Reputational Construct of Jesus in Celsus’ Alēthēs Logos

0568360 - FLÚ 2023 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Cielontko, Dávid
Reputational Construct of Jesus in Celsus’ Alēthēs Logos.
Eirene. Roč. 58, 1/2 (2022), s. 421-453. ISSN 0046-1628
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-02741S
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : Celsus * reputation * Jesus * True Doctrine * Gary Alan Fine * magician
OECD category: Religious studies
Impact factor: 0.1, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.ics.cas.cz/upload/__files/Cielontko_Eirene_2023.pdf

The article builds upon the theoretical framework for the study of negative reputations developed by the prominent American sociologist Gary Alan Fine and conceptualizes portrayal of Jesus in his work True Doctrine as a deliberate construct of negative reputation. Celsus is seen as a reputational entrepreneur portraying Christians and their doctrine as unconvincing, illogical, and ridiculous superstition for the weak-minded. Since the reputations of individuals and groups interact, it is rational that he has also targeted the inventor of this doctrine, Jesus, to prove the falsity of Christian doctrine. He measures the narratives of Jesus’ birth, public ministry, teaching, arrest, and execution against the values and ideals of contemporary Greek culture on divinity, magic, class, and social status and depicts Jesus as an insignificant “wicked sorcerer” who died disgracefully, being abandoned and betrayed by his own followers.

Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0340221