May 1996 - The Jesus Seminar
The Jesus Wars
Rusty MillerOn April 8 of this year, all three major news magazines hit the newsstands with the same theme, the search for the historical Jesus. This came on the heels of both of Dallas-Ft. Worth's daily newspapers running similar articles on the same subject. "'The Jesus Wars,' says (Oregon St. professor Marcus) Borg, 'are heating more...
Who Do Men Say That I Am?
Rusty MillerIn the 16th chapter of Matthew, the apostle records, "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' more...
What is the Jesus Seminar and Who Cares?
Mark RobertsReligious America is greatly influenced by seminaries, professors and theologians. The beliefs of most denominations are a direct result of what these academics say and teach. In most churches one cannot even preach without an advanced degree. Of course, such is not so among churches of Christ. We are far more interested in what the Bible says then what men say about the Bible. However, in ignoring what the denominational world is doing and saying we must reckon with a certain danger. It is possible that denominational "Christianity" will shape and mold Americans' expectations and ideas about Jesus. The Jesus Seminar is doing exactly that, and we would do well to keep abreast of their dangerous teaching. more...
The "New" New Testament Scholarship
Rusty MillerTwo facts about the Jesus Seminar stand out above all. The first is their almost insatiable desire for publicity. The founder, Robert Funk, has drawn criticism, even from those who support his position, as a publicity hound. Other members of the Seminar see it as their mission to bring their ideas out of academia and into the mainstream, to reach the average Bible reader and impact the lives of those who believe the Bible. more...
Conducting the Quest for the "Real Jesus"
Mark RobertsOne of my fears in writing about the Jesus Seminar is that Abundant life's readers will decide all Bible scholarship and writing are worthless and dangerous to faith. This is, of course, not true. However, it would be misleading for us to write about the Seminar as if some men get together, someone reads a passage from Matthew, and then they pass the bucket and all drop black beads in. The process is a bit more complex than that, and bears our consideration. This is particularly important, because if we are going to refute the Jesus Seminar's results we must know what tactics and means they used to arrive at their scandalous results. more...
Is John's Gospel Historically Accurate?
Mark RobertsAmong the Gospels no work has been so abused, misused and denied authority as John. We wonder if this state of affairs is due to the book's stated purpose: proving that Jesus is the Christ. ". . . 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." (John 20:30-31). As this conflicts with the agenda of those who attack the scriptures, John has been one of their primary targets in their work to discredit scripture. more...
John's Evidence for Jesus
Mark RobertsJohn explicitly designed his gospel to convince men and women of the truth that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30-31). The Greek term for bearing witness or testifying occurs more than fifty times in the book. This Gospel is just filled with testimony that Jesus is the Christ of God. Once we have established its authenticity and reliability (see page 8) we can examine this evidence with confidence. more...
The Early Church's View of Jesus
Rusty MillerMuch of the Jesus Seminar's view of Jesus rests on the hypotheses of what they believe the early followers of Jesus to have been like. Taking their radical view of the document Q (discussed in the articles on pages 4-5 and page 14), they postulate that there were two distinct movements in what became Christianity. The first movement, emanating from Jerusalem, they call the "Jesus movement," and it includes those who only believed Jesus to be a sage, a purveyor of wisdom. These wisdom sayings primarily concerned an emphasis on overturning the social customs of the day. Thus, Jesus is viewed as both a sage and a revolutionary. This group of followers, withdrew from society to form small communities. The connection between 1960s radicalism (from which many of these scholars came) and the similarity of the early "Jesus movement" to communism is not lost on most readers. more...
Was Jesus' Body Eaten By Dogs?
Rusty MillerImagine this scenario: It is the first Sunday following the crucifixion of Jesus. Several of the women who have followed Him have gathered at the tomb where He was placed. They are carrying oils and spices to anoint His body and, after finding someone to remove the stone before the tomb, they do so. They go away in great sadness. 100 years pass. The tomb is now grown over. 1000 years pass. The tomb has been covered and built upon. No one even knows where it is anymore, but the body of Jesus has long since decayed and withered away. more...
What About Extra-Biblical Sources?
Rusty MillerOne of the most prominent factors involving the Jesus Seminar is their decision to favor "extra-canonical" sources, that is, books (particularly gospels) which are not found in the Bible. Some of these books are found in the Apocrypha, but the favored sources are those in what is called the Nag Hammadi Library. Discovered in the 1940s in Egypt, these books are largely gnostic in nature, and many members of the Seminar date these books before the gospels in the New Testament. However, we have already seen that some of these scholars use questionable dating techniques indeed, so their dating of the Nag Hammadi Library can be called into question as well. more...
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Mark RobertsMatthew tells of Jesus asking His disciples "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (Matthew 16:13). They replied that some thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or a prophet. The Lord was not deterred. Again He asked, "But who do you say that I am?" (verse 15). Jesus' point is clear: each must come to a decision about His identity. It is not enough to discuss what others have said about Jesus. You must personally decide who Jesus is. You have now read a great deal of what others are saying about Jesus. Now it is time to decide whom you say He is. more...
The Preacher's Pen
Mark RobertsPreparing for this special issue I have read more about the Jesus Seminar, agnostics and biblical criticism than I ever wanted to know. In all of it I have kept wondering why these people are going to such great lengths to attack Jesus. If we want to believe in a divine Christ why do they care? The following nugget from a Newsweek cover story (April 8, 1996) sheds light on their real agenda: "Theirs is not disinterested historical investigation but scholarship with a frankly missionary purpose: by reconstructing the life of Jesus they hope to show that belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is a burden to the Christian faith and deflects attention from his role as social reformer." more...