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The Jesus Seminar: Things You Need To Know
In 1985 Robert Funk organized a group of scholars now called The Jesus Seminar.
With a high public profile, these academic associates meet on a semi-annual
basis to discuss and debate "the Historical Jesus." Under the sponsorship of the
Westar Institute (Sonoma, California), these men apply their scholarly methods
of analysis to the New Testament record of Jesus. Out of this research they
offer to the public their consensus about who Jesus really was and what He
actually said. In 1994 they released a book entitled "The Five Gospels: What Did
Jesus Really Say?" In this work the Jesus Seminar scholars argue ...
That Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah and did not predict the end of the
world.
Jesus probably did share a symbolic last meal with his disciples just before his death. But they think that the words attributed to Jesus in the Bible, comparing himself to the bread and fruit of the vine, were probably fabricated by followers after his death.
The "Lord's Prayer," which the Bible says Jesus taught to his followers, was
also probably composed by Christians after his time on Earth had ended.
More recently, the Jesus Seminar has conducted meetings with great public
fanfare in several cities. Each Christmas and Easter season the media need a
religious feature story, so there have been reports about the Jesus Seminar and
their conclusions by all the major magazines and newspapers. Likewise, there
have been at least two major publications answering the Jesus Seminar methods
and arguments. "Jesus Under Fire" by Moreland and Wilkins (Zondervan), and "The
Real Jesus" by Luke Timothy Johnson (HarperCollins). Also, for online computer
users, there are WEB PAGES with Jesus Seminar information
( http://www.harpercollins.com/sanfran/js.htm).*
For those who have been exposed to this, or want to be prepared to deal with it,
consider ...
Do not be intimidated by the quantity or quality of "scholars" who are part of
this. The Jesus Seminar - now a little over ten years old - is made up about
50-75 scholars. When you consider the total number of New Testament scholars in
America and around the country, this is not a good representation. The Society
of Biblical Literature (SBL) for example has 6,900 members! "The Five Gospels"
mentioned above lists seventy-four "fellows" of the Seminar. Further, these men
cannot be considered the "top" scholars in this field of study. Johnson
observes: "While the Seminar can count among its members some scholars of
notable reputation ... and while the Seminar's work increased the visibility of
some others ... the roster of fellows by no means represents the cream of New
Testament scholarship in this country," (Johnson, 3). He goes on to state that
"Most of the participants are in relatively undistinguished academic positions,"
(Johnson, 3).
Do not visualize their work in terms of the objective and unbiased application
of strict, scientific methods of literary analysis and historical investigation!
These are men who - long before their quest - had decided that the Gospels are
not accurate histories. I have a copy of the "Jesus Seminar Premises and Rules
of Evidence." This is a list of 64 premises plus various rules of evidence and
research. Premise number one is: "The historical Jesus is to be distinguished
from the gospel portraits of him." Premises 26-29 reflect doubt on the book of
John. Number twenty-nine says: "John is a less reliable source than the other
gospels for the sayings of Jesus." John Dominic Crossan (professor at DePaul and
co-chair of the Seminar) has said concerning the resurrection of Christ:
"Whether he rose physically from the grave is not central," (Wade, 1). The Jesus
Seminar "scholars" begin with premises and assumptions of unbelief in the
reliability of the New Testament. Out of those
premises, they have developed methods that result in a figure they call "the
real Jesus." So you know - before they begin their research - their conclusions
will match their pre-suppositions.
These men are motivated by a fear that they are a dying breed. The typical
evangelical knows little of their work, and the devoted New Testament Christian
is not influenced by their modernism or their arrogance. They feel it necessary
to do something to reach the "common man" and demonstrate their importance. Funk
has said this. "If we are to survive as scholars of the Humanities, as well as
Theologians, we must quit the academic closet. And we must begin to sell a
product that has
some utilitarian value to someone ... or which at least appears to have
utilitarian value to someone," (Forum 1/1. 1985, p.10, quoted by Johnson, 8).
Do not overlook the reality that these men have a social/moral agenda! They
cannot stomach the miraculous (like the resurrection of Christ), but they are
deeply zealous in their devotion to liberation theology, freedom from
dogma/legalism and a host of politically correct values. They are eager to
reform "Christianity" on the basis of their reconstructed, socially active
Jesus. I predict it will not be long until this "reconstructed, historically
correct Jesus" will be pressed into the service of the social gospel, gay
liberation and other causes these academics have long been sympathetic with. So,
when confronted with the scholarly excesses of the Jesus Seminar, weigh in on
the questions without fear. Know where they are "coming from," and know what you
believe.
Frederick Kenyon, a renowned paleographer and textual critic, affirmed: "The
Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or
hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without
essential loss from generation to generation through the centuries," (Our Bible
and the Ancient Manuscripts, 55).
"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which
are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His
name." (Jno. 20:30,31, NKJV).
{Documentation: THE REAL JESUS, by Luke Timothy Johnson, HarperCollins. THE
MYSTERY OF A RESURRECTED RABBI, by David A. Wade,
Sojourners, Jan.-Feb., 1996, Vol. 25, No. 1.}
By Warren E. Berkley
The Front Page
From Expository Files 3.9; September 1996
