Phase Four
The Jesus Seminar on Christian Origins
Read reports
The goal of the Jesus Seminar on Christian origins will be to set the
emergence of the Jesus traditions within the context of
- the larger Greco-Roman culture of which it is a part
- second temple Judaism and emerging Rabbininc Judaism
- the diversity among various followers of Jesus and their developing traditions
At the Spring 2006 (see report) inaugural meeting, Fellows decided to conduct their
research place by place, using a variety of tools — archaeology, epigraphy, ancient history, cultural anthropology — to create a thick description of each
place, inventory the texts and traditions that would likely have been heard there, plot them over time (tradition history) and then describe the
"Christianity" they see developing there. As more places are described, Fellows will be able to track networks and connections, explore the conflicts
that shaped the early Christian world, and identify the fault lines.
Where to begin? The earliest piece of Christian literature, Paul's first extant
letter, was sent to Thessalonica. There is good material available for describing the city: archaeology, epigraphy, ancient descriptions. There is a possible
tradition-history to explore between 1 and 2 Thessalonians. And the question of how to use Acts in describing the growth of Christianity will be broached
early. These considerations made Thessalonica seem the most promising place to begin.
In due course, the seminar will look at Galilee, Jerusalem, Antioch, Edessa,
Alexandria, Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, and Rome. Other interesting topics could also be incorporated: the role of women, Jews and Gentiles, Jewish
Christianity, Gnosticism, Christianity and the Roman Empire, among others. By focusing the inquiry on place, these and other questions will have a concreteness anchored in historical particularity.
Reports
The Jesus Seminar on Christian Origins meets twice annually. Reports from the seminar appear in Westar's membership magazine, The Fourth R. Click on the following links for PDFs of published reports to date:
Steering Committee
Stephen J. Patterson, chair
John S. Kloppenborg
Joanna Dewey
Bernard Brandon Scott
Arthur J. Dewey
Dennis E. Smith
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