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The '''Jesus Seminar''' is an organization of scholars assembled by former University of Montana professor Robert Funk for the purpose of finding what they considered the real, historical [[Jesus Christ]] through an investigation of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John of the [[New Testament]], plus the non-canonical ''Gospel of Thomas''.  Their conclusions of what Jesus said and did - arrived at through "scholarly consensus"[http://www.westarinstitute.org/Seminars/seminars.html] from a liberal perspective[http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jsem.htm] - were published in 1993 as ''The Five Gospels: The search for the authentic words of Jesus.'', a work which expresses their opinion as to what Jesus said - or didn't say - in the [[Bible]].

The '''Jesus Seminar''' is an organization of scholars assembled by former University of Montana professor Robert Funk for the purpose of finding what they considered the real, historical [[Jesus Christ]] through an investigation of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John of the [[New Testament]], plus the non-canonical ''Gospel of Thomas''.  Their conclusions of what Jesus said and did - arrived at through "scholarly consensus"<ref>http://www.westarinstitute.org/Seminars/seminars.html</ref> from a liberal perspective<ref>http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jsem.htm</ref> - were published in 1993 as ''The Five Gospels: The search for the authentic words of Jesus.'', a work which expresses their opinion as to what Jesus said - or didn't say - in the [[Bible]].

The Seminar has never officially disbanded, but after Funk's death in 2005 it ceased as an active organization, but many of the original members still continue their research and publications using the Seminar's methodologies.  The Westar Institute maintains a website explaining the work  

The Seminar has never officially disbanded (though Funk passed away in 2005), but many of the original members still continue their research and publications using the Seminar's methodologies.  The Westar Institute maintains a website explaining the work of the Seminar and future publications of the "Fellows" (all of whom, not surprisingly, are liberal theologians, though some notable liberal theologians such as [[Bart Ehrman]] are not Fellows and are openly criticial of the Seminar's findings).

==History==

==History==

In the mid-1970's Funk had expressed a desire for a work about the historical Jesus.  To that end he assembled a team of scholars, with the intent that they would create a version of the Gospels which reflected a consensus, based upon votes as to what constituted what they perceived as the "real" words of Jesus.   

In the mid-1970's Funk had expressed a desire for a work about the historical Jesus.  To that end he assembled a team of scholars, with the intent that they would create a version of the Gospels which reflected a consensus, based upon votes as to what constituted what they perceived as the "real" words of Jesus.   

Starting out with about 200 scholars in 1986, the number fell to 74 when ''The Five Gospels'' was published.  Fourteen of these individuals were academic professors with published works on the subject; twenty were also academics, but with far fewer publications.  Of the remainder, eighteen had no published papers on the subject at all.  Thirty-six of the scholars came from Vanderbilt, Harvard, and Claremont Universities, which were criticised for having the most-liberal New Testament study programs in any university.  In any case, most of the people who left the Seminar before the book went to print complained of the "radical fringes of New Testament scholarship" who were over-represented there, or of Funk's undermining of traditional Biblical values. [http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html]

Starting out with about 200 scholars in 1986, the number fell to 74 when ''The Five Gospels'' was published.  Fourteen of these individuals were academic professors with published works on the subject; twenty were also academics, but with far fewer publications.  Of the remainder, eighteen had no published papers on the subject at all.  Thirty-six of the scholars came from Vanderbilt, Harvard, and Claremont Universities, which were criticised for having the most-liberal New Testament study programs in any university.  In any case, most of the people who left the Seminar before the book went to print complained of the "radical fringes of New Testament scholarship" who were over-represented there, or of Funk's undermining of traditional Biblical values.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html</ref>

===Anti-Christian agenda===

===Anti-Christian agenda===

That the Jesus Seminar was never subjective in their findings is evident from their methods in determining the authenticity of Scripture as explained below; that they had an anti-Christian agenda was evident from the start.

