The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospel from Literary Devices

by Lydia McGrew

Publisher:

DeWard Publishing Company

, 2019

Overview

In recent years a number of evangelical scholars have claimed that the Gospel authors felt free to present events in one way even though they knew that the reality was different. Analytic philosopher Lydia McGrew brings her training in the evaluation of evidence to bear, investigates these theories about the evangelists’ literary standards in detail, and finds them wanting. At the same time she provides a nuanced, positive view of the Gospels that she dubs the reportage model. Clearing away misconceptions of this model, McGrew amasses objective evidence that the evangelists are honest, careful reporters who tell it like it is. Meticulous, well-informed, and accessible, The Mirror or the Mask is an important addition to the libraries of laymen, pastors, apologists, and scholars who want to know whether the Gospels are reliable.

Key Features

• Investigates theories about the evangelists’ literary standards in detail and finds them wanting
• Provides a nuanced, positive view of the Gospels she dubs the reportage model
• Amasses objective evidence that the evangelists are honest, careful reporters who tell it like it is

Contents

• Preface
• Part One—Masking History
• Chapter I: What if the Gospels Were Only Based on True Events?
• Chapter II: A Handful of Crucial Distinctions
• Chapter III: A Bushel of Quotations
• Chapter IV: Whither Inerrancy?
• Part Two—Unmasking Ancient History
• Chapter V: Are the Gospels Greco-Roman Biographies?
• Chapter VI: Let Ancient People Speak for Themselves
• Chapter VII: Speeches in Ancient Historical Writing
• Chapter VIII: Going Chreia-zy
• Chapter IX: Devices, Discrepancies, or (Just) Differences?
• Part Three—The Mirror: The Gospels as Historical Reports
• Chapter X: The Evangelists as Honest Reporters
• Chapter XI: Evidence and the Artless Author
• Chapter XII: Still More Evidence for the Reportage Model
• Part Four—The Mirror or the Mask in Gospel Examples
• Introduction to Part Four
• Chapter XIII: Utterly Unforced Errors
• Chapter XIV: Fictions Only Need Apply
• Chapter XV: Over-reading
• Chapter XVI: Fictionalizing Literary Devices and the Resurrection Accounts
• Conclusion: Claiming the Forward Position Once Again
• Appendix 1: More Points about Theon
• Appendix 2: More Examples from Greco-Roman Historians
• Appendix 3: Matthean Discourses and Fictionalizing Literary Devices
• Author Index
• Scripture Index
• Subject Index

Praise for The Mirror or the Mask

In recent years some evangelical scholars have claimed that the gospel writers were allowed by contemporary literary conventions to present events one way even when the historical reality was different. McGrew has done her homework and systematically considers the evidence for each convention, ultimately finding them all wanting. At the same time she amasses evidence that the gospels should be read in a way lay readers are likely to read them anyway. I am grateful for her knowledgeable contributions to Gospel studies.

—Peter J. Williams, Principal, Tyndale House, Cambridge

The Mirror or the Mask is a massive piece of first-rate, rigorous scholarship that leaves no stone unturned. Replete with very careful distinctions, The Mirror or the Mask offers a precise analysis of the contemporary practice of employing “fictionalization” to exegete various Gospel texts. McGrew’s careful analysis finds such a practice wanting and dangerous and replaces this practice with an approach that treats the Gospels as honest historical reports based on eyewitness testimony. This book is a must read for all who are interested in the historical accuracy of our portraits of Jesus.

—J.P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology

Lydia McGrew’s critique of the literary reductionism employed by many New Testament scholars, including some influential evangelicals, is the definitive refutation of this sad methodology, which dehistoricises the text, destroys any possible apologetic for its truth-value, and leaves the Christian in a position where he or she ends up with faith in the literary style of early church writers rather than faith in a historical Jesus. The McGrew book is therefore a needed corrective to an approach that destroys both mind and soul.

—John Warwick Montgomery, Professor Emeritus of Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire, Director, International Academy of Apologetics

Product Details

• Title: The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospel from Literary Devices
• Author: Lydia McGrew
• Publisher: DeWard Publishing Company
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. Gospels › Criticism, Textual; Literary devices
• ISBNs: 9781947929135, 1947929070, 9781947929074, 1947929135
• Resource ID: LLS:MRRRRMLTRRYDVCS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-11-06T19:58:37Z

About Lydia McGrew

Dr. Lydia McGrew is a widely published analytic philosopher, author, and the wife of philosopher and apologist Timothy McGrew. She received her PhD in English from Vanderbilt University in 1995. She has published extensively in the theory of knowledge, specializing in formal epistemology and in its application to the evaluation of testimony and to the philosophy of religion.