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Helmut Koester

Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development Paperback – March 1, 1992

by Helmut Koester (Author)

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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.

Print length

480 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Trinity Press International
Publication date

March 1, 1992
Dimensions

6 x 0.97 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0334024501
ISBN-13

978-0334024507
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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)

From the Back Cover

In this magisterial volume, destined to become the standard text for studying the tradition and history of early Christian gospel literature, the author studies the earliest discernible elements of gospel material through the canonical Gospels to the harmonization attempts of the second century that culminated in Tatian's Diatessaron.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Trinity Press International; 2nd prt. edition (March 1, 1992)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0334024501
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0334024507
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.97 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,454,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #443 in Christian Bible Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha
- #2,604 in New Testament Criticism & Interpretation
- #3,514 in General History of Religion

Customer Reviews:
17 ratings

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4 star		24%
3 star		9%
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Serpinius

Very pleased.

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2021

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Very pleased.

Helpful

Leona B

Good News about Jesus

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2014

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This is a scholarly, well-researched study of ancient writings about Jesus and his sayings. It compares many quotes from other authors with the four Gospels in our Bible, and discusses the oral traditions that were current after Jesus' death. I would recommend it to a studious person who is interested in history and wants to understand why the stories may vary and offer a different viewpoint.

5 people found this helpful

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Victor G

Reading outside the lines

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2013

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This is an excellent volume with which to get an overall view of ancient works related to our Christian heritage. I like the fact that Koester is willing to use writings that are outside the Canon. Works like, The Gospel of Thomas, though not considered part of the Christian literary ethic certainly have a bearing on our total education. The Dead Sea Scrolls have a definite impact on our way of thinking and Koester presents them in an unbiased manner.

4 people found this helpful

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EZENWA FABIAN

The item met my expectations

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019

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I use the book for my studies.

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miles@riverside

About 40 Years of Research Packed Into 400 Pages

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2002

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.

41 people found this helpful

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R. Mckissick

Reference book - heavily cited everywhere

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2010

Still after 18 years the reference for scholastic analysis. Appears accessible at first.But after several hours down rabbit holes in related works, Alice is still elusive, and the Chesire cat still vaperous. Koester is something for everybody, a reference work.

But hey, two thousand years, where the power loom was created 200 years ago - and 6 billion people compared to the usual 200 million world population. Koester is up there with Lyman Bushman's Puritan to Yankee to frontier embodiement (1500-1800 indians woven into 1800s Yankees). Koester is Meyers and Budge in ancient understanding for compiliation. Koester:library reference another 20 years. Funny how when scholars start talking, xeroxes of this or that table from Koester come out of the briefcase.

So my last two Koester's were loaned and not returned. Still they bring over $20 on Amazon (thrashed) - amazing for a 20 year old tome. The OED comes to mind. Similarly, much first hand research, difficult to gain access, went into compiliation, albeit christian lit not english morphology, equally inciteful on unwritten mutation.

Highly recommended, or essential.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

F2Andy

this was surprisingly easy to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2018

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While an academic book, this was surprisingly easy to read. A great review of the texts, and while Koester is a Christian, he in no way is pushing that agenda.

Roy J Squires

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2016

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Diversity of Gospels in the 2nd century onwards

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