Jesus and the Oral Gospel Tradition
Overview
This series of papers represents a moment in the continuing discussion of Gospel origins. It grew out of the International Symposium in the Interrelations among the Gospels, held in Jerusalem in 1984. This event made it clear that progress in discussion of the order of composition of the Synoptic Gospels demanded research into the stage of tradition which preceded the writing down of the Gospels. The volume explores the importance of the oral tradition, as well as a realization that the written Gospels depend on a period of oral transmission in the Christian communities, which has been one of the salient contributions of the twentieth century to the study of the Gospels.
Top Highlights
“There was much else that Jesus did; if it were written down in detail, I do not suppose the world itself would hold all the books that would be written’ (Jn 21:25; cf. 20:30). Oral tradition, therefore, continued with a life of its own well after the composition of the Gospels.” (Page 10)
“It is not at all impossible that in such circles Jesus did some teaching in Greek and that there existed from the time of his earthly ministry also a Greek tradition of his words.” (Page 199)
“per cent of the separate saying units are formulated in some kind of parallelismus membrorum” (Page 202)
- Title: Jesus and the Oral Gospel Tradition
- Author: Henry Wansborough
- Publisher: T&T Clark
- Publication Date: 2004
- Pages: 480