Conclusion

The conclusion briefly restates the main argument of the book and notes that the gospel-as-manuscript is the connecting thread between Mark’s textualization of the Jesus tradition in the first century and the eventual intertwining of public reading in assembly and canonical status by the fourth and fifth centuries. It particularly highlights the continuance of competitive textualization in Origen’s discussion of the writing of the Gospels in his Homilies on Luke. Also discussed briefly are heresiological charges against Gospel authors and the burning of books in moments of persecution. The conclusion also proposes a few areas for future research.

The Public Reading of the Jesus Tradition and the Emergence of Christian Identity

Chapter 7 argues for an important role in public reading of the Gospels in the developing attempts to define “Christians” and “Jews” in reference to each other, and thus argues that liturgy and ritual deserves as much attention as theology. The chapter here argues for the contribution of liturgy and ritual to scholarly understandings of the “parting of the ways” and “ways that never parted.” This chapter concentrates upon the public reading of the prophets of Jewish Scripture and the Gospels alongside each other, asking what such a reading practice would have contributed aesthetically to the early Christ assembly. From this position, the chapter also considers the early Christian adoption of the codex book form.

The Textualization of Mark’s Gospel

Chapter 3 addresses the initial textualization of the Jesus tradition in Mark’s Gospel. It argues against starting with Q and other hypothetical sources. Its main focus, however, is upon the pioneering work of Werner Kelber on this topic. Contrary to Kelber’s “oral-preference perspective,” the chapter argues for seeing the introduction of the manuscript medium as a continuation and heightening of tradition processes that were already underway. He does so on the basis of Jan Assmann’s theory of the zerdehnte Situation (“extended situation”). The main argument is that the textualization of the Gospel of Mark should be seen as a commencement rather than a cessation. The chapter closes with a consideration of patristic testimony about the writing of Mark’s Gospel on this basis.

The Public Reading of the Jesus Tradition in the First Three Centuries

Chapter 6 provides the fullest discussion to date of the primary sources for the public reading of the Jesus tradition in Christian assembly prior to Constantine. It specifically treats portrayals of public reading in Mark 13:14//Matt 24:15, Justin Martyr’s First Apology, Irenaeus’s Against Heresies, the Gospel of Peter, the Muratorian Fragment, and the Acts of Peter. The chapter tracks how public reading increasingly came to be associated with authoritative, and eventually canonical, status among the earliest followers of Jesus. The chapter also shows how thoroughly intertwined the public reading of the Gospels was with the public reading of the prophets of Jewish Scripture. The chapter argues that Justin Martyr’s description of the public reading of the Gospels is the first indication of liturgical reading of them.

The Competitive Textualization of Johannine and Thomasine Tradition

Chapter 5 presents the presence of competitive textualization in John’s Gospel and the Gospel of Thomas. The chapter argues that the Gospel of John claims superiority to prior Jesus books at John 20:30–31 and 21:24–25, the so-called Johannine “colophons.” Particularly in reference to the knowledge of other Jesus books reflected in John 21:24–25, the chapter also suggests that these texts support arguments that the author of John’s Gospel knew one or more of the Synoptic Gospels. The chapter then highlights how the incipit of the Gospel of Thomas continues attempts to outbid predecessors by portraying its Gospel as dictated directly from Jesus.

The Competitive Textualization of the Synoptic Tradition

Chapter 4 traces instances where the Synoptic authors self-consciously draw attention to their tradition’s status as written in bids for authority, often in reference to prior Gospels that they consider inferior. An initial section introduces the terms “textual self-consciousness” and “competitive textualization.” Following this section, the chapter addresses moments in each of the Synoptic Gospels where the author or authors draw attention to their status as written tradition. For Mark, the chapter highlights Mark 13:14, though it also shows how Mark is aware of Jewish Scriptures and positions himself with reference to them. For Matthew, the chapter makes an original scholarly contribution by focusing upon Matthew 1:1’s reference to the Gospel as a biblos (“book”), which shows that what Mark considered a “gospel” Matthew considered a “book.” For Luke, the chapter focuses upon the Lukan prologue of Luke 1:1–4, and specifically Luke’s awareness that he is entering a market for Jesus books by writing his Gospel.

Sociologies of the Book in the Study of Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity

Chapter 2 situates the methodological approach of the study within three trends in the study of the ancient book cultures of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity: the material turn in New Testament textual criticism, approaches to Jewish and Christian literature as open textual processes, and the formation of the New Testament canon. As with other studies in the material turn of New Testament textual ncriticism, this study foregrounds the manuscript as a material object and moves toward its reception history instead of focusing upon a putative “original” text. This chapter also engages the work of Eva Mroczek, David Larsen, and others, agreeing with their emphasis upon texts as open tradition but arguing for a greater role for the text as artifact. Finally, this chapter articulates how the book as a whole will contribute to the discourse on the New Testament canon by showing how construction of authority intertwined with the usage of physical manuscripts of the Gospels.

Introduction

The introduction situates the study within ancient and modern discussions about the relative value of oral and written language. It begins with Plato’s portrayal of a discussion between Socrates and Phaedrus and then shows how similar discussions about oral language occur in the works of the Apostle Paul, Papias, and contemporary New Testament scholars. These discussions approach the value of the written word on the basis of what it is not instead of what it is, what it cannot do instead of what it can. In contrast, this study will concentrate on what the written word contributes distinctly to the transmission process. The chapter ends by clarifying, in light of previous Gospels scholarship, that the book’s main question is not why Jesus followers textualized the Jesus tradition but what difference it made to its reception history.

The Book as Artifact

Chapter 1 lays out the methodology of the study. It introduces William A. Johnson’s theory of ancient reading cultures and Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory (kulturelles Gedächtnis) and cultural texts (kulturelle Texte). A key aspect of Johnson’s theory is the “bookroll-as-object.” He demonstrates that in some cultural contexts, the scroll as a material object became an emblem of group identity. A key aspect of Assmann’s theory is that texts cross the threshold from collective memory to cultural memory by means of textualization. Additionally, Assmann describes manuscripts as part of the decorated material culture of a group, and thereby also sees them as symbols of group identity. Both of these scholars point to how manuscripts, as part of a group’s material culture, contributed to the processes of identity construction and maintenance.