Could Someone Mark My Essay Please? - Constructive Criticism OCR RS Alevel

Was Jesus only a teacher of wisdom?
The Person of Jesus Christ questions who Jesus truly was, whether his role only applied to being a teacher of wisdom or whether he is more than a teacher and if he partook in other active roles within the community such as being a political liberator and the Son of God. Christianity’s view on Jesus as a teacher of wisdom stems from his moral teachings within the Bible such as to ‘take eye for eye’, ‘oaths and even rulings on marriage and divorce. A well-known example of Jesus’ teachings would be the Parable of the Lost Son, which highlights Jesus’ teachings on repentance and forgiveness; Luke 15:11-32). Throughout the Bible, there are many instances in which Christian’s would label Jesus as a teacher of wisdom, however we are asked to debate whether his is ‘only’ a teacher of wisdom. Throughout this essay I will delve into whether Jesus was ‘only’ a teacher of wisdom or whether he played an equal importance in other roles such as acting as a liberator as well as being the Son of God.
Christianity’s view on Jesus as only a teacher of wisdom delves into his role both within the community and within the Bible. Jesus, the Son of God, is known by many Christians to represent a view of a teacher, holding the authority to derive they rulings from Jesus as well as determine how to live their life. Wittgenstein read Tolstoy's gospel in brief and gained spiritual and mental clarity when he determined that Jesus’ authority came from his role as a teacher of wisdom, and through living life as honestly as possible and not through promises of the afterlife or redemption. Wittgenstein would agree with the statement that Jesus was a teacher of wisdom however he would not agree that Jesus did not also play an important aspect in advocating for the truth and having courage to speak up against hypocrisy – an embodiment of both a teacher of wisdom as well as possibly a social liberator. Wittgenstein’s beliefs present a dual perspective of Jesus’ roles, he does not limit Jesus to one role, but delves into his other roles within society. The question remains to whether Jesus is only a teacher of wisdom, to which Wittgenstein would disagree with and believe that he held equally important roles in other aspects of life as well.
Despite Wittgenstein’s beliefs, Once Jesus’ moral divinity is stripped away; Jesus truly is just a teacher of wisdom. For many Christians’ Jesus being a teacher of wisdom is compatible with the belief in his resurrection but for others, to suggest that Jesus is only a teacher of wisdom, Jesus’ title of divinity must be stripped.
Jesus was not only a teacher of wisdom. Jesus played important roles in both acting as a social liberator as well as being the Son of God. Whilst delving into his role as a political leader we can see that he had an important vocation in both religious and political authority. In Palestine, at the time of Jesus, Palestine Jews were under the control of Rames, causing tension, resulting in a Temple being burnt in Jerusalem in AD 37. Violent Revolutions were also prevalent by a Jewish group called the Zealots. Jesus said in Matthews 10:34 ‘I carry swords,’ as they carried daggers to the Gardens of Gethsemane suggesting that zealots were involved in Jesus’ political revolution. Examples of Jesus’ political statements throughout his life was Jesus riding a donkey through Jerusalem – insinuating to the Jews that he was of a ‘warrior king’ which they were promised, much like the King of David in the Testament. He was also labelled ‘King of Jews,’ by the Ramens during the time of his crucifixion. Hence Reza Alsum claims that Jesus was part of a more complex political revolutionary in which he was a political leader who was more influenced by the Jewish la than the Christian agenda claims. William and Moore also likened Jesus actions of ‘social banditry’ to Robin in the Hood.
Despite Christian theologian, Reza Aslun’s claims of Jesus, many scholars still refute Jesus’ role as a political leader due to his promise of peace within the Bible. Jesus promoting revolution in politics and religion would contradict his teachings of coexistence and salvation and love in the Bible.
Jesus was referred to as a ‘rabbi’ who understood scriptures of Jewish law and interacted with communities enlightening them with his knowledge. Scribes and Pharisees were often thought to ask questions, whether this was out of curiosity or testing knowledge is debated. Jesus was here for a clear message of love, compassion, and moral purity - challenging political agendas at the time would not be considered by many Christians at the time as pure. His key focus was to liberate, as seen in the Story of the Women who bled – who stopped bleeding and she was liberated. St Paul – an influential gospel author did not view Jesus through a political Lense but rather as him having a sole mission to enlighten. This evidence supports the view that Jesus only played a role in acting as a teacher of wisdom and did not partake in other roles such as acting as a social liberator.
Overall, I personally believe that Jesus’ roles should not be limited to one scope of perspective. I personally believe that Jesus can have a triune nature in terms of his roles as a social liberator, the Son of God and additionally a teacher of wisdom. Much like his triune nature in his hypostatic union of God the Son, the Holy Spirit and the Father, we should not limit Jesus to one title of a ‘rabbi’. To suggest that Jesus was only important in advocating his teachings would ignore his equally important roles as a political and social liberator against persecution at the time for Christians.