- Feb 5, 2002
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In the previous pieces for this series, we referenced C. S. Lewis’s Trilemma, essentially his argument: in claiming He was God, Jesus was either a liar, insane, or God. In the previous installment, we addressed the question: Was Jesus a liar? Below, we’ll address Lewis’ next possibility: Was Jesus mentally ill?
Fair Question
Because Jesus is a polarizing figure, let’s begin this discussion with someone other than Jesus. Let’s use my friend “Mike” as the guinea pig in the mental exercise.
Let’s say I accused my friend Mike of a physical illness—say, influenza. What if I told everyone not to associate with Mike because of his sickness? Before I did that, it would be reasonable to detail his symptoms to provide evidence. Common symptoms of the flu include high fever, fatigue, sore throat, vomiting, and chills. What if, however, Mike had no symptoms—yet I told Mike’s friends he was sick anyway to make sure his friends stayed away from Mike? What sort of person would do that?
Imagine now that I accused Mike not of physical illness, but of mental illness. Maybe I really believe Mike is mentally ill, but the truth is that I lack any formal—or even informal—study of mental disorders. Nevertheless, I don’t let that stop me. Though I cannot name one specific symptom of mental illness, I tell everyone to stay away from Mike because “Mike’s crazy!” What sort of person would do that?
Alright, now let’s give Mike a break and circle back to our original question. Judging from the Gospels, was Jesus mentally ill? And specifically, what mental disorder(s) did He have?
Old Allegations
Continued below.
The Trilemma Of C.S. Lewis, Part Four: Was Jesus Mentally Ill?
Fair Question
Because Jesus is a polarizing figure, let’s begin this discussion with someone other than Jesus. Let’s use my friend “Mike” as the guinea pig in the mental exercise.
Let’s say I accused my friend Mike of a physical illness—say, influenza. What if I told everyone not to associate with Mike because of his sickness? Before I did that, it would be reasonable to detail his symptoms to provide evidence. Common symptoms of the flu include high fever, fatigue, sore throat, vomiting, and chills. What if, however, Mike had no symptoms—yet I told Mike’s friends he was sick anyway to make sure his friends stayed away from Mike? What sort of person would do that?
Imagine now that I accused Mike not of physical illness, but of mental illness. Maybe I really believe Mike is mentally ill, but the truth is that I lack any formal—or even informal—study of mental disorders. Nevertheless, I don’t let that stop me. Though I cannot name one specific symptom of mental illness, I tell everyone to stay away from Mike because “Mike’s crazy!” What sort of person would do that?
Alright, now let’s give Mike a break and circle back to our original question. Judging from the Gospels, was Jesus mentally ill? And specifically, what mental disorder(s) did He have?
Old Allegations
Continued below.
The Trilemma Of C.S. Lewis, Part Four: Was Jesus Mentally Ill?