--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is impossible to avoid the suspicion…" description: "\"It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg" --- # It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical… ![“It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and call it biography.” quote by John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg) > “It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and call it biography.” [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scholars often blur lines between theology and history, treating religious study as objective fact. **In simple terms:** Research can mix faith with facts. Key Takeaway Separate belief from evidence. Themes theology history methodology Mood critical analytical Type academic scholarly When to use this quote - academic conferences - religious studies curricula - public debates - media interviews Key Concepts epistemology bias scholarly rigor Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish faith from evidence? - What safeguards ensure objective historical analysis? A Different Perspective Historical claims may be influenced by personal belief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-jesus/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-research-818563/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-safe-818565/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [Safe places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-places/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Suspicion Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion-historical-818564/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) ## Related quotes > [The church lives because it witholds the results of the historical Jesus-research from you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-conzelmann/the-church-lives-because-it-witholds-the-results-of-the-historical/) [Hans Conzelmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-conzelmann/) > [Love is easy! Kindness is easy. So I try on my Twitter page to acknowledge everyone that reaches out to me. I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-nicole-brown/love-is-easy-kindness-is-easy-so-i-try-on-my-twitter-page-to/) [Yvette Nicole Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-nicole-brown/) > [Adventure Bay is a convenient and safe place for any number of ships to take in wood and water during the summer months: but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bligh/adventure-bay-is-a-convenient-and-safe-place-for-any-number-of-ships/) [William Bligh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bligh/) > [This partisan decision by a packed GOP state Supreme Court takes away worker's rights to bargain for a safe place to work. It underscores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-larson/this-partisan-decision-by-a-packed-gop-state-supreme-court-takes-away/) [Chris Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-larson/) > [I never thought that people my own age could die, let alone be murdered. Things like that didn't happen in 1955. The suburbs were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-downing-hahn/i-never-thought-that-people-my-own-age-could-die-let-alone-be/) [Mary Downing Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-downing-hahn/) > [Outside our small safe place flies mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/outside-our-small-safe-place-flies-mystery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I appreciate that something I've done has found a safe place to land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/i-appreciate-that-something-i-ve-done-has-found-a-safe-place-to-land/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [I wonder if novels work for women because they give us a safe place to talk about our ish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-wonder-if-novels-work-for-women-because-they-give-us-a-safe-place/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [As I do not live in an age when rustling black skirts billow about me, and I do not carry an ebony stick to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/as-i-do-not-live-in-an-age-when-rustling-black-skirts-billow-about-me/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [Acting probably saved my life. It gave me a home and a safe place to let out all of my emotions and have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-marcil/acting-probably-saved-my-life-it-gave-me-a-home-and-a-safe-place-to/) [Vanessa Marcil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-marcil/) > [A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/a-good-zoo-stella-said-is-a-large-domain-a-wild-cage-a-safe-place-to/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [TV is a safe place to develop real characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/tv-is-a-safe-place-to-develop-real-characters/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [Don't play games with me! You just killed someone I like, that is not a safe place to stand! I'm the Doctor, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/don-t-play-games-with-me-you-just-killed-someone-i-like-that-is-not-a/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [Every child should have a safe place in their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/every-child-should-have-a-safe-place-in-their-life/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [I love to play; a stage is a safe place for me to be. It's not that way for most folks, but I'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-danko/i-love-to-play-a-stage-is-a-safe-place-for-me-to-be-it-s-not-that-way/) [Rick Danko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-danko/) ## More by John Dominic Crossan > [Jesus called for nonviolent resistance to Rome and just distribution of land and food. He was crucified because he threatened Roman stability -- not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/jesus-called-for-nonviolent-resistance-to-rome-and-just-distribution/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [“When a metaphor gets big, it is called “tradition”; when it gets bigger, it is called “reality”;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/when-a-metaphor-gets-big-it-is-called-tradition-when-it-gets-bigger/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [Jesus is what God looks like in sandals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/jesus-is-what-god-looks-like-in-sandals/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [I can be absolutely comfortable with an apocalyptic Jesus because he was simply wrong. As long as he's wrong I don't worry about him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/i-can-be-absolutely-comfortable-with-an-apocalyptic-jesus-because-he/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [I'm talking from the point of view of the States, we tend to assassinate people like Jesus, or if we don't we simply marginalise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/i-m-talking-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-states-we-tend-to/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [Jesus told parables. When