That the Jesus Seminar was never subjective in their findings is evident from their methods in determining the authenticity of Scripture as explained below; that they had an anti-Christian agenda was evident from the start.

In his opening remarks at the first Seminar meeting, Funk openly stated that "we are having increasing difficulty these days in accepting the biblical account of the creation and of the apocalyptic conclusion in anything like a literal sense" and further that said difficulty "is connected with a second feature: we now know that narrative accounts of ourselves, our nation, the Western tradition, and the history of the world, are fictions".  Funk would go on further to state that "that the Bible, along with all our histories, is a fiction" and that the "fiction of Revelation keeps many common folk in bondage to ignorance and fear". [https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/jesus-seminar-opening-remarks/]

In his opening remarks at the first Seminar meeting, Funk openly stated that "we are having increasing difficulty these days in accepting the biblical account of the creation and of the apocalyptic conclusion in anything like a literal sense" and further that said difficulty "is connected with a second feature: we now know that narrative accounts of ourselves, our nation, the Western tradition, and the history of the world, are fictions".  Funk would go on further to state that "that the Bible, along with all our histories, is a fiction" and that the "fiction of Revelation keeps many common folk in bondage to ignorance and fear". <ref>https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/jesus-seminar-opening-remarks/</ref>

In 1998 Funk published a short paper, "The Coming Radical Reformation"[http://www.westarinstitute.org/Periodicals/4R_Articles/funk_theses.html], a series of short theses in which he stated his views on Christianity, God, and the Bible, all of which offered a rehash of liberal and atheistic sayings.  In the first thesis, Funk reduced God to a non-existant being and replaced Him with a humanistic philosophy:

In 1998 Funk published a short paper, "The Coming Radical Reformation" (no longer available on the website), a series of short theses in which he stated his views on Christianity, God, and the Bible, all of which offered a rehash of liberal and atheistic sayings.  In the first thesis, Funk reduced God to a non-existant being and replaced Him with a humanistic philosophy:

:''"The God of the metaphysical age is dead. There is not a personal god out there external to human beings and the material world. We must reckon with a deep crisis in god talk and replace it with talk about whether the universe has meaning and whether human life has purpose."''

:''"The God of the metaphysical age is dead. There is not a personal god out there external to human beings and the material world. We must reckon with a deep crisis in god talk and replace it with talk about whether the universe has meaning and whether human life has purpose."''

In his third thesis, he declares that "sin" is a mere dogma, with death just the natural part of things.

In his third thesis, he declares that "sin" is a mere dogma, with death just the natural part of things.

:''"The doctrine of the atonement—the claim that God killed his own son in order to satisfy his thirst for satisfaction—is subrational and subethical. This monstrous doctrine is the stepchild of a primitive sacrificial system in which the gods had to be appeased by offering them some special gift, such as a child or an animal."''

:''"The doctrine of the atonement—the claim that God killed his own son in order to satisfy his thirst for satisfaction—is subrational and subethical. This monstrous doctrine is the stepchild of a primitive sacrificial system in which the gods had to be appeased by offering them some special gift, such as a child or an animal."''

What is seen in Funk's paper the true mission of the Jesus Seminar, to present a fictionalized version of Jesus Christ to the masses, and to get them to believe that their "consensus" is the correct one.  According to author and Christian pastor Mark D. Roberts, the Seminar "wore a mask of scholarly objectivity and dispassionate scientific inquiry...based largely upon the image, one might be tempted to say 'the myth,' of the Seminar as a group of unbiased scholars who carefully sifted the evidence to discover what Jesus really said (and didn't say)"[http://markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/unmaskingthejesus.htm].

What is seen in Funk's paper the true mission of the Jesus Seminar, to present a fictionalized version of Jesus Christ to the masses, and to get them to believe that their "consensus" is the correct one.  According to author and Christian pastor Mark D. Roberts, the Seminar "wore a mask of scholarly objectivity and dispassionate scientific inquiry...based largely upon the image, one might be tempted to say 'the myth,' of the Seminar as a group of unbiased scholars who carefully sifted the evidence to discover what Jesus really said (and didn't say)",<ref>http://markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/unmaskingthejesus.htm</ref>

*The Beatitudes for the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and peace-makers were rated black, for lack of second attestation and for lack of irony.

