Thanks to the great folks at Eerdmans, I have received a review copy of Francis Watson’s latest book, Gospel Writing: A Canonical Perspective (amazon.com).

Thanks to a colleague (who happens to receive the review books for Bible Study Magazine) I was able to get a sneak peek at Gospel Writing, and I knew I wanted to read it. The reason the book jumped out at me is that Watson takes the four-gospel canon seriously, but he also interacts heavily with noncanonical material (e.g. P. Egerton 2, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Thomas) in his exploration of how gospel material was formed, matured, and disseminated. His interaction with the noncanonical material, given the recent release of my two-volume Greek Apocryphal Gospels collection, had my interest right away.

I hope to make it through the book soon (well, soon for me) and write more about it. Until then, here are some blurbs and the TOC. Oh, and you’ll want to read this post on Gospel Writing from Eerdmans’ blog as well.

That there are four canonical versions of the one gospel story is often seen as a problem for Christian faith: where gospels multiply, so to do apparent contradictions that may seem to undermine their truth claims. In Gospel Writing Francis Watson argues that differences and tensions between canonical gospels represent opportunities for theological reflection, not problems for apologetics.

Watson presents the formation of the fourfold gospel as the defining moment in the reception of early gospel literature — and also of Jesus himself as the subject matter of that literature. As the canonical division sets four gospel texts alongside one another, the canon also creates a new, complex, textual entity more than the sum of its parts. A canonical gospel can no longer be regarded as a definitive, self-sufficient account of its subject matter. It must play its part within an intricate fourfold polyphony, and its meaning and significance are thereby transformed.

In elaborating these claims, Watson proposes nothing less than a new paradigm for gospel studies — one that engages fully with the available noncanonical material so as to illuminate the historical and theological significance of the canonical.

Table of Contents

• Part One: The Eclipse of the Fourfold Gospel
• 1. Augustine’s Ambitious Legacy
• 2. Dismantling the Canon: Lessing/Reimarus
• Part Two: Reframing Gospel Origins
• 3. The Coincidences of Q
• 4. Luke the Interpreter
• 5. Thomas versus Q
• 6. Interpreting a Johannine Source (Jn, GEger)
• 7. Reinterpreting in Parallel (Jn, GTh, GPet)
• Part Three: The Canonical Construct
• 8. The East: Limiting Plurality
• 9. The West: Towards Consensus
• 10. Origen: Canonical Hermeneutics
• 11. Image, Symbol, Liturgy
• In lieu of a Conclusion: Seven Theses on Jesus and the Canonical Gospel

 

In early March 2013, a project I’ve been working on for awhile will see the light of day. It is a two-volume effort, providing Greek and English texts of Apocryphal Gospels as well as other Fragments and Agrapha.

• Brannan, Rick. (ed.). Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha: Introductions and Translations. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2013.
• Brannan, Rick. (ed.). Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha: Texts and Transcriptions. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2013.

I’m especially excited for this one because most of my work thus far has been translation-based without any real writing to speak of. The Introductions and Translations volume, however, is my first effort beyond article/essay length to be published. I enjoyed the research and the writing, and hope to have further opportunities to do more writing in the future.

I was happy to be able to make some pre-release copies available for selected folks to review. Several of those who reviewed the book have written blog posts with their immediate impressions of the books. The reviews have been very positive, and I’m happy to share all that have been posted to date with you. Below are some snippets from each review, with a link to full review on each reviewer’s web site.

Thanks to William Varner, Jim West, Joel Watts, James McGrath, and Michael Bird for your thoughts!

A final note before the blurbs: Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha are a pre-pub right now. That means if you subscribe now, you get the books cheaper. It’s $39.95 right now, will be $49.95 after the pre-pub ships. We plan on closing the pre-pub and shipping resources to subscribers in early March 2013 (March 7 is the scheduled day). So if this stuff interests you, or if you want to learn more about these early works, then subscribe now and save $10. Thanks!