he wanted to say something really profound about God, he went into parable. I don't find it surprising then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/jesus-told-parables-when-he-wanted-to-say-something-really-profound/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [If somebody says, you know, to love your enemies, you could say, 'Well I'm going to love them to death.' We've done that sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/if-somebody-says-you-know-to-love-your-enemies-you-could-say-well-i-m/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [“The ecstatic vision and social program sought to rebuild a society upward from its grass roots but on principles of religious and economic egalitarianism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/the-ecstatic-vision-and-social-program-sought-to-rebuild-a-society/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [“. . . I still hold two truths with equal and fundamental certainty. One: the British did terrible things to the Irish. Two: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/i-still-hold-two-truths-with-equal-and-fundamental-certainty-one-the/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [My point, once again, is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are now smart enough to take them symbolically, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/my-point-once-again-is-not-that-those-ancient-people-told-literal/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [Now when you get something like the Apocalypse of John, when this avenging God is going to have blood to the bridle bits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/now-when-you-get-something-like-the-apocalypse-of-john-when-this/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [Jesus' death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate is as sure as anything historical can ever be. For if no follower of Jesus had written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/jesus-death-by-crucifixion-under-pontius-pilate-is-as-sure-as/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [The ... challenge of Christmas is this: justice is what happens when all receive a fair share of God's world and only such distributive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/the-challenge-of-christmas-is-this-justice-is-what-happens-when-all/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [“To obtain and possess the kingdoms of the world, with their power and glory, by violent injustice is to worship Satan. To obtain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/to-obtain-and-possess-the-kingdoms-of-the-world-with-their-power-and/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) > [“If an audience kept complete silence during a challenge parable from Jesus and if an audience filed past him afterward saying, 'Lovely parable, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/if-an-audience-kept-complete-silence-during-a-challenge-parable-from/) [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) [Explore all 18 John Dominic Crossan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) ## More Autobiography quotes > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“Someday, I want to write an unauthorized autobiography of myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcmullen-sullivan/someday-i-want-to-write-an-unauthorized-autobiography-of-myself/) [David McMullen-Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcmullen-sullivan/) > [“As well as writing, 2004 saw my first attempt at wine making: the elixir of life. Unfortunately, my effort tasted more like the elixir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-briggs/as-well-as-writing-2004-saw-my-first-attempt-at-wine-making-the/) [Craig Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-briggs/) > [I caught a cold and didn't have time to work on my autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-doucet/i-caught-a-cold-and-didn-t-have-time-to-work-on-my-autobiography/) [Julie Doucet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-doucet/) > [Who ever heard, indeed, of an autobiography that was not (interesting)? I can recall none in all the literature of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-ever-heard-indeed-of-an-autobiography-that-was-not-interesting-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't really think of my essays as being about myself. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't think of them as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-don-t-really-think-of-my-essays-as-being-about-myself-i-know-it/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [The way I would live my life is: never do something in real life that I would not want to write about in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-katragadda/the-way-i-would-live-my-life-is-never-do-something-in-real-life-that/) [Siddharth Katragadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-katragadda/) > [biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/) [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) > [I think I'm like most novelists in that my books have gotten farther and farther away from autobiography the longer I've been writing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-i-m-like-most-novelists-in-that-my-books-have-gotten-farther/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [If you wish to understand me at all (and to write an autobiography is only to open a window into one's heart) you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-melba/if-you-wish-to-understand-me-at-all-and-to-write-an-autobiography-is/) [Nellie Melba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-melba/) > [I want an autobiography without revealing any personal information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-want-an-autobiography-without-revealing-any-personal-information/) [Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“I don't think anyone could write a completely honest autobiography. I am sure no one could bear to read it: My Past Was An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-think-anyone-could-write-a-completely-honest-autobiography-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 642 Autobiography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and call it biography.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Dominic Crossan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion-that-historical-jesus/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion-that-historical-jesus/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/john-dominic-crossan-29819_autobiography_it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion_2476627.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology…” — John Dominic Crossan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Dominic Crossan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is impossible to avoid the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion-that-historical-jesus/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dominic-crossan/it-is-impossible-to-avoid-the-suspicion-that-historical-jesus/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```