Scholarly Approaches to and Perspectives on the Historical Study of Jesus

  

Historians Discover Jesus

Norman Perrin, Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus [at http://www.religion-online.org]

Norman Perrin, Jesus and the Language of the Kingdom  [at http://www.religion-online.org]

Albert Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus  [Note: this book is perhaps the most important book of all time in the history of historical research into the life of Jesus. Click here for a link to Renan’s famous The Life of Jesus to see what kind of thing Schweitzer was responding to and reacting against]

Historical Jesus Theories  [at EarlyChristianWritings.com]

   

Important figures and approaches

(links to supplement the information in the textbook by Mark Allan Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History, Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998):

 

Mark Allan Powell

"Blackballing Jesus" An article about the Jesus Seminar

"Peasant, Prophet, or Spirit Person?" An article reviewing current Jesus research

 

The Jesus Seminar

Visit the home page of the Westar Institute

Visit a home page created by Mahlon Smith, devoted to the Jesus Seminar and to the writings of both its members and its critics

Premises And Rules Of Evidence of the Jesus Seminar. also here

Craig Blomberg, "The Seventy-Four Scholars: Who Does The Jesus Seminar Really Speak For?"

Gregory C. Jenks, "Behind and Beyond the Jesus Seminar" [PDF file to download]

http://www.firstcong.net/ews/jesus.pdf

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jsem.htm

 

John Dominic Crossan

RTF (Word) documents made publicly available by Crossan

An inventory of the Jesus tradition, by chronological stratification.

An inventory of the Jesus tradition, by independent attestation.

Common Sayings Tradition in the Gospel of Thomas and the Q Gospel.

 

Historical Jesus Materials and Methodology, [archives of the on-line seminar with John Dominic Crossan held in early 2000]

John Dominic Crossan resources

The Spirit of Things: Interview with John Dominic Crossan

http://www.dorrk.com/inside.asp?display=258

 

Marcus Borg

Read Marcus Borg’s book, Jesus: A New Vision [from http://www.religion-online.org]

Marcus J. Borg, "A Renaissance in Jesus Studies," Theology Today, 1988.

Visit a web page about his work, created by Cam Howard

"The Historical Jesus and Christian Preaching"

"The Light In The Darkness" [these last two articles and others are provided at http://www.religion-online.org]

 

E. P. Sanders

E.P. Sanders "Jesus in Historical Context,", Theology Today, October, 1993.

 

John P. Meier

Read an interview with John Meier entitled "Finding the Historical Jesus" (from the December 1997 Issue of St. Anthony Messenger Magazine Online)

Read an article by Meier on the results to date of the so-called ‘Third Quest’ for the Historical Jesus

A Review of Volume 3 of Meier’s study of the historical Jesus, A Marginal Jew.

 

N. T. Wright

"The Wright Quest for the Historical Jesus" - A Review of Wright’s book Jesus and the Victory of God , written by Ben Witherington III [from http://www.religion-online.org].

"Defending Nicea: The Historical Jesus of N. T. Wright", article by James Veitch

N. T. Wright Page

"Resurrection Faith"   and  "On The Third Day"  [from http://www.religion-online.org]

 

Paula Fredricksen 

From Jesus to Christ (introduction) 

"What You See is What You Get"

 

Other Related Links and Scholars’ Writings:

The PBS Special "From Jesus to Christ" includes quotations from many scholars (including, among others, John Dominic Crossan)

A Peter Jennings Report featuring quotes from many of the key scholars mentioned above. See also the web version of the program.

Transcripts of a scholarly meeting involving several of the scholars surveyed above.

[Try also this link: "The Meaning of Jesus," at "Christianity Online's" Books and Culture, 1999. Six scholars (Borg, Wright, Pagels, Crossan, King, Hays) explain why they study the origins of Christianity -- and why it matters.]

Debate Between Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright, audio files from Fresh Air, May 20, 1999.

Jesus at 2000 The e-mail debate between John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg and Luke Timothy Johnson

Dale Allison, "Secularizing the Historical Jesus"

David L. Bartlett, "The Historical Jesus and the Life of Faith" – review of the work of Meier, Wright, & Crossan [at www.religion-online.com]

Gerhard Bodendorfer, "Jewish Voices about Jesus"

Michael Burer, "A Survey of Historical Jesus Studies: From Reimarus to Wright"

Millars Burrows, Jesus in the First Three Gospels   [at www.religion-online.com]

Bruce Chilton, "Rabbi Jesus"

Martin Dibelius, Jesus [at www.religion-online.com]

Albert Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus

Ed Friedlander's Jesus Page 

Marc Goodacre's site on Jesus

Bruce Griffin, "Was Jesus a Philosophical Cynic?"

Richard Hays,  "The Corrected Jesus"

Luke Timothy Johnson, "Reshuffling the Gospels" – an evaluation of the skepticism and speculation of writers like Spong and Wilson [at www.religion-online.com]

Leander E. Keck, "The Second Coming of the Liberal Jesus?" [at www.religion-online.com]

John Knox, Jesus: Lord and Christ   [at www.religion-online.com]

Gerd Ludemann, "The Life of Jesus: A Brief Assessment"

William Loader, "Simple Choices? A Response to John Dominic Crossan"

Albert Loisy, The Birth of the Christian Religion

Richard N. Longenecker, "The Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith: Some Contemporary Reflections," McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry, 1999.

Lane C. McGaughy, "The Search for the Historical Jesus. Why start with the sayings?" [article from The Fourth R 9/5-6 (Sep/Dec 1996)]

Robert J. Miller, "Can the Historical Jesus Be Made Safe for Orthodoxy?" Journal of Higher Criticism.

Birger Pearson, "Quests of the Historical Jesus"

James M. Robinson, "The Real Jesus of the Sayings ‘Q’ Gospel" [at www.religion-online.com]

Early Christian Writings: Theories of the Historical Jesus

Thomas Sheehan, The First Coming: How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity, New York: Random House, 1986

James Still, The Search for the Historical Jesus

Romano Guardini, The Humanity of Christ: Contributions to a Psychology of Jesus

"Jesus of Nazareth," from Introduction to the Bible: Online Resources, Carol Taylor, Chowan College.

Reviews by Paula Fredriksen of books by Geza Vermes.

Searching for Jesus (review of Geza Vermes' book)

Links relating to Jesus and Cynic philosophy

Other reviews available at http://www.textweek.com

Alfred Edersheim, The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah

 

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