Below is a summary of the 1989 article at BAS by Marcus Borg here about the Jesus Seminar in the 1980s. He was a senior member of the seminar.
The article by Marcus J. Borg titled “What Did Jesus Really Say?” (Bible Review, 1989). It explains the purpose, method, and scholarly reasoning behind the Jesus Seminar, a group of about 40 critical scholars founded by Robert Funk in 1985 to evaluate which sayings attributed to Jesus in the Gospels are historically authentic. They voted on each saying using colored beads:
- Red: Jesus almost certainly said it
- Pink: Probably said something like it
- Gray: Probably not
- Black: Almost certainly not
Their goal was to produce The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (including Thomas), a color-coded edition showing the group’s collective judgment.
Borg summarizes mainstream biblical scholarship’s view that the Gospels are not verbatim records but developing traditions—the Church’s remembered and interpreted experience of Jesus after Easter. This contrasts sharply with fundamentalist assumptions that the Gospels are direct historical accounts.
He then explains six main criteria scholars use to judge authenticity:
- Multiple Attestation:
A saying found in several early sources (e.g., Mark, Q, Thomas) is more likely to be authentic. Yet even early sources reflect decades of development. - Distinction from Developing Tradition:
Scholars discount sayings that reflect later Church theology—especially those proclaiming Jesus’ divine or messianic identity (prominent in John, added more fully in Matthew and Luke). Such titles reflect post-Easter faith, not Jesus’ own words. - Environmental Fit:
Authentic sayings must make sense in a Palestinian context (c. 30 CE). For example, Matthew’s version of the “wise and foolish builders” parable fits Palestinian geography (rock and sand), while Luke’s adaptation fits the broader Mediterranean world.
Similarly, Mark 7:19 (“declared all foods clean”) likely reflects later Church debates about dietary laws, not Jesus himself. - Distinctive Form:
Parables and aphorisms are the most characteristic and authentic forms of Jesus’ speech. They invite listeners to see reality differently—often subverting social or religious conventions. Later Gospel editors often added doctrinal or moral applications to these stories. - Dissimilarity:
Material unlike both early Judaism and the early Church likely comes from Jesus. However, Borg notes the negative use of this criterion (excluding all continuity with Judaism or the Church) is too extreme. Used positively, it can highlight what was distinctive about Jesus’ voice without denying continuity. - Coherence:
Sayings that fit coherently with already established authentic material are more likely genuine. This works at two levels:- Micro: e.g., parables like the “Assassin” in the Gospel of Thomas resemble other authentic Jesus sayings.
- Macro: the overall portrait of Jesus must integrate the best evidence coherently. Borg argues past portrayals—Jesus as merely a moral teacher, apocalyptic prophet, or revolutionary—each failed because they ignored key evidence.
Borg concludes that while some see the historical quest as destructive to faith, it serves a different purpose: to understand the historical Jesus rather than the Christ of faith. He maintains that critical study can enrich understanding of why Jesus became such a transformative figure. Borg insists that historical belief and theological conviction are separate issues: whether Jesus said he was divine differs from whether he is divine.
Summary in outline form:
- Purpose of Jesus Seminar – determine authentic sayings using systematic criteria.
- Nature of the Gospels – evolving Church traditions, not direct reports.
- Six scholarly criteria for authenticity.
- Examples applied (Q source, parables, Mark 7:19).
- Historical study’s value – reconstructing Jesus’ voice without rejecting faith.
- Borg’s conclusion – critical study deepens understanding of Jesus’ impact.
Source: Marcus J. Borg, “What Did Jesus Really Say?” in Bible Review 5.5 (1989): 18–25.
An insert to the article.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (verses requiring use of the environment criterion)
Matthew 7:24–27
“Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” [fits Palestinian geography (rock and sand. Writer knows of the wadi.]
Luke 6:47–49
“Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” [Luke’s adaptation fits the broader Mediterranean world.]
MLA Citation
Borg, Marcus J. “What Did Jesus Really Say?” Bible Review 5.5 (1989): 18–25.
