The so-called "Jesus Seminars" have caused controversy among biblical scholars of all stars and stripes for many reasons. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of these studies is the method they use to make a final determination about the probable authenticity of a "Jesus saying."

They assign a color to the text based on the probability that it is genuine: "red" for sayings that appear to be indisputably Jesus'; "black" for those almost certainly not. Of course, there are also "pink" and "gray" designations awarded, in order to leave some work for the next generation of scholarship. In the end, the recommendations for the color of a text are tallied, like votes, and the winning color determines the team's decision on the authenticity of the saying.

As unusual as this method is for determi…