Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development [Paperback]

Helmut Koester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0334024501 | ISBN-13: 978-0334024507 | Edition: 2nd prt.

In this magisterial volume, which is destined to become the standard test for studying the tradition and history of the early Christian Gospel literature, the author treats more than a dozen Gospel writings from the first two centuries. These Gospels include more than the standard canonical Gospels, covering also such writings as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocryphon of James, and the Gospel of Mary and others. The book is divided into six major sections. The first examines the origins and meanings of the term “Gospel.” Then follows a section on early collections of saying including, of course, a study of Q. A third section traces the movement from the dialogue Gospels through narratives about Jesus to the Gospel of John. Mark, Matthew and Like receive thorough consideration in the fourth section, followed by an exploration of the early extant harmonization’s of the canonical Gospels (Justin martyr, Tatian, Epistula Apostolorum, etc.) The concluding section deals with various Gospel fragments known from papyri and from casual mentions in the church fathers. Throughout Ancient Christian Gospels, the author provides all technical information (attestation, manuscripts, etc.) needed by the scholar, but also translations of all data, general introductions and explanations in an effort to make the book accessible and useful for the general reader. Helmut Koester is John H. Morison Professor of New Testament and Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History of Harvard University and author of the widely used two-volume Introduction to the New Testament.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...scholarly yet completely accessible...provides all technical information required by the scholar...yet writes with a clarity that makes his material of immense interest to the non-specialist general reader...Highly recommended."--The Bookwatch, The Library Newsletter of the Midwest Book Review, November 2000 (Bookwatch, The )

About the Author

Helmut Koester is John H. Morison Professor of New Testament and Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard Divinity School, author of Ancient Christian Gospels (Trinity), and editor (with Holland L. Hendrix) of Archaeological Resources for New Testament Studies (Trinity).

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l; 2nd prt. edition (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0334024501
• ISBN-13: 978-0334024507
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accessible history of early Christian Gospel literature, February 14, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development (Paperback)

Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History And Development is a scholarly yet completely accessible history of early Christian Gospel literature from the first two centuries of the Christian movement. Professor Koester provides all technical information required by the scholar, including translations of all data, and yet writes with a clarity that makes his material of immense interest to the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the development of the principle texts of the Christian gospel. Highly recommended.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About 40 Years of Research Packed Into 400 Pages, April 1, 2002

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miles@riverside (Indio, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development (Paperback)

This book is loaded with tables and footnotes. It's an excruciatingly detailed study of the various New Testament gospels and related sources. You'll find a detailed breakdown of the derivation of the Q synoptic sayings source from Luke and Matthew; comparisons between lost gospels like the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas and the canonical texts; a study of the birth accounts; a catalog of the Jesus stories; a bunch of other stuff.

I found it slow going, but it's amazing how much obscure knowledge you can glean from reading through this. I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory text on the Gospels, however.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating history of the development of the gospels, April 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development (Paperback)

I couldn't agree more with Midwest Book Review. I absolutely love this book and am fascinated by the content. It's not a book on spirituality, but if you're a history buff and want to understand how the Christian religion evolved, this is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The book covers both canonical and non-canonical literature and summarizes much of the scholarly discussion concerning the sources of the writings, the relationship to oral traditions, evidence of who used what as the basis for gospel development, etc. It gets down into the detail where I'd like to be but lack too much of the background required to get there.