The Complete Gospels : Annotated Scholars Version (Revised & expanded) [Paperback]

Robert J. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1994

From the editors of the bestselling "The Five Gospels, The Complete Gospels" presents for the first time anywhere all twenty of the known gospels from the early Christian era, offering a fuller and more fascinating picture of early Christian origins than found in the four canonical gospels alone - or in any other source. Each of these gospel records offers fresh glimpses into the world of Jesus and his followers, including: GOSPEL OF THOMAS reveals that Jesus, contrary to the popular image of him as an apocalyptic preacher of damnation and salvation, was actually a wisdom teacher who taught about the true origins of humankind. GOSPEL OF MARY suggests that women held prominent roles in the early church, and provides a startling look at what may have been the first attempts to suppress their leadership. SAYINGS GOSPEL Q, the controversial reconstruction of the first gospel used by Jesus' original followers, contains only Jesus' sayings and none of the dramatic stories about his life later told in the New Testament gospels. SIGNS GOSPEL is almost entirely a catalog of Jesus' miracles, intended to demonstrate that he was the Jewish Messiah, the Anointed. SECRET BOOK OF JAMES relates that immediately prior to his ascension, Jesus imparted a private revelation to James and Peter, which James presents here as a letter. GOSPEL OF PETER contains what may have been the original passion narrative later adapted in the New Testament synoptic gospels' accounts.

Four new pieces have been added to this third expanded edition: the three Jewish-Christian gospels and the Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas.

Each gospel is translated into lively, contemporary English, recapturing the spirit ofthe original. Exciting both to read and to hear, this Scholars Version (SV) translation has - as one reader put it - "a vitality that jumps off the page."

The editor and contributors to this volume are members of the Jesus Seminar founded by Robert W. Funk, based at the Westar Institute in Sonoma, California.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Before it released its provocative The Five Gospels through a commercial publisher (Macmillan) last year, The Jesus Seminar in 1992 published through its own house, Polebridge Press, The Complete Gospels, a more encompassing, collaborative effort providing fresh translations of the canonical Gospels, the non-canonical Gospels and the Sayings sources. This new revised and commercially published edition of The Complete Gospels moves this prior effort out of the academy and into the hands of a general readership interested in the ancient texts that have motivated the recent quests of scholars like Meier (A Marginal Jew), Crossan (The Historical Jesus) and Sanders (The Historical Figure of Jesus). In addition to the canonical Gospels, this work contains translations of Sayings Gospels like Q, the Gospel of Mary, the infancy Gospels of Thomas and James, fragmentary Gospels like the Egerton and the Secret Gospel of Mark. Here, accompanying the lively translations of each text, are incisive introductions and notes that provide glimpses of the social, historical and literary world occupied by Jesus and the early Christian writers. The dependence of one text upon another is demonstrated through the numerous cross-references. An in-depth glossary and brief essays elaborating key issues of scholarship, e.g., synoptic puzzles, etc., round out the collection. Combining an engaging commentary, lucid and energetic translation and accessible scholarship, this Complete Gospels equips any interested reader to join Meier, Crossan and Sanders in their quest for the historical Jesus.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This new edition should become an indispensable tool for students of the Jesus tradition and others interested in the development and interpretation of Christian scripture. Gathered together in one volume are new English translations of all the known gospels--canonical and extracanonical, complete and fragmentary--from the first centuries of the Christian era. Each translation is preceded by a brief introduction and accompanied by extensive notes; all are cross-referenced to facilitate comparison. The Complete Gospels is the first phase of a new translation of the Bible from the ancient languages into American English as it is spoken and written in North America today. The translators are eminently qualified scholars who have worked independently of ecclesiastical control. The result is a lively, consistently accessible but sometimes surprising translation that allows diverse literary creations to speak with a variety of voices that gives fresh insight into the diversity of communities and personalities that composed them. Steve Schroeder

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 3 Rev Exp edition (November 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060655879
• ISBN-13: 978-0060655877
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Who?, June 25, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Complete Gospels : Annotated Scholars Version (Revised & expanded) (Paperback)

This is an absolutely fascinating book.

This is a very important compilation, both from a scholarly and a popular perspective. It has only been within the past generation that dialogue and interest in how the Bible came to be the Bible has grown beyond the narrow confines of academic analysts and theorists, and into the mainstream discussion of churches and independent readers.

While most of the material in Robert Miller's `The Complete Gospels' is available elsewhere (and thus Miller is more an editor than an author), this is the first time that a concentrated effort has been made to bring together all of the texts and fragments of the known gospels from the early Christian era.

