Ancient Christian Gospels (Paperback)

by Helmut Koester (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...scholarly yet completely accessible... Highly recommended. -- The Midwest Book Review, November 2000

Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press (December 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: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #750,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Miles (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

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.

18 of 19 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

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.

22 of 25 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

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.