Whether you’re an atheist, a true believer or somewhere in between, if you’re reading this blog, you will likely have an interest in this weekend’s events. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who research the historical Jesus. They’ve come up with some conclusions, including statements that there is not enough evidence of a resurrection, that scandalize Bible-believing Christians. This Friday and Saturday, local organizers are bringing a “Jesus Seminar on the Road” program to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in North Austin. From the press release: Who was Jesus, the man who lived in first-century Galilee? In a program entitled, “Jesus in the First and Twenty-first Centuries,” scholars of the Jesus Seminar will examine the disparity between the Jesus of history and the Christ figure in the gospels and ask whether that historical figure has any relevance today. On Friday evening, in a lecture entitled “Excavating Jesus,” Roy W. Hoover, Weyerhaeuser Professor of Biblical Literature and Professor of Religion Emeritus, Whitman College, will ask what is the evidence about Jesus as a figure of history and how do we find it. In the Saturday morning session, “The Jesus of the First Century,” Hoover and Thomas Sheehan, Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, will look at the social, economic and political world that was Galilee. And they will examine selected sayings and typical activities of Jesus, showing why scholars consider them authentic and suggesting the surprising ways they might have been understood in his day. On Saturday afternoon, Hoover and Sheehan will ask what the rediscovery of the historical Jesus means for the heirs of the Christian tradition. Since the eighteenth century, the church and its critics have used Jesus to talk about the meaning of human existence, and ultimately about the nature of God. The presenters offer their insights and engage participants in a discussion about the relation of the historical Jesus to those questions. All events are open to the general public. The cost for all three events is $75 , and $50 for additional family members. The cost for individual sessions is $20 for Friday evening and $30 each for Saturday morning and afternoon sessions. Registrations can be made through Westar Institute, P.O. Box 7268, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, by calling (707) 523-1323 or toll free (877) 523-3545, or online at www.westarinstitute.org. Questions on local arrangements should be directed to frajul2@verizon.net,
read more
