The Search for Jesus: Modern Scholarship Looks at the Gospels

by Stephen J. Patterson, Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan

1994 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY SOFTCOVER

Genres: Biblical Studies, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity

152 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1993

Reviews

[Ancient Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4 stars for the most bang for your buck.

This is a wonderful little book. A comprehensive, yet accessible introduction to a modern developments in Christian scholarship.

The book is a transcription of a series of lectures mainly focusing on the lastest quest for the historical Jesus. These lectures are delievered in the language of humans as opposed to the kind of academic jargon that tends to fester in these niche disclipines. While short, you get a good overview of topics. While aimed for the layman, this book is filled with some fascinating bits of quality info by some leading Jesus scholars. Worth a read.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SYMPOSIUM INCLUDING SEVERAL CONTEMPORARY JESUS SCHOLARS

This book contains lectures given at a Symposium at the Smithsonian Institution on September 11, 1993 by Stephen Patterson ['The God of Jesus: The Historical Jesus and the Search for Meaning'], Marcus Borg ['Jesus: A New Vision'], and John Dominic Crossan ['The Historical Jesus']. There is also a brief "Panel Discussion" at the end.

When asked in the Q&A session why Jesus didn't write his own gospel, Patterson replied, "Most scholars assume that Jesus did not read or write. In this respect Jesus was like most people of his day. Most people in antiquity did not read or write... If you could read or write, you belonged to the upper stratum of educated society. It is not likely that Jesus... had access to that tool. Most important, people did not presume that in order to be remembered you had to write something. Most culture was transmitted orally." (Pg. 31)

Borg presents "portraits" of six prominent figures in modern biblical scholarship: "E.P. Sanders' ['The Historical Figure of Jesus']... work represents the most direct continuation of the eschatological consensus in North American scholarship... In [Jesus and Judaism] Sanders develops a picture of Jesus as a prophet and agent of Jewish restoration eschatology... The second portrait comes from Burton Mack... and it's a picture of Jesus as a Hellenistic-type cynic sage... Burton Mack ['The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian Origins'] does not really regard himself as a Jesus scholar but more of a gospel scholar, Markan scholar and 'Q' scholar. Mack is also the North American scholar most associated with the cynic image of Jesus. So whether he likes to regard himself as a Jesus scholar or not, he's in the group." (Pg. 91)

Crossan says in the Q&A session, "In Mark's gospel... Mary and the women get to the tomb first. This is part of Mark's polemic against the family of Jesus and the disciples. The women don't tell anyone; they run away. I would not put much on that, in itself. What I would emphasize are two other points. First, in John 20 he takes Peter and sort of debunks him. At the end, he takes on Thomas, the traditions that the Gospel of Thomas is based on, and debunks him. But in the middle, he goes after Mary Magdalene. In John, she keeps getting it wrong... In terms of the Johannine community, Peter, Mary Magdalene and Thomas are important leaders who all need to be downgraded." (Pg. 127-128)

This Symposium is useful for gaining a briefer statement of some of the views of these scholars, but serious students will need to read their larger books, for a much fuller statement.

[Greg Schloesser · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 1990s, three prominent Biblical scholars -- Stephen Patterson, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan -- participated in a "Modern Scholarship Looks at the Gospels" symposium. This book is a verbatim compilation of their talks, along with the question and answer session.

The three scholars are all considered in the "Progressive" wing of Christianity, which often places great importance on understanding the historical Jesus. The talks concentrate on the culture in which Jesus lived and practiced his ministry, and assessments of who Jesus actually was (and is) ... and how he likely saw himself. There are excellent talks and help provide a better understanding of the historical Jesus and the Gospels.

[Michael Barros · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive synopsis of the state of modern scholarship's investigation into the historical Jesus. The essays are from a conference, with speakers all holding different viewpoints - some presenting even more viewpoints which aren't their own. The book gives a glimpse of where Jesus scholarship has been, where it's at, and where it's going.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, readable scholarship. The authors have continued to study since this book, so some of their conclusions have changed over time (eg. The dates of composition for some of the ancient writings.)

[T.L. Clees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read! The authors present a look at the historical Jesus and what the Gospels say through that type of lens. Perhaps the best part of the book is the Q&A section at the end of each chapter.

[Carol Wunderlich]

This is a series of lectures put on by BAS back in 1993, but it is a great summation of ideas,research practices and thoughts in the contemporary search for the "historical Jesus".

[Bruce Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice connections between Bible and historical facts

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Symposium at the Smithsonian Institution transcripts of the lecture series, September 1993.