would have prompted making the messiahship of
Jesus a matter for secrecy in contradiction to the
original idea, in other words simply denying in
retrospect Jesus’ messianic claims on earth?
Conclusions
Thus hardly any possibility remains other than
the suggestion that the idea of the secret arose
at a time when as yet there was no knowledge
of any messianic claim on the part of Jesus on
earth; which is as much as to say at a time
when the resurrection was regarded as the
beginning of the messiahship.
Conclusions
[The Gospel of Mark]… can be characterized as
the after effect of the view that the resurrection is
the beginning of messiahship at a time when the
life of Jesus was already being filled materially
with messianic content. Or else it proceeded from
the impulse to make the earthly life of Jesus
messianic… Jesus kept quiet about it but rather
reports he diligently and strictly forbade talking
about it, and expressly prevent its disclosure.
Conclusions
History is thus autonomous. The theologian has
as his master none but the historical object.
Wrede announces an exchange of masters.
Until now the concepts of doctrine [dogma]
were masters; from now on history is the
master.
Conclusions
The new program for Wrede is thus
1. Totally freed from church interests and dogma;
2. Supposedly disinterested in theology;
3. Fully committed to historical methodology;
4. Seeking to present the religion of earliest
Christianity;
5. Bound to study the sources without regard to the
canon.
BREAK
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
Albert Schweitzer
If William Wrede’s approach could be
characterized as a consistently skeptical
attitude towards the historical value of the
Gospels, Albert Schweitzer’s approach was
consistently apocalyptic / eschatological. For
Schweitzer, the story of Jesus as found in the
Gospels is quite comprehensible, provided that
the apocalyptic context of Jesus is taken into
account.
Albert Schweitzer
In his book, The Secret of the Messiahship and
Passion, he outlines the depiction of Jesus’
ministry which characterized what he called the
modern-historical theology of the nineteenth
century. According to this view, Jesus saw his
sacrificial death as the supreme exemplification
of the ethical ideal of service represented by
the concept of the Kingdom of God.
Albert Schweitzer
Kingdom as Kingdom as
Ethical Eschatological
Jesus ethical teaching of
repentance as entrance
to the eschatological
Kingdom
Albert Schweitzer
The concurrence in Jesus of an ethical with an
eschatological line of thought has always
constituted one of the most difficult problems of
New Testament study. How can two such
difficult views of the world, in part diametrically
opposed to one another, be united in one
process of thought? The attempt has been
made to evade the problem that the two views
cannot be united.
Albert Schweitzer
[Kingdom as ethical] The solution seems to lie
in the assumption of a gradual development.
Jesus may have entertained at first a purely
ethical view, looking for the realization of the
Kingdom of God through the spread and
perfection of the moral-religious society which
he was undertaking to establish.
Albert Schweitzer
When, however, the opposition of the world put
the organic completion of the Kingdom, the
eschatological conception forced itself upon
him… To such a position of impotence it was
brought for the first time in Christian theology
as the result of historical experience. Jesus,
however, must have thought either
eschatologically or uneschatologically, but not
both together
Albert Schweitzer
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is at hand. (Matt. 10:7 KJG) This word
which Jesus commissions his Disciples to
proclaim is a summary expression of all his
previous preaching. They are to carry it now
throughout the cities of Israel… One must
hence expect that he would direct them how
they should preach about the new relation to
God and the new morality of the Kingdom.
Albert Schweitzer
How is this to be understood? So far as its
essential spiritual and ethical nature is
concerned, Christianity’s religious truth remains
the same through the centuries. The variations
belong only to the outward form which it assumes
in the ideas belonging to different worldviews.
Thus the religion of love which Jesus taught, and
which made its first appearance in the late Jewish
eschatological worldview enters later.
Albert Schweitzer
Kingdom as Kingdom as
Ethical Eschatological
The Jesus of The Christ of
History Faith
Albert Schweitzer
We of today do not, like those who were able to
hear the preaching of Jesus, expect to see a
Kingdom of God realizing itself in supernatural
events. Our conviction is that it can only come
into existence by the power of the spirit of Jesus
working in our hearts and in the world. The one
important thing is that we shall be as
thoroughly dominated by the idea of the
Kingdom, as Jesus required His followers to be.
Albert Schweitzer
There is a deep significance in the fact that whenever
we hear the sayings of Jesus we tread the ground of
a worldview which is not ours. In our own world and
life-affirming worldview of Christianity is in constant
danger of being externalized. The Gospel of Jesus
which speaks to us out of an expectation of the end
of the world leads us off the highway of busy service
for the Kingdom of God on… to spiritual freedom
from the world to seek.
Albert Schweitzer
Even if the historical Jesus has something strange
about Him, yet His personality, as it really is,
influences us much more strongly and
immediately than when He approached us in
dogma and in the results attained up to the
present by research. In dogma His personality
became less alive. Anyone who ventures to look
the historical Jesus straight in the face learns to
know Him as One who claims authority over him.
