Gospel Reading and Reception in Early Christian Literature

Description

Before the early Christian evangelists were Gospel writers, they were Gospel readers. Their composition process was more complex than simply compiling existing traditions about Jesus, then ordering them into a narrative frame. Rather, these writers were engaged in a creative and dynamic act of theological reception. 'Gospel reading' refers to this innovative and often artistic use of source materials -- from Israel's Scriptures to pre-existing narratives of Jesus-- to produce updated, expanded, or even alternative renditions. This volume explores that process. The common thread running through each chapter is the conviction that the early Christian practice of writing 'gospel' and the 'Gospels' was one of the most hermeneutically creative exercises in ancient literary culture, one that was prompted by the perceived theological significance of Jesus. The contributors seek to demonstrate the intricate dynamics of this controversial figure's theological and textual reception through foundational essays on specific texts and themes.

Madison N. Pierce is Assistant Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She is the author of Divine Discourse in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Cambridge, 2020) and co-editor of Muted Voices of the New Testament (Bloomsbury, 2017). Andrew J. Byers teaches in the Cambridge Theological Federation as Tutor in New Testament at Ridley Hall. He is the author of four books, including John and the Others: Jewish Relations, Christian Origins, and the Sectarian Hermeneutic (Baylor, 2021) and Ecclesiology and Theosis in the Gospel of John (Cambridge, 2017). Simon Gathercole is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge), the Editor of New Testament Studies, and Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies at Fitzwilliam College. He is the author of several books including The Gospel of Thomas: Introduction and Commentary (Brill, 2014); The Pre-Existent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Eerdmans, 2006); and Where Is Boasting: Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5 (Eerdmans, 2002).