This work is a very valuable contribution that goes beyond previous lists of sayings and publications of only the English gospels. Rick’s brief but insightful comments about each of the sayings, variants, and gospels round out his work in a way that makes it accessible to both lay readers and scholars.
— William Varner, professor of Bible and Greek, The Master’s College (full review)

Rick Brannan has taken the concept so brilliantly executed by Jeremias and improved it. High praise indeed I realize but completely justifiable—for in the soon to be released Logos edition titled Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha, Brannan offers the Greek texts of the ‘sayings of Jesus’ which are found outside the Gospels (in the letters of Paul and other New Testament texts along with extracanonical early Christian literature) along with introductions and translations. He also provides the more important ‘gospels’ which didn’t make the canonical cut, again in both the original Greek editions and in translation.
—Jim West, adjunct professor of biblical studies, Quartz Hill School of Theology (full review)

In his latest contribution to the study of early Christian literature, Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments and Agrapha, Rick Brannan places pseudepigraphal gospels, agrapha, and fragments in their due place, allowing the scholar quick access to a world that could reshape some of our understanding of early Christian theological and literary development.
—Joel L. Watts, author, Mimetic Criticism and the Gospel of Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (full review)

The Apocryphal Gospels are significant for what they tell us about the Gospel tradition and Christian origins. These two books on Apocryphal Gospels by Rick Brannan are a great pair of resources for anyone who wants immediate access to reliable texts, translations, and introductions on their PC or tablet of non-canonical Jesus literature.
— Michael F. Bird, Lecturer in Theology and New Testament at Crossway College in Brisbane, Australia (full review)

Rick Brannan’s edition of the Greek Apocryphal Gospels, Fragments, and Agrapha for Logos offers an important new resource that anyone interested in the early history of Christianity will want to have. … I expect this exciting resource will play an important role not only in providing more convenient access for scholars and students already in the habit of studying these texts, but in introducing a wider audience to them as well. Many thanks to Rick Brannan and Logos for their role in not merely providing a useful tool for the already-interested, but also helping to highlight these important texts and make them accessible to others who might not otherwise encounter them or realize their importance for our understanding of the ancient church!
— James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language & Literature, Butler University (full review)

I’m very encouraged that each of these reviewers picked up on my desire to not just provide editions of these valuable texts, but to do it in a way that could introduce them to folks unfamiliar with early Christian texts outside of the New Testament. If you’d like to learn more about these texts, then consider the editions from Logos. Thanks!

With many thanks to Baker Academic (Twitter: @BakerAcademic) for providing the review copy.

Title: Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student’s Introduction (Second Edition)
Author: Clayton N. Jefford
Publisher: Baker Academic
Date: 2012
Pages: xxviii, 196 (with Glossary and Index of Ancient Literature)

This second edition of Jefford’s Reading the Apostolic Fathers (amazon.com) is a worthy successor to the first edition (published by Hendrickson Publishers in 1995).

When one initially starts to read about the Apostolic Fathers, one invariably turns to the text itself. But there are so many questions: Who are these guys? Why did they write? Where did they come from? When did they live? How was their stuff received? Is there anything really weird or wacky in there, or are these guy OK?

The documents themselves are great, but what the new reader of the Apostolic Fathers material really needs is someone to paint the landscape. To ask and answer the questions that someone used to thinking about the New Testament would ask.

Jefford provides that in this book. Almost literally.

The format is unique, and I think it works well for the target audience and the material. Jefford has one chapter for each of the major portions of the conglomeration of material we call “Apostolic Fathers”:

• Letter of Barnabas
• Didache
• Letters of Ignatius
• Fragments of Papias
• Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians
• Martyrdom of Polycarp
• First Letter of Clement
• Second Letter of Clement (aka “An Ancient Homily”)
• The Shepherd of Hermas
• The Letter to Diognetus

Each of these sections is ordered in an Answer-and-Question format. The very first section of each portion gives the “Answers”. These correspond to section titles throughout the portion, which are “Questions”. The text of the section then answers the question. For example, here are the “Answers” for Second Clement (chapter 8, p. 123):

