From the dawn of modern biblical study in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, scholars have tried to answer this question: "What can we know factually about Jesus from the evidence found in the scriptures?" Biblical scholars and religious traditions have devised many methods for interpreting the biblical record. Both the data and the myriad methods for interpreting the data are confusing. This presentation will clarify the issues of this "quest" for the Historical Jesus by looking at both the biblical data and at the criteria and methodologies used to review the data.
Friar William Burton is a Roman Catholic Franciscan priest who has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in biblical studies for over 10 years. He holds an MDiv and an MA in Theology from Catholic Theological Union and an MEd in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago. He also holds a Doctorate in Biblical Studies (STD) from Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a Licentiate in Biblical Studies (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. His research interests are biblical research and archeology, Italian language and culture, ancient history, and biblical languages.
