“Jesus | Christ” or “Jesus—Christ”? Robert Funk vis-à-vis Edward Schillebeeckx on the Link Between the Historical “Jesus” and Faith in Him as the “Christ”

This article will examine the validity of the most succinct Christian affirmation of faith expressed in the name "Jesus Christ" (Hesu-Kristo in Filipino), which means that "Jesus," the teacher-healer from Nazareth, is trusted to be "the Christ," the chosen messiah of God. We will do this by exploring whether there is a flowing and smooth connection between "Jesus" and "Christ" (to be represented as "Jesus—Christ") or if we should admit to some points of disconnect between the two names (to be expressed as "Jesus | Christ"—with the two terms separated by a vertical bar or "pipe"). We will focus on the work of Edward Schillebeeckx who posits a necessary and logical link between "Jesus" and "Christ," then compare and contrast his approach with that of Robert Funk (founder of the Jesus Seminar) who represents a position that poses an almost insurmountable divide between "Jesus" and "Christ."