• 8.1.1 Manuscript Tradition—one complete Greek text; one partial Greek text (1.1–12.5); one Syriac text
• 8.1.2 Literary form—early Christian homily or sermon (mistakenly called a letter by tradition)
• 8.1.3 Authorship—unknown Christian (Clement of Rome by tradition, though unlikely)
• 8.1.4 Date—AD 98–174 (probably AD 120–140)
• 8.1.5 Setting—unknown (probably Corinth, Alexandria, or Rome)
• 8.1.6 Purpose—to support Christian unity against false teachings (perhaps delivered at a service of baptism)
• 8.1.7 Primary elements—Christology; obedience of the believer; concern for end times
• 8.1.8 Special images—knowledge of God; immortal contest; potter’s clay; neither male nor female; preexistent church
• 8.1.9 Relationship to scripture—focus on Isaiah; special emphasis on New Testament Gospels and writings of Paul

In this way the high points and relevant information of the entire book are summarized. After this come the questions. In 2 Clement’s case, they are all with sections titles of 8.2.X, corresponding to these answers. The question for 8.2.1 is “Where did we get our text?” and the discussion goes on for over a page.

In the midst of the discussion, there are several boldface words. This indicates a word that is found in the glossary in the back of the book. In the page on 2 Clement textual source, items such as Codex Alexandrinus, Clement of Alexandria, and Pseudo-Clementines appear. These are all defined, a sentence or two per entry, in the glossary in the back of the book. This, particularly for an introduction, is a nice touch.

After the answers (8.1) and questions (8.2) are the contents (8.3) which consists of an “Outline of the Materials” and a short “Summary of the Argument” which is a few paragraphs. Following this is 8.4, “Related Literature", which is a bibliography, helpfully listing non-English materials in a separate section.

Each major portion has a similar four-part structure. This structure throughout the book allows the reader to get a quick overview of the material (the “answer” section), more in-depth discussion on any particular area of interest (the “question” section) as well as a quick summary of the material.

Jefford’s treatment of the material is even-handed. He mentions the possibilities and does well to not let slip where his own affinities lie. All in all, particularly for someone who knows little to nothing about the Apostolic Fathers, this is an excellent introduction that will serve the reader well—both as an introduction, and also as a quick reference after it is read.

Final note: This is a second edition. There was one major update (addition of chapter on Papias) and some minor items I noticed, discussed in more detail here: Updates to Jefford’s “Reading the Apostolic Fathers”

In the interest of ensuring someone can find this information if needed, I wanted to report a few more errata from Ehrman & Pleše’s The Apocryphal Gospels (amazon.com).

The first item is trivial. On p. 445, note 27, I’m guessing John 19:28-42 should be John 19:38-42.

The second item is less trivial.

In the introduction to the Gospel of Mary, p. 588, there is a statement about P.Oxy 3525: "Measuring 11.7 x 11.4 cm, it contains portions of 4:1–7:3 of the Coptic text."

However, I cannot determine the numbering system used in that statement; and it does not match with the numbering system used in either the Coptic or the English in Ehrman/Pleše. The material in P.Oxy 3525 is similar to that found in chapters/pages 9-10 as numbered in Ehrman/Pleše. I do not have the editions of Lührmann or Pasquier or Tuckett to hand, so I cannot check those; perhaps they would explain it.

Related to this, above that paragraph on p. 588, in a statement about P.Ryl. 463 (note, though, it is referred to as P.Ryl. 473 there), Ehrman/Pleše have: "This was a solitary papyrus leaf, written on both sides, measuring 8.7 x 10 cm, and containing portions of chapters 9-10 of the corresponding Coptic text, with some notable variants."

As numbered in Ehrman/Pleše, though, the material of P.Ryl. 463 aligns with the Coptic chapters/pages 17-19. So there is a disconnect in numbering systems somewhere here too.

With thanks to Oxford Academic for the review copy. I’ve been looking forward to this one for awhile and have not thus far been disappointed. A short disclaimer, though: Charles E. Hill taught me Greek as well as was the prof of my Johannine writings class at Northwestern College. That was 20 years ago, though (yes, I’m old), I don’t think it will color my review of his and Kruger’s (and the other authors’) work.

At this point, I’ve read the introduction, Porter’s article on the early text of the NT in the apocryphal gospels, and part of Gamble’s article on the book trade in the Roman empire. All very well written and presented. I might quibble with a few of Porter’s points, and the way he says it, but his is a solid article and great contribution to the field; I hope to blog about it in the next few days. I also plan to read some more of the articles over the next few weeks, and as I do I will blog about them.

