Book contents
- The Origins of Early Christian Literature
- The Origins of Early Christian Literature
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- 1 The Myth of Christian Origins
- 2 The Romantic “Big Bang”
- 3 Authorship in Antiquity
- 4 Redescribing Early Christian Literature
- 5 The Gospels as Subversive Biography
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - Redescribing Early Christian Literature
The Gospels, the Satyrica, and Anonymous Sources
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 January 2021
- The Origins of Early Christian Literature
- The Origins of Early Christian Literature
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- 1 The Myth of Christian Origins
- 2 The Romantic “Big Bang”
- 3 Authorship in Antiquity
- 4 Redescribing Early Christian Literature
- 5 The Gospels as Subversive Biography
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Having demonstrated a more plausible social context for the gospel writers in the previous chapter, Chapter 4 establishes how many of the features of the gospels traditionally associated with their exceptionalism – for example, anonymity or consulting eyewitnesses – can be understood as evidence of rhetorical strategy and literary influence. By comparing the Synoptic gospels to the Satyrica, in particular, we see how these writings were in dialogue with the literary interests of the age in subjects like funerary meals, crucifixion, resurrection, and so forth.
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- The Origins of Early Christian LiteratureContextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture, pp. 134 - 169Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021