Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity Conference

During the opening session of the much anticipated mouthful of a conference, “Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity,” the methodic rumbling of a jackhammer nearby seemed entirely appropriate.

The purpose of the conference, and accompanying collection of essays, was “to clear the ground of several crumbling foundations to provide space for more sophisticated discussion of historiography already underway within Jesus studies” (1). As the conference ensued the foundation of historical Jesus studies in the last hundred years, the criteria of authenticity, crumbled away indeed. Or at least that was the conclusion of everyone at the conference.

The collection of scholars at this conference was impressive to say the least. Spearheaded by the mild-mannered Anthony Le Donne and, to quote Barry Schwartz “the destroyer of worlds” Chris Keith, the conference featured presentations from notable scholars including: Dale C. Allison, Jr., Mark Goodacre, Jens Schröter and Loren T. Stuckenbruck, among others. Each scholar presented on why the “authenticity criteria approach” is insufficient for providing access to the historical Jesus.

You can read stream-of-conference blogging from Joel Watts and Mark Goodacre, though Mark is less comprehensive because he kept stopping to speak at the conference. Though I’m not much engaged in historical Jesus studies of late, I had a wonderful time seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

You Must Read The Jesus Blog

I know what you're thinking, "I doubt there is a blog that I 'must' read." But hear me out.

About

The Historical Jesus. What could be more interesting to talk about than Jesus? While there is no shortage of blog material devoted to Jesus, the content at The Jesus Blog promises to be singularly devoted to the historical figure. If you think historical Jesus studies are a fad that's already passed, you'll thoroughly enjoy The Jesus Blog because it challenges past assumptions and promises new avenues of exploration. 

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The dynamic duo behind The Jesus Blog material are Chris Keith and Anthony Le Donne. Ask a veteran scholar like Larry Hurtado or John M. G. Barclay and they will tell you these two are rising stars in the academic world. You don't have to take their word for it, just check out Keith and Le Donne's notable publications (they are listed on a left sidebar at The Jesus Blog for convenience). 

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If you're interested in Historical Jesus Studies, or if you think Historical Jesus studies are so over, then you need to check out The Jesus Blog. If you're wanting to do a PhD, but are unsure of a suitable topic, Keith and Anthony boast to suggest 101 potential ideas. If you're not a trained scholar, but you are interested in the cutting edge of scholarship about Jesus then you should read The Jesus Blog. If you're just a regular person who interested in being informed about arguably the most important figure in the western world, then stop by The Jesus Blog.

Seriously, go to The Jesus Blog.

Exciting Fall

It’s the fall again, my favorite time of year. As a sports fan fall is exciting because football is available for mass consumption every weekend at every level, from high school boys to professional athletes. Fall is a fantastic season because of the colors, smells and temperatures. Summer heat gives way to breezy sweat-shirt weather.  The rich green leaves yield to bright yellows, brilliant reds and explosive oranges. The scent of burning charcoal briquettes wafts from tailgates and backyards. The reason I love fall most is the beginning of a new academic year. New students are beginning the journey. Seasoned students are starting the routine again. It’s just a wonderful time to be studying.

This fall I embark on my newest and most challenging research project yet – my thesis. For the sake of what I hope this project will become, I will only say that it concerns Paul’s use of the OT in Romans, and it’s not focused on Romans 1-4 or 9-11. Intrigued? I hope so.

An important part of producing a good thesis is having helpful readers to provide advice, critique and encouragement at appropriate times. Despite the untimely loss of my primary advisor in Dr. Robert Lowery to a lengthy battle with cancer, I am thankful to have Dr. Anthony Le Donne as my primary reader. Anthony is an accomplished scholar who specializes in Jesus studies and Second Temple Judaism. His PhD dissertation, published as The Historiographical Jesus, focused on social memory and historiography applied to historical Jesus studies, which he wrote under James Dunn and John M. G. Barclay at Durham. His more recent book, Historical Jesus: What we can know and how we can know it?, is a popular-level account of what social memory can teach us about Jesus. Needless to say, Anthony is an accomplished scholar.

Anthony also happens to be an incredibly generous person. He has been an invaluable guide in navigating this research project already. After challenging me to produce a “history of interpretation” on my passage, Anthony encouraged me to do an inductive study of Romans and write a paper articulating how my passage fits and functions in Romans. I’m in the middle of this project now and it has been an extremely helpful exercise. Even if the entirety of the final product does not end up in my thesis it has been crucial to solidify my own thoughts.

My second reader, who just recently agreed, is Dr. Mark Reasoner. I do not know Dr. Reasoner personally, and had only passing familiarity with his work until he agreed to participate in this project. Dr. Reasoner wrote his dissertation The Strong and the Weak on Rom 14.1-15.13 under H. D. Betz at University of Chicago and it was published in the prestigious Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series through Cambridge. His most recent book, Romans in Full Circle provides a history of interpretation on some major texts in Romans. I am excited for our first face-to-face meeting in October.

I am beyond grateful to have these two fine scholars interested in my project. I only pray that my collected work, offered for their critique would be acceptable. Perhaps by God’s will we might be refreshed together in Paul’s master epistle and God’s grace.