Lecture 15: Jesus of Nazareth

In the 15th of 17 lectures in his "Civilizing the Barbarians" course, Stepanov discusses the importance of Jesus Christ in Western civilization. He notes that Western civilization is based on the Bible, but that it is not a Jewish civilization. Instead, it is based on the Bible because of the impact of Jesus Christ. He goes on to say that many people may not know much about Jesus Christ, and that some may have heard of the Jesus Seminar, which argues that we know little about him. However, Stepanov asserts that this is not the case, and that we actually know quite a bit about Jesus Christ.

One key point that Stepanov makes in his lecture is that Jesus Christ was born in Nazareth, and that this is a historically certain fact. He notes that Nazareth was a little known place at the time, and that it was unlikely that anyone would make up such a place for Jesus Christ to be from. He goes on to say that this is further evidence that Jesus Christ was a real historical figure, and that the testimony about him is consistent.

Another key point that Stepanov makes is that Jesus Christ was a construction worker, or tekton. He notes that this is further evidence of his poverty, as construction work was not a well-paying profession at the time. Furthermore, Jesus Christ was essentially homeless during his itinerant ministry and this would not have endeared him to many people in society. However, Stepanov argues that the fact that Jesus Christ was a poor construction worker is further evidence that the testimony about him is consistent, and that he was a real historical figure.

A third key point that Stepanov makes is that Jesus Christ began his public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. He notes that this created some difficulty for his disciples later on, as they wondered why Jesus Christ needed to be baptized. However, Stepanov argues that the fact that Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist is further evidence that he was a real historical figure, and that the testimony about him is consistent.

In conclusion, Stepanov's lecture provides a wealth of information about Jesus Christ and the historical context in which he lived. He argues that there is a great deal of evidence that Jesus Christ was a real historical figure, and that the testimony about him is consistent. He notes that Jesus Christ was born in Nazareth, was a construction worker, and began his public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. He concludes by saying that the universal rejection of Jesus Christ by the Jews is a historical fact that needs to be explained, and that he will explore this further in the next lecture.