Jesus as Precursor

by Robert W. Funk

In this volume of essays, Robert Funk first explores the work of artists and thinkers, such as Kafka, Beckett, Henry Miller, Castaneda, Fowles, and Thoreau, in order "to let Jesus' real successors discover him to us." Then, under the heading "Voices of Silence," he reflects on language and modern reality. Funk concludes that the central theological issue—to which he responds with twenty-one suggestions about theology—is whether human beings can find "a real world to which they can give themselves.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Robert Walter Funk (July 18, 1926 – September 3, 2005), was an American biblical scholar, founder of the controversial Jesus Seminar and the non-profit Westar Institute in Santa Rosa, California. Funk, an academic, sought to promote research and education on what he called biblical literacy. His approach to hermeneutics was historical-critical, with a strongly sceptical view of orthodox Christian belief, particularly concerning historical Jesus. He and his peers described Jesus' parables as containing shocking messages that contradicted established religious attitudes.