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The Jesus Project
R. Joseph Hoffmann, Ph.D.
Chair, Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion
The Jesus Seminar, founded in 1985 by the late Robert Funk of the University of Montana, was famous for its openly defiant stance against the claims of miracles in the Gospels - including the resurrection of Jesus. The use of additional sources, such as Gnostic and apocryphal gospels, to create a fuller picture of the Jesus-tradition and the focus on context as though it provided content were at least innovative.
By the end of their most visible period in 2000, the members had pared the sayings of Jesus down to 18 percent of those attributed to him in the New Testament and pictured him as a wandering teacher of “wisdom” who preached in riddles and parables about a God of love who preferred sinners to the wealthy, comfortable, and wise of the world. Gone was the utterly mistaken eschatological prophet who preached the end of the world and never expected to found a church - much less a seminar - in his name.
What the Seminar had tacitly acknowledged is that over 80 percent of “Jesus” had been fictionalized by the Gospel writers. That is to say that, if we are to judge a man’s life by his sayings, the greater portion of the literary artifacts known as the Gospels is fictional. If we are to judge by actions, then what actions survived historical criticism? Not the virgin birth, or the Transfiguration, or the healing of the sick, or the purely magical feats such as Cana, or the multiplication of loaves and fishes. The Resurrection had quietly been sent to the attic in the nineteenth century. Yet scholars insisted the historical figure was untouched. Only faith could explain this invulnerability to harm.
Previous attempts to rule the question out of court are vestiges of a time when the orthodox Churches controlled the boundaries of permissible inquiry into its sacred books. More directly the question of the historical Jesus as a testable hypothesis, and this Jesus Project is committed to no prior conclusions about the outcome of the inquiry. This is a statement of principles and the Jesus Project intends to stick to them.
The Jesus Project will run for five years, with its first session scheduled for December 2007. It will meet twice a year, and, like its predecessor, the Jesus Seminar, it will hold open meetings. Unlike the Seminar, the Project will not expand membership indefinitely: the Project will be limited to fifty scholars with credentials in biblical studies as well as in the crucial cognate disciplines of ancient history, mythography, archaeology, classical studies, anthropology, and social history.
At the end the Jesus Project will publish its findings. The project is aiming at a probable reconstruction of the events that explain the beginning of Christianity. How a man named Jesus from the province of Galilee whose life served as the basis for the beginning of a movement; or a sequence of events that led to the Jesus story being propagated throughout the Mediterranean. We find both conclusions worthy of contemplation. As we live in the real world of real causes and outcomes only one can be true. Our aim, like Pilate’s (John 18:38), is to find the truth. From www.jesus-project.com/intro.htm
Originally posted by uberarcanist
The Jews of the time could have easily refuted the Gospels if the events depicted were distortions or outright fabrications. The utter lack of such a refutation speaks volumes in favor of the veracity of the Gospels.
Originally posted by Steff
I dont think many people ever doubted his existence as a historical figure.......More likely, "some" people are doubtful wheter the storys are indeed true.
Originally posted by uberarcanist
The early Christians leveled very serious accusations against Judaism, and philosophical/religious discussions of the day were widespread, so information traveled at a decent pace, despite the fact that books could not be duplicated quickly. I find it hard to believe that Jews would neither of known about Christianity or cared at least by the middle of the second century.
Originally posted by uberarcanist
OK...the vast majority of Jews were killed in the Little Apocalypse...you can prove this how?
Originally posted by uberarcanist
Furthermore, what does whether or not ancient myths were refuted have to do with anything?
Originally posted by uberarcanist
Finally, what do very confused reports in the Talmud that may or may not have anything to do with Jesus (see link below) that were written 500 or more years after Christ's death prove?
Originally posted by uberarcanist
A straw man (Trypho) invented
Originally posted by uberarcanist
by a heterodox Christian doesn't prove anything.
Originally posted by uberarcanist
reply to post by Al Davison
Your implication that Jews and Christians merely had an amicable split and that was that is not only grossly contradicted by the Bible, which records numerous examples of Christian persecution by Jews, but it is also completely flying in the face of how Jewish sects have historically gotten along, which is very poorly (see my link on Samaritans below). If the Gospels were as fallible as you imply, you can be assured that the mainstream Jews would lord their inaccuracy over the very heterodox (by Jewish standards) Christians.
P.S.
I do not endorse the pogroms and find them to be a loathsome corruption of Christianity.
en.wikipedia.org...