A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus: Reading the Gospels on the Ground

by Bruce N. Fisk

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus tells the story of a religious studies graduate named Norm who travels to the Holy Land in order to learn whether or not he can follow and study Jesus at the same time. As a religious studies student, I see this same conflict frequently. There is a need to resolve questions concerning one’s own faith while learning about the history of the religion. In this class we have learned that there can be a gap between the historical context and the religious one. 

This book is quite unique in that it is filled with inserts of quotes and side-by-side biblical comparison. A helpful aspect was Norm’s recall of his college classes where he referenced different scholars. The quotes that were included gave new perspectives. The geographical anecdotes were especially helpful since we are going there in a couple months. Fisk would write on how the location in the time of the Bible and then Norm’s experience in that same place. Throughout the book, there were post-it note like segments of different quotes and facts that just added to the main text. Another helpful element was the pictures and maps. It was great to have a visual to go along with the text. In addition, this book was also funny. It was a fun read not only because it is incredibly relevant to me personally, but also because Fisk included Norm’s humorous add-ins.

Fisk describes his mother in the first chapter and how she has not done what we are doing in this class: look at the historical Jesus separate from the Jesus in the Gospels. Fisk was influenced by many German’s including, Bultmann and his History of the Synoptic Tradition. It challenged him because of his upbringing in the comfortable grasps of the Sunday school teachers. Bultmann convinced Fisk to not settle for the easy answer and to dissect and reread the Gospels with a different perspective.  Fisk goes on a quest to find the sources of religion and save his own faith from modernity (22).

In the second chapter, Norm arrives in Israel and focuses his attention on John the Baptist. In addition to what he was taught during his time in school, Norm discussed the criteria of authenticity and how solid Jesus’s baptism story is. I really like how Fisk assembled this book by providing clips comparing the texts to give reference to what Norm is discussing. This made the book much more friendly for non-Christians to read who are not completely familiar with the whole Bible. 

Next Norm looks at the virgin birth and the birth narratives. Norm compares the Gospels and acknowledges the parallels and borrowing that happens throughout the texts.  In this chapter, we see the emails between Norm and his professor, Randall Guilder. Just like one of our first class conversations, Norm and Randall seemed to come to the same conclusion that the virgin birth is one of the most profound challenges for interpreters. Randall also referenced the Jesus Seminar by mentioning that they tackled the Gospel infancy narratives (80).

In the fourth chapter, the focus is on Jesus’ miracles. As the other chapters, Norm discusses the differences and similarities between the gospel writers. One thing that stood out to me here is Norm talking about the different quarters in the Holy City, specifically the Armenian Quarter (114). I had not realized how diverse this ancient city was and how many different ethnicities are represented.

Chapter five details Norm’s quest for answers about Jesus’s death and intentions for the future. Norm starts by talking about him tracing what would have been the path that Jesus took with his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This passage just solidified by bafflement that one can retrace the steps that some took thousands of years ago. In this chapter I took notice to the reference to the recent turmoil in the city. Norm becomes suspicious about why he was not permitted to enter part of the Temple Mount. A man tells him it was because the rabbis did not know where the temple used to stand, but Norm thinks it could be because of the religious tension between the Muslims or something to do with politics.

Chapter six talks about the events from Passover leading up to the Last Supper. Norm describes the death of Jesus to be a detective’s nightmare (186). From class, I also know this to be true. There are so many questions about different events that led up to his death that left us with too many variables in the complex equation of Jesus’s death.

The final chapter concludes with Jesus’s trial, execution, and resurrection, as well as Norm’s journey back home. My favorite part of this chapter was Norm’s last remarks that gave credit to the people he met along his journey and how they marked his adventure. The encounters he had pushed him in different directions and caused him to turn over stones that he otherwise might not have.

            In the end, Norm realized that he did not come back with any concrete answers or hard facts. Although Norm did gain from being able to comfortably ask the questions and dig deep to explore his own religion. This quest for faith and fact is one that I have had a hard time deciphering. Fisk highlights this common problem into a wonderfully assembled text that brings together the historical, scriptural, and cultural perspectives we have examined all semester.

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus took the daunting task of taking the study of the Historical Jesus and mixing it with one’s own faith perspective. The way that Fisk used Norm to give a hands-on approach to the Holy City and the gospels gave a comforting sensation to me as a reader. I felt like I would very much be in the shoes of Norm as I approach the Holy City from a historical and religious standpoint.