Since the romanticism of the 19th century – of which Edouard Schuré's famous book Les Grands Initiés (The Great Initiates, 1889) is a good representative – the idea of religious founders as important revolutionaries has spread. Jesus has regularly been compared to Leon Trotsky and Che Guevara. What is the reality? Was Jesus really a revolutionary? And, if so, what revolution did he call for?
The theory that Jesus was a political revolutionary has been developed twice: just before World War I, notably by the theorist of German Marxism Karl Kautsky, and in the late 1960s by the English professor Samuel George Frederick Brandon (1907-1971).
According to them, Jesus was a political rebel, whose profoundly dissident character was gradually diluted by his disciples. But it would nevertheless remain perceptible in some details, such as his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when a jubilant crowd welcomed him as king with cries of "Hosanna [a plea for freedom]! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" (Matthew 21:9).
The political nature of his trial would also support this theory. Wasn't Jesus associated with Barabbas and the thief, both of whom seem to be bandits? Didn't he start a real urban riot in the Temple against the merchants' capitalist system? Two statements are also quite troubling: "The one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag; and the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one" (Luke 22:36) and "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matthew 10:34).
Peaceful speech and actions
Despite its appealing nature, this theory is based on only a few elements, which are contradicted by the rest of the Gospel text. In fact, these two statements are clearly to be understood metaphorically as expressing the difficulty of the struggle of faith. Their apparent brutality is soundly contradicted by the account of Jesus' arrest. While Peter drew his sword to defend his master, the latter sheathed it to clearly indicate a refusal of all violence (John 18:10-11).
Jesus' speech is also clear: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt" (Luke 6:27-29; cf. Matthew 5:38-48).
These statements are further confirmed by the account of the temptations in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), which show Jesus rejecting the lure of power and wealth. How can such statements be reconciled with a revolutionary discourse? The Galilean's actions – teaching, healing, talking with the people he meets – are not those of a revolutionary either.
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