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Robert W. Funk Director of the Westar Institute and founder of the Jesus Seminar d. 2005

Robert W. Funk was a distinguished teacher, writer, translator and publisher in the field of religion. A Guggenheim Fellow and Senior Fulbright Scholar, he; served as Annual Professor of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem and as chair of the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. Robert Funk was a recognized pioneer in modern biblical scholarship, having led the Society of Biblical Literature as its Executive Secretary from 1968–1973. His many books include The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (1993) and The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds (1998) (both with the Jesus Seminar) and Honest to Jesus (1996), and A Credible Jesus (2002)..

Obituary

Books by Robert Funk

• Funk on Parables: Collected Essays, 2006
• A Credible Jesus: Fragments of a Vision, 2002.
• The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds (with the Jesus Seminar), 1998.
• Honest to Jesus: Jesus for a New Millennium, 1996
• New Gospel Parallels: The Gospel of Mark, 1995
• The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (with Roy Hoover and the Jesus Seminar), 1993
• The Gospel of Mark: Red Letter Edition (with Mahlon Smith), 1991
• The Parables of Jesus: Red Letter Edition (with James Butts and Bernard Brandon Scott), 1988
• The Poetics of Biblical Narrative, 1988
• Parables and Presence, 1982
• Jesus as Precursor, 1975, revised 1994
• A Beginning-Intermediate Grammar of Hellenistic Greek, 1973
• Language, Hermeneutic, and Word of God, 1966
• A Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by Blass-Debrunner (translated and revised), 1961

Academic Credentials

• A.B., Butler University
• M.A., Butler University
• B.D., Christian Theological Seminary
• Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Special Study

• University of Toronto, Canada, 1973–1974
• University of Tübingen, Germany, 1965–1966
• Ecumenical Institute, Bossey, Switzerland, 1947

Academic Appointments

• Professor of Religious Studies, University of Montana, 1969–1986
• Professor of New Testament, Vanderbilt University, 1966–1969
• Associate Professor of New Testament, Drew University, 1959–1966
• Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology, Emory University, 1958–1959
• Annual Professor, American School of Oriental Research (Jerusalem), 1957–1958
• Instructor, Harvard Divinity School, 1956–1957
• Assistant Professor of Religion, Texas Christian University, 1953–1956

Professional Service

• Co-chair, The Jesus Seminar, 1985–2005
• Founder and Director, Westar Institute, 1986–2005
• Founder and President, Polebridge Press, 1981–2005
• Founder and Director, Scholars Press, 1974–1980
• Chair, Department of Religious Studies, University of Montana, 1974–1976
• President, Society of Biblical Literature, 1974–1975
• Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Montana, 1971–1972
• Executive Committee, American Council of Learned Societies, 1970–1972
• Conference of Secretaries, American Council of Learned Societies, 1968–1973
• Board of Directors, American Academy of Religion, 1968–1973
• Executive Secretary, Society of Biblical Literature, 1968–1973
• Chair, Graduate Department of Religion, Vanderbilt University, 1967–1969

Awards and Honors

• Doctor of Humane Letters, Butler Univeristy, 2005
• Society of Biblical Literature, Fellowship, 1980–1981
• American Council of Learned Societies, Fellowship, 1973–74
• Fulbright Senior Scholar, University of Tübingen, Germany, 1966–1967
• Guggenheim Fellow, 1966–1967

Copyright

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