The contents are as follows:

--Narrative Gospels--
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Luke
Signs Gospel
Gospel of John

--Sayings Gospels--
Sayings Gospel Q
Gospel of Thomas
Greek Fragments of Thomas
Secret Book of James
Dialogue of the Saviour
Gospel of Mary

--Infancy Gospels--
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Infancy Gospel of James

--Fragmentary Gospels--
Gospel of Peter
Secret Gospel of Mark
Egerton Gospel
Gospel Oxyrhynchus 840
Gospel Oxyrhynchus 1224

--Jewish-Christian Gospels--
Gospel of the Hebrews
Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel of the Nazoreans

--Orphan Sayings and Stories--

These are all newly translated into what has been dubbed the Scholars Version, or SV, by leading academic figures, from the original languages, which (in addition to the dominant Greek) includes Coptic, Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew. The SV text strives to be understandable in modern English idiom, and so avoids poetic nuance in favour of presenting the meaning in clearest language.

`The Complete Gospels' has an introduction to each gospel which establishes context, origin, story and structure. Also, the gospel texts are heavily annotated, pointing out difficulties in the text, cross-references with other gospels (canonical and non-canonical), and historical and theological issues which arise from interpretations. Theories of textual development and communal use are also presented.

John Dominic Crossan argues that the successful inclusion of the canonical gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) came about more due to a success of type of gospel, as opposed to any necessary message in the gospels (else how does one logically account for the difficulties in reconciling the synoptic gospels with the Johannine account?). This argument has some merit, as can be seen from the above list, in which four of five narratives became canonical, and none of the other types did.

It is interesting to play around with various statements such as

Simon Peter said to them, 'Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life.
Jesus said, 'Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the domain of Heaven.' Gospel of Thomas, 114

And people sometimes complain that Paul is anti-female!

This same conflict is reflected in the Gospel of Mary:
Then Mary wept and said to Peter, 'Peter, my brother, what are you imagining about this? Do you think that I've made all this up secretly by myself or that I am telling lies about the Saviour?' Levi said to Peter, 'Peter, you have a constant inclination to anger and you are always ready to give way to it. And even now you are doing exactly that by questioning the woman as if you're her adversary. If the Saviour considered her to be worthy, who are you to disregard her?'

The copy I have is the annotated scholars edition, which was updated with four new pieces from the previous edition (the three Jewish-Christian gospels and Greek fragments of the Gospel of Thomas).

This is a truly fascinating look at various stories and issues that were contemporary with the canonical gospels, and had an influence in various smaller communities which, for one historical reason or another, failed to make a major impact on the development of Christianity. Regardless of one's view on the canon of scripture, this book provides material of interest for study and consideration.

80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helped to Restore My Faith, June 30, 2000

By 

D. Davison "arcticfrog" (Kingwood, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Gospels : Annotated Scholars Version (Revised & expanded) (Paperback)

This book and the scholarship that is behind it is finally giving much of humanity relief from the hard-core literalist interpretation of the gospels and the world. These scholars are definitely breathing new life into Christianity and are greatly aiding its transformation into a realistic religion.

The four main gospels are presented here in new translations, Mark, Luke, Matthew and John. There are some little things I don't like, such as the rendering of 'the Kingdom of God' as 'God's Imperial Rule'. But remember, the authors are doing what they can to be as true to history and the real meaning behind the words as possible.

There are extensive footnotes, and references given to other writings, chiefly the Old Testament. Other Gospels include the 'Signs' gospel, a listing of Jesus' miacles, and the Gospel of Q, which is more of a scholarly creation since it is a theoretical source for the common material in Luke and Matthew that is not in Mark. Also presented is the now-famous gnostic Gospel of Thomas, as well as another Greek Fragments of Thomas, the Secret Book of James, the Dialogue of the Savior, and the Gospel of Mary. Some think these are heretical because the church leaders didn't canonize them or condemned them, but everyone has to decide for his or herself. No one can decide for anyone else what is spiritually valid for them.

There are also the infancy Gospels of Thomas and James, and the Gospels of the Hebrews, Edionites, and Nazoreans, Other fragmentary Gospels included are the Gospel of Peter, the Secret Gospel of Mark, the Egerton Gospel, and some other items.

There is also a load of information about the times in which the gospels were written and methods the scholars use.

Overall, this book is a good start for anyone looking to investigate the wider range of scriptures that are out there. Do so with an open mind and you will surely find reward.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Translation of the four Gospels plus lesser known books., September 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Gospels : Annotated Scholars Version (Revised & expanded) (Paperback)

This translation, called the Scholars Version, takes text from the original language, be it Greek, Herbrew, Aramaic, even Coptic, and brings it directly into modern American English. This method clarifies like no other translation I have ever read. The distinguished scholars who worked on this project succeeded in making in the four canonical Gospels exciting and understandable. In addition, many documents that had been lost for centuries are brought into the modern age. The Gospels of Thomas, Peter, Mary, the Hebrews, and others are presented from a historical prospective without comment on the content. That is left up to the reader. In addition, the Secret Book of James and other obscure documents reveal early Christian writings that will expose the reader to ideas and teachings that might conflict with the more common persecptions of Jesus' teachings. I highly recommend this book for anyone who continues to search for Jesus from both a spiritual and historical point of view. But please be warned that thi