The Origins of Early Christian Literature
eBook - PDF

The Origins of Early Christian Literature

Contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Origins of Early Christian Literature

Contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture

About this book

Conventional approaches to the Synoptic gospels argue that the gospel authors acted as literate spokespersons for their religious communities. Whether described as documenting intra-group 'oral traditions' or preserving the collective perspectives of their fellow Christ-followers, these writers are treated as something akin to the Romantic poet speaking for their Volk - a questionable framework inherited from nineteenth-century German Romanticism. In this book, Robyn Faith Walsh argues that the Synoptic gospels were written by elite cultural producers working within a dynamic cadre of literate specialists, including persons who may or may not have been professed Christians. Comparing a range of ancient literature, her ground-breaking study demonstrates that the gospels are creative works produced by educated elites interested in Judean teachings, practices, and paradoxographical subjects in the aftermath of the Jewish War and in dialogue with the literature of their age. Walsh's study thus bridges the artificial divide between research on the Synoptic gospels and Classics.

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Yes, you can access The Origins of Early Christian Literature by Robyn Faith Walsh in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Teologia e religione & Studi biblici. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright information
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. List of Abbreviations
  10. Note on the Text
  11. Introduction: ''Diamonds in a Dunghill'': Seeking New Approaches in Early Christian Studies
  12. 1 The Myth of Christian Origins
  13. 2 The Romantic ''Big Bang'': German Romanticism and Inherited Methodology
  14. 3 Authorship in Antiquity: Specialization and Social Formations
  15. 4 Redescribing Early Christian Literature: The Gospels, the Satyrica, and Anonymous Sources
  16. 5 The Gospels as Subversive Biography
  17. Conclusion: ''Lions mate with lions'': Creative License and Future Directions
  18. Bibliography
  19. Index