Robert Walter Funk

These seminal essays explore forms of the New Testament tradition on the basis of a view of language as perception, problem, and promise. The author firmly believes that language contains "glimpses of worlds aborning" even though contemporary minds, given to literal-mindedness, may see this view as simply mysterious. This view of language, however, when connected in a fundamental way with the tradition and canon of the New Testament, compels systematic reflection. - from book cover

"For over a decade, the Jesus Seminar, a group of more than seventy-five internationally recognized biblical scholars - experts in such diverse fields as Greco-Roman history, archaeology, and linguistics - has met twice yearly to conduct a painstaking search for the authentic Jesus. Through rigorous research and debate, they have combed the gospels for evidence of the man behind the myths. The figure they have discovered is very different from the icon of traditional Christianity.". "The Acts of Jesus presents and illuminates the historical and literary evidence that led to the Seminar's often controversial conclusions. It provides the reader with immediate access to the latest scholarship in historical Jesus research today."--BOOK JACKET.

An assessment of authenticity of the more than 1,500 sayings attributed to Jesus, including those from the Gospel of Thomas.