An Irish Dominican priest under investigation after claiming that
Jesus Christ “did not exist as a historical individual” has been
criticised by a number of leading Biblical scholars.Fr Tom Brodie, OP, who recently stepped down from his position as director of the Dominican Biblical Institute in Limerick, claims his book Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus: Memoir of a Discovery aims to “develop a new vision of Jesus as an icon of God’s presence in the world and in human history”.
The Irish Dominicans have since put in place the procedures in the order’s legislation for handling cases of disputed teaching to investigate the claim.
This involves a committee of scholars examining the book and reporting on it. This process is still ongoing, and remains confidential until it has concluded.
However, writing in Doctrine and Life, three scholars have taken issue with contents of the book and the methodology of its author.
The book is both “imprudent and dangerous for the faithful”, according to the current moderator and director of the Dominican Biblical Institute in Limerick, Fr Gerard Norton, OP.
“Taken alone, this book makes startling little attempt to prove its central thesis that neither the historical Jesus nor the historical Paul existed,” Fr Norton said.
“Instead, it is a memoir of a series of significant moments or events that made the author ever more certain of his core conviction.”
According to Fr Norton, the views advanced in this book “are not soundly based on scholarship, nor are they compatible with the Faith and traditions of the Catholic Church”.
“There is an unjustifiable jump between methodology and conclusion,” he said.
Likewise, Fr Jerome Murphy O’Connor, OP, Professor of New Testament at the École Biblique in Jerusalem said he suspects the only evidence Fr Brodie “considered seriously was that which appeared to fit his preconceived thesis”.
This approach is “disingenuous”, according to Fr Murphy O’Connor as it permits the author “to have his cake and eat it”.
“None of his arguments provides even a springboard for this leap of faith,” he said.
According to Dr Seán Freyne, Professor of Theology emeritus at Trinity College in Dublin, Fr Brodie’s book is “unconvincing”.
“He comes across as somebody who took his vocation very seriously, possibly too seriously,” Dr Freyne said.