How does that affect the picture [of Jesus] that emerges?
Jesus emerges differently in these portraits. Clearly those who identify more strongly with Northern Palestinian traditions and concerns and identify with problems that are characteristic of Galilee… are going to depict a Jesus who has more to say about those things. Now, let’s say such people who hail from Northern Palestine, have, in so many words, written off the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. They have no “in” with those people. They’re alienated from them. They’re not going to be concerned with what went on in various strata [of] Judean society, how certain Judean people responded to Jesus, how certain people responded to the Jesus movement. However, in John’s gospel, there’s some indication that among Jerusalemite elites there was [a] split. There are some non-priestly elite types who sympathize with Jesus…. The priestly establishment, as a whole, are clearly the bad guys. John is very clear about this. But this distinction between the priestly and the non-priestly elit
