The Ichthyus Project

If any of you are readers of Andrew Sullivan's blog, you've noticed that 'Christianism' has been his most popular topic of late.

By 'Christianist,' he means the confluence between fundamentalist religious belief and political activism, much of which - in the Protestant case - is based on the radical supposition of Biblical inerrancy.

But we know from our own studies and discussion that not every Gospel that was written is in the current Bible, and we also know that translations can offer different shades of meaning.

So in a nod to this blog's 'classical' origins, I propose "The Ichthyus Project," in which I propose to combine all the extant Gospels - even partial - into a single uniform text, essentially a biography of Jesus.

I'll be arranging the passages more or less chronologically, that is, starting with His birth and proceeding forward. Once I get to parables, ministry, and the like, it's a bit more of a judgment call. On this I am certainly open to suggetions. I'm also open to suggestions on translations and versions. Actually, any and all help is apprecated.

It's probably not the most orthodox idea, but I think it will be interesting to see the (at times) contradictory passages next to each other. For the seeker of the historical Jesus, it will at the very least illuminate more of the early Church perspectives on its founder. I cannot say if it will provide any additional spiritual understanding - that would be a tad immodest, to say the least - but I hope to show that someone as complex and important as a Messiah and Son of God cannot simply be seen from one angle.

As it goes, I will post updates for your commentary and critique. I really have no idea where this is going to end up; it could be a collossal failure! But the idea intrigues me, so I'm going to give it a try.