Editing Jesus Seminar (section)

==Methodology==
The first findings of the Jesus Seminar were published in 1993 as ''The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus''.<ref name="Words"/>

The Fellows used a voting system to evaluate the authenticity of about 500 statements and events. For certain high-profile passages the votes were embodied in beads, the color of which represented the degree of confidence that a saying or act was or was not authentic:
* Red beads – indicated the voter believed [[Jesus]] did say the passage quoted, or something very much like the passage. (3 Points)
* Pink beads – indicated the voter believed Jesus probably said something like the passage. (2 Points)
* Grey beads – indicated the voter believed Jesus did not say the passage, but it contains Jesus' ideas. (1 Point)
* Black beads – indicated the voter believed Jesus did not say the passage—it comes from later admirers or a different tradition. (0 Points)

A confidence value was determined from the voting using a weighted average of the points given for each bead; the text was color-coded from red to black (with the same significance as the bead colors) according to the outcome of the voting.<ref name="westar.voting">{{cite web|url=http://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar/voting/more-on-voting-for-the-jesus-seminar-phase-1-sayings-of-jesus/|title=Voting for the Jesus Seminar Phase 1: Sayings of Jesus|publisher=Westar Institute|access-date=2013-10-25}}</ref>

===Criteria for authenticity===
The Jesus Seminar treats the gospels as fallible historical artifacts, containing both authentic and inauthentic material. The Seminar fellows used several criteria for determining whether a particular saying or story is authentic, including the criteria of [[multiple attestation]] and [[criterion of embarrassment|embarrassment]]. Among additional criteria used by the fellows are the following:<ref name="Words"/>

*'''Orality:''' According to current estimates, the gospels were not written until decades after Jesus' death. Parables, aphorisms, and stories were passed down orally (30–50 CE). The fellows judged whether a saying was a short, catchy [[pericope]] that could possibly survive intact from the speaker's death until decades later when it was first written down. If so, it is more likely to be authentic. For example, "[[turn the other cheek]]".
*'''Irony:''' Based on several important narrative parables (such as the [[Parable of the Good Samaritan]]), the fellows decided that irony, reversal, and frustration of expectations were characteristic of Jesus' style. If a pericope presents opposites or impossibilities, it is more likely to be authentic. For example, "[[Matthew 5:44|love your enemies]]".
*'''Trust in God:''' A long discourse attested in three gospels has Jesus telling his listeners not to fret but to trust in the Father. Fellows looked for this theme in other sayings they deemed authentic. For example, "[[Discourse on holiness|Ask – it'll be given to you]]".

===Criteria for inauthenticity===
The Seminar looked for several characteristics that, in their judgment, identified a saying as inauthentic, including self-reference, leadership issues, and apocalyptic themes.<ref name="Words"/>

*'''Self-reference:''' Does the text have Jesus referring to himself? For example, "I am the way, and I am the truth, and I am life" (John 14:1–14)<ref>{{bibleverse|John|14:1–14}}</ref>
* '''Framing material:''' Are the verses used to introduce, explain, or frame other material, which might itself be authentic? For example, in Luke, the "red" parable of the good samaritan is framed by scenes about Jesus telling the parable, and the seminar deemed Jesus' framing words in these scenes to be "black".
* '''Community issues:''' Do the verses refer to the concerns of the early Christian community, such as instructions for missionaries or issues of leadership? For example, [[Petrine Primacy|Peter as "the rock" on which Jesus builds his church]] (Matthew 16:17–19).<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|16:17–19}}</ref>
* '''Theological agenda:''' Do the verses support an opinion or outlook that is unique to the gospel, possibly indicating [[redaction criticism|redactor bias]]? For example, the prophecy of [[the sheep and the goats]] (Matthew 25:31–46)<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|25:31–46}}</ref> received the color black because the fellows saw it as representing Matthew's agenda of speaking out against unworthy members of the Christian community.

===Example: the beatitudes===
The Jesus Seminar rated various [[beatitudes]] as red, pink, gray, and black.<ref name="Words"/>  Three beatitudes are judged to be "paradoxical" and are doubly attested. They are rated red (authentic) as they appear in Luke 6:20–21.<ref name="Words"/>

*"Congratulations, you poor! God's domain belongs to you."<ref name="Words"/>
*"Congratulations, you hungry! You will have a feast."<ref name="Words"/>
*"Congratulations, you who weep now! You will laugh."<ref name="Words"/>

The Seminar fellows decided the beatitude for those persecuted in Jesus' name might trace back to Jesus as a beatitude for those who suffer, but concluded that in its final form the saying represents concerns of the Christian community rather than Jesus' message. Thus it received a gray rating.<ref name="Words"/>

Matthew's version of the three authentic beatitudes were rated pink. The author has spiritualized two of them, so that they now refer to the poor "in spirit" and to those who hunger "and thirst for justice." Matthew also includes beatitudes for the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and peace-makers. These beatitudes have no second attestation, lack irony, and received a black rating.<ref name="Words"/>