The book’s page on Oxford’s web site lists the following information. Unfortunately, the book is priced for libraries (what, like they can afford these prices?) and at this point will be tough to find for under $150.00. Again, thanks to Oxford for sending the gratis review copy, I do greatly appreciate it.

Table of Contents

Introduction: In Search of the Earliest Text of the New Testament , Charles E. Hill and Michael J. Kruger
I. The Textual and Scribal Culture of Early Christianity
1. The Book Trade in the Roman Empire , Harry Y. Gamble
2. Indicators of Catholicity in Early Gospel Manuscripts , Scott Charlesworth
3. Towards a Sociology of Reading in Early Christianity , Larry Hurtado
4. Early Christian Attitudes towards the Reproduction of Texts , Michael J. Kruger
II. The Manuscript Tradition
5. The Early Text of Matthew , Tommy Wasserman
6. The Early Text of Mark , Peter Head
7. The Early Text of Luke , Juan Hernandez
8. The Early Text of John , Juan Chapa
9. The Early Text of Acts , Christopher Tuckett
10. The Early Text of Paul (and Hebrews) , James R. Royse
11. The Early Text of the Catholic Epistles , J. K. Elliott
12. The Early Text of Revelation , Tobias Nicklas
13. Where Two or Three Are Gathered Together: Evaluating Agreements between Two or More Early Versions , Peter Williams
III. Early Citation/Use of New Testament Writings
14. In These Very Words: Methods and Standards of Literary Borrowing in the Second Century , Charles E. Hill
15. The Text of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers , Paul Foster
16. Marcion and the Early Text of the New Testament , Dieter T. Roth
17. Justin's Text of the Gospels. Another Look at the Citations in 1 Apol. 15.1-8 , Joseph Verheyden
18. Tatian's Diatessaron and the Greek Text of the Gospels , Tjitze Baarda
19. Early Apocryphal Gospels and the New Testament Text , Stanley Porter
20. Irenaeus's Text of the Gospels in Adversus haereses , Jeffrey Bingham and Billy R. Todd, Jr.
21. Clement of Alexandria's Gospel Citations , Carl Cosaert

As you can see, the TOC lists a veritable “Who’s who” in the realm of NT textual criticism and NT studies in general.

Description

The Early Text of the New Testament aims to examine and assess from our earliest extant sources the most primitive state of the New Testament text now known. What sort of changes did scribes make to the text? What is the quality of the text now at our disposal? What can we learn about the nature of textual transmission in the earliest centuries? In addition to exploring the textual and scribal culture of early Christianity, this volume explores the textual evidence for all the sections of the New Testament. It also examines the evidence from the earliest translations of New Testament writings and the citations or allusions to New Testament texts in other early Christian writers.

Features

• Seeks to determine the earliest forms of New Testament texts available, providing a clearer picture of how New Testament texts have changed or remained the same from their earliest forms
• Takes advantage of the most recent papyrus discoveries, providing fresh, up-to-date assessments of all the important manuscript materials
• Addresses important and debated historical questions about the transmission of New Testament texts
• Examines evidence from patristic texts in relation to the manuscripts
• Written by a team of international experts in the field
  

Product Details

384 pages, hardcover
ISBN13: 978-0-19-956636-5
ISBN10: 0-19-956636-4

About the Author(s)

Michael J. Kruger (Ph.D. University of Edinburgh) is Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC and is the author of the Gospel of the Savior: An Analysis of P.Oxy. 840 and its Place in the Gospel Traditions of Early Christianity (Brill, 2005) and co-author of Gospel Fragments (Oxford, 2009). [Note: Kruger’s online presence is here: michaeljkruger.com]
Charles E. Hill (Ph.D. Cambridge University) is Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. His other books include Regnum Caelorum: Patterns of Future Hope in Early Christianity and The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church, both published by Oxford University Press, and From the Lost Teaching of Polycarp: Identifying Irenaeus' Apostolic Presbyter and the Author of ad Diognetum published by J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck). [Note: Some details on Hill are available from his faculty page at RTS.]