How does one begin the search for the historical Jesus? What are the rules or criteria for sorting through the evidence? These are the most important questions in the quest of the historical Jesus, and their answers are not obvious. In Finding the Historical Jesus, six veterans of the Jesus Seminar help readers negotiate this thicket. Robert Miller develops criteria for differentiating between history and belief. Robert Funk examines the oral character of the Jesus tradition. Stephen Patterson takes readers through the issues involved with the Gospel of Thomas while Robert Fortna looks at the significance of the Gospel of John and Joseph Tyson explores the dating of ancient texts. The volume concludes with a survey of the history of the quest by Lane McGaughy who shows how the criteria have emerged and shifted over the years. For readers looking to discover who Jesus was, this is where the quest begins. Book jacket.