*The Beatitudes for the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and peace-makers were rated black, for lack of second attestation and for lack of irony.

The result of their research - despite having a collection of more than 1500 versions of approximately 500 Christian writings which were authored prior to 313 A.D. - declared, among other things, that the Virgin Birth, the feeding of the 5000, the raising of Lazarus or any other miracle, had never happened; that Jesus had only said those words which the Seminar had concluded - by consensus - were said during the oral period of 30 - 50 A.D. (Funk, pg. 25).  The total use of "red" throughout ''The Five Gospels'' was limited to fifteen lines, of which only one shared line - "give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's..." - was red in all the canonical Gospels; it was the only red entry in ''Mark'', and there were no red entries in ''John''.  The Lord's Prayer in Matthew was reduced to two words as authentic: "Our Father"[http://www.allaboutreligion.org/critics-of-the-jesus-seminar-faq.htm]. The remainder of Jesus' words were attributed to being partially or fully the creation of the Gospel writers; the pink and grey entries were easily-considered "liberal" entries, i.e. those favored by liberalism.  The black entries, predominantly prophetical, were dismissed as fiction.[http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html#whatdidtheyconclude]  Funk wrote in his book ''"The Gospels are now assumed to be narratives in which the memory of Jesus is embellished by mythic elements that express the church's faith in him, and by plausible fictions that enhance the telling of the gospel story for first-century listeners who knew about divine men and miracle workers firsthand."'' (Funk, pg 5))

The result of their research - despite having a collection of more than 1500 versions of approximately 500 Christian writings which were authored prior to 313 A.D. - declared, among other things, that the Virgin Birth, the feeding of the 5000, the raising of Lazarus or any other miracle, had never happened; that Jesus had only said those words which the Seminar had concluded - by consensus - were said during the oral period of 30 - 50 A.D.<ref>Funk, p. 25.</ref> The total use of "red" throughout ''The Five Gospels'' was limited to fifteen lines, of which only one shared line - "give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's..." - was red in all the canonical Gospels; it was the only red entry in ''Mark'', and there were no red entries in ''John''.  The Lord's Prayer in Matthew was reduced to two words as authentic: "Our Father"<ref>http://www.allaboutreligion.org/critics-of-the-jesus-seminar-faq.htm</ref>. The remainder of Jesus' words were attributed to being partially or fully the creation of the Gospel writers; the pink and grey entries were easily-considered "liberal" entries, i.e. those favored by liberalism.  The black entries, predominantly prophetical, were dismissed as fiction.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html#whatdidtheyconclude</ref> Funk wrote in his book ''"The Gospels are now assumed to be narratives in which the memory of Jesus is embellished by mythic elements that express the church's faith in him, and by plausible fictions that enhance the telling of the gospel story for first-century listeners who knew about divine men and miracle workers firsthand."'' <ref>Funk, p. 5.</ref>

In a bit of irony, the Seminar concluded that Luke 6:37 -- the well-known "judge not, lest ye be judged", a phrase often used by non-Christians and liberal Christians to oppose any attempts by conservative Christians to call out sin, either personal or corporate -- was in their view likely '''''not''''' authentic.[https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar/jesus-seminar-phase-1-sayings-of-jesus/example-from-luke-629-37/]

In a bit of irony, the Seminar concluded that Luke 6:37 -- the well-known "judge not, lest ye be judged", a phrase often used by non-Christians and liberal Christians to oppose any attempts by conservative Christians to call out sin, either personal or corporate -- was in their view likely '''''not''''' authentic.<ref>https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar/jesus-seminar-phase-1-sayings-of-jesus/example-from-luke-629-37/</ref>

==External Links==

==External Links==