Sunday, August 14, 2005

Tom Wright in Seattle; Jesus Seminar dead?

The N. T. Wright page, among several new updates, has a link to the following:

A Conversation with N. T. Wright
Response: The Seattle Pacific University Magazine

If you are familiar with Tom Wright's writings, you will recognise many of the characteristic emphases. If you are not familiar with them, this interview might actually be a useful introduction. But in addition, I was struck by this paragraph:
Q: What about the “Jesus Seminar”?
A: I see that the “Jesus Seminar” has long since run out of steam. That was really an ’80s and ’90s movement with a bunch of scholars who were working within a very tight paradigm of what would count as gospel research. Most of that was laughed at at the time by the majority of the serious scholars in the field. Not all. There are some significant figures, such as John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, who played a leading role. But most of the main Jesus scholars would never have had anything to do with that. So that the Seminar’s claim to be the scholarly take on all the subjects that it touched was never plausible, even at the time. And, actually, it’s died a death now. I mean, I don’t think anyone really takes it seriously.
This looks a bit overstated to me. Is the Jesus Seminar really dead?
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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous15 August 2005 at 09:02

    Tom who? ..Tommy - The Who ...
    Wright is Wrong (again)

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  2. Anonymous15 August 2005 at 15:49

    If not dead, it is most certainly in a coma.

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  3. Anonymous15 August 2005 at 22:21

    Hello anon,
    It might be useful to refer to the CrossTalk archives from the last couple of days for discussion on the initial objectives, achievements, current events and future goals of the JS. Despite disagreement with their methods or conclusions, they are very much alive and kicking - writing, meeting and publishing.

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  4. Anonymous15 August 2005 at 23:50

    When my copy of Response arrived last week the face of N.T. Wright staring at me on the cover I wondered what SPU had to do to bring such a scholar to Seattle. I didn't bother to read the interview since I was caught up in a Jim Chee mystery (Tony Hillerman) and doing some work on a speech of Achilles in Iphigenia in Aulis.

    It is typical that SPU would notify the alumnae after the fact about N.T. Wright's visit. They wouldn't really expect anyone to drop what they were doing and drive 17 miles to hear an N.T. Wright.

    C.S. Bartholomew

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  5. Matthew15 September 2005 at 01:47

    Meh... NT Wright is the new "Jesus Seminar"

    ReplyDelete