I think the best way to view the Gospels is to view them as a magnificent portrait being painted by Jewish artists to try to capture the essence of a God experience that they believe they had with Jesus of Nazareth.

In this quote, John Shelby Spong presents a unique perspective on the Gospels by encouraging readers to view them as a portrait created by Jewish artists. He suggests that the Gospels should not simply be seen as historical accounts but as artistic attempts to convey the essence of a profound spiritual experience. This portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, as Spong imagines it, is a deeply personal expression of the encounter with God as understood by the early followers of Jesus.

Spong emphasizes that these early writers were not just recording events but were engaged in an act of artistic interpretation. As Jewish people who had encountered Jesus, they sought to express their experience of the divine in a way that resonated with their own cultural and spiritual framework. The Gospels, then, are seen as works of art that capture the ineffable nature of their relationship with Jesus and the divine presence they believed they encountered through him.

The origin of this view lies in Spong’s broader theological perspective, which encourages a more symbolic and experiential reading of religious texts. By framing the Gospels as an attempt to convey a God experience, Spong is urging readers to appreciate the Gospels as a form of expression rather than mere literal documentation. This approach invites a deeper engagement with the spiritual and symbolic aspects of the text, which may offer more profound insights into the nature of the divine.

Ultimately, Spong’s perspective suggests that the Gospels, as artistic expressions of spiritual truth, offer a rich and layered understanding of Jesus and the Christian faith. By seeing them as attempts to capture a God experience, we can appreciate the depth of the writers’ devotion and their attempt to communicate the mystery of their encounter with Jesus.