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Line 42: − − Furthermore the Seminar didn't use any actual translation (such as the King James Version or any of the more modern ones), nor did it use any Greek texts available (to counter any issues which unavoidably exist when translating from one language to another); it created its own "translation" which it called "the Scholars version", thereby (likely) adding bias into the final vote (and in one case adding a profanity which did not exist in the Greek or in any English translation).
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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"<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 '''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 known sources (the four Gospels plus other non-canonical sources). 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 (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).
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).
Of the 74 scholars that remained at the end of the original book, 36 came from [[Vanderbilt University|Vanderbilt]], [[Harvard University|Harvard]], and Claremont, universities which were criticized for having the most-liberal New Testament study programs. 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 from the outset.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html</ref>
Of the 74 scholars that remained at the end of the original book, 36 came from [[Vanderbilt University|Vanderbilt]], [[Harvard University|Harvard]], and Claremont, universities which were criticized for having the most-liberal New Testament study programs. 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 from the outset.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html</ref>
Furthermore the Seminar did not use any actual English translation (such as the King James Version or any modern one available), nor did it use any Greek texts available (to counter any issues which unavoidably exist when translating from one language to another). Instead, it created its own "translation" which it called "the Scholars version", thereby (likely) adding bias into the final vote (and in one case adding a profanity which did not exist in the Greek or in any English translation).
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 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>
#Distinguishing between cultures relying on oral sayings vs. written accounts (in their view, as Jesus lived in an oral culture, the Seminar assumed that short, memorable stories or phrases were more likely to be historically accurate); and
#Distinguishing between cultures relying on oral sayings vs. written accounts (in their view, as Jesus lived in an oral culture, the Seminar assumed that short, memorable stories or phrases were more likely to be historically accurate); and
#Finally, reversing the burden of proof (i.e. instead of assuming the Gospel accounts were accurate and forcing someone to prove they were not, the Seminar assumed that the Gospel accounts were inaccurate and required someone to prove they were).
#Finally, reversing the burden of proof (i.e. instead of assuming the Gospel accounts were accurate and forcing someone to prove they were not, the Seminar assumed that the Gospel accounts were inaccurate and required someone to prove they were).
Since the Seminar rejected the infallibility of the Gospels, it identified certain "criteria for authenticity", which included:
Since the Seminar rejected the infallibility of the Gospels, it identified certain "criteria for authenticity", which included: