Jesus Reconsidered: Scholarship in the Public Eye (Jesus Seminar Guides Vol 1) (Jesus Seminar Guides) (Jesus Seminar Guides, 1) - Softcover

Bernard Brandon Scott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1598150022 ISBN 13: 9781598150025

Publisher: Polebridge Press, 2007

Synopsis

Often referred to by the press and critics alike as a single voice, the Jesus Seminar is not, in fact, monolithic writes Bernard Brandon Scott. "Biblical scholars are notoriously independent and contrary." The scholars of the Jesus Seminar are no different. In Jesus Reconsidered, readers will hear the diverse voices of pioneering scholars, some of whom put their reputations and careers on the line when, in 1985, they chose to go public with scholarship that had been common knowledge in scholarly circles for more than a hundred years. Witty, timely and full of provocative issues, articles by Robert Funk, Marcus Borg, Roy Hoover and others invite readers to step inside scholarly debates and discussions previously obscured by jargon and obfuscation. Jesus Reconsidered is the first in a series titled Jesus Seminar Guides. Over the next few years, the series will gather the best writings of Westar Fellows from the pages of its membership magazine, The Fourth R, its academic journal Forum, and occasionally from previously unpublished material. Arranged topically, the Guides will focus on topics such as the the historical Jesus, parables, Easter, and canon and inspiration that have formed the core of the Seminar s work for more than twenty years. Jesus Reconsidered begins with the opening remarks of Jesus Seminar Founder Robert Funk at its first meeting in March 1985. There he laid the groundwork upon which the Seminar would be built. Robert Funk concludes his remarks by saying, "Our stories are eroding under the acids of historical criticism. We must retell our stories. And there is one epic story that has Jesus in it." For those curious about the quest and the questions that drive the Jesus Seminar, this book is a must read.

About this title

About the Author

Bernard Brandon Scott is Darbeth Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Phillips Theological Seminary, University of Tulsa, in Oklahoma. He is a charter member of the Jesus Seminar and a consultant to the American Bible Society.

Review

This collection of explanations and historical retrospectives by Fellows of the Jesus Seminar should put to rest most of the hysteria and heresy charges leveled at the scholarly think tank. The short essays by B. B. Scott, M. Borg, R. Funk, P. V. Kea, R. J. Miller, and R. S. Mordecai are helpful summaries of methodology and results as published in The Five Gospels, The Acts of Jesus, and so forth. The two papers by R. W. Hoover, models of lucidity, are by themselves worth more than the price of the book. The volume is irenic and selfcritical, tactfully suggesting that the vitriol directed at the work of the Seminar is a matter of apologetics for religious institutions defending dogmatic views of scripture with no interest in real historical research. The contributors go some way in defending controversial positions while explaining they are not merely bizarre opinions of some fringe group trying to debunk the gospels, Jesus, or apple pie. The goal appears to be to clear the air and to refocus debate on the serious scholarly issues. No critic of the Jesus Seminar can be taken seriously until he or she takes this book into account. --Religious Studies Review.

About this edition

• Publisher: Polebridge Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1598150022
• ISBN 13: 9781598150025
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 120
• Editor: Bernard Brandon Scott