During my two years or so of lurking and participating on the Christian Postmodern discussion group the subject of the Jesus Seminar came up on a regular basis so I decided to explore the Jesus Seminar and find out for myself what all the fuss was about. My baptism into the world of the Jesus Seminar started with a book co-authored
by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright. titled "The Meaning of Jesus". I really connected with what Borg had to say in this book, especially as it relates to his understanding and interpretation of myth. Over the years I have studied and read quite a few books on mythology, including many of the classic myths. My blog name is after all, Bilbo, and not Luther, Calvin, Tillich, Barth, or any other doctor of theology. After studying about mythology for a number of years now I have come to the conclusion that most modern people have both a misunderstanding and a bias against mythology which in turn greatly influences how they interpret many of the stories in the bible. Here is what Mircea Eliade has to say about mythology in his book: Myth and Reality. "In the modern world, myth and reality are commonly seen as opposites: we speak of myth or reality"...Borg explains that "Eliades point is just the opposite: myth and reality go together, myth being the language for talking about what is ultimately real. For Eliade, myths are true, even though not literally true...myth is a form of poetry which transcends poetry in that it proclaims a truth".... Borg also has this to say about myths...."In popular language, myth is a dismissive term. To call something a myth is to dismiss it: one need not take it seriously. A myth is seen as a mistaken belief, a falsehood." Borg goes on to say, "in the study of religion myths are not explanations. Myths are not primitive science. Myths are not mistaken beliefs. Rather, myths are metaphorical narratives about the relationship between this world and the sacred.....Myths use nonliteral language; in this sense, they do not narrate facts.".... The importance of this perspective by Eliade and Borg influenced me to remain “open” to the writings and conclusions of the various Jesus Seminar contributors because a significant amount of their work is suggests and asserts that "some" of the New Testament accounts are “mythical” in nature, particularly, the miracles stories of Jesus and the Virgin Birth stories….. Thus began my flirtation with the Jesus Seminar…. For the next two or three years I read most of the books written by Borg and a significant number of books by John Dominic Crossan. While I never became a full fledged apologist for the Jesus Seminar I have to admit I was greatly impressed by the writings and scholarship of both men. And, currently believe they may be right about a lot of things regarding Christianity, the nature of the Bible, and the life of Jesus. At first I tried to keep a low profile while reading these books and I seldom discussed the content or the conclusions of the Jesus Seminar with my wife or any of the people at church because I was afraid of what others might think because the likes of Borg and Crossan are considered heretics and enemies of the faith by most of the Christians I was fellowshipping with at the time. But, gradually I began to share some of what I was learning with my wife and members of the Sunday Class. These conversations were very difficult because even though I usually spoke in the third person when I talked about the ideas of the Jesus Seminar I suspect they felt threatened by the “mere suggestion” that there might be another way to interpret Jesus and the gospel …..So where did that place me in the eyes of my wife and my fellow Christian brethren? I can’t say for sure but the gulf between my wife and the people at church seemed to get wider and wider with each passing week and I didn't know it at the time but the bottom of my life was about to fall out....