About the Author

Robert W. Funk was a distinguished teacher, writer, translator and publisher in the field of religion. A Guggenheim Fellow and Senior Fulbright Scholar, he served as Annual Professor of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem and as chair of the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University, USA. Robert Funk was a recognized pioneer in modern biblical scholarship, having led the Society of Biblical Literature as its Executive Secretary from 1968–1973.

Arthur J. Dewey (Th.D., Harvard University) is Professor of Theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, USA. A distinguished teacher, writer, translator and commentator, he is the co-founder of the Healing Deadly Memories Program, a unique project that conducts workshops on how to deal with the question of anti-Semitism in the New Testament. He served as co-chair of the Bible in Ancient and Modern Media Group of the Society of Biblical Literature and was the recipient of a Wheeler Grant for investigating and reporting on Religion in the Media, a seminar surveying the use and abuse of religion in print journalism. His poetry has appeared in the Christian Century.

The Jesus Seminar was organised to discover and report a scholarly consensus on the historical authenticity of the sayings and deeds attributed to Jesus in the gospels. In the judgment of the Jesus Seminar, 18 percent of the sayings and 16 percent of the deeds are authentic. These findings, along with the public nature of the seminar system, led to widespread public debate.

Reviews

Bold and meticulous scholarship, with astonishing results. -- James Carse

This book will excite, challenge, intrigue and threaten readers. --Bishop John Shelby Spong