While some awareness of textual criticism has entered into the discussions about the historical Jesus, overall there is a lack of recognition of the concrete value of specific textual variants to the discussion by both textual critics and historical Jesus scholars. After a brief review of prior interaction between these two fields, several specific examples of variants that likely represent codifications of early oral traditions about the historical Jesus will be presented and their implications discussed. Some reflections about the challenges for more productive interaction between these two fields will also be offered.