The Origins of Early Christian Literature Contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture
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
2 - The Romantic “Big Bang”
German Romanticism and Inherited Methodology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 January 2021
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
Summary
Chapter 2 discusses the history of the critical study of the New Testament, with a focus on the era of German Romanticism.By tracing the development of the concepts of Geist and Volk, one can see how notions of oral tradition, cohesive Christian “communities,” and the gospel writers as literate spokespersons for these communities was inculcated in the field. A discussion of literary theory and the “death of the author” further demonstrates the category mistakes those who study the so-called origins of Christianity have made by uncritically treating the subject of ancient authorship.
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- The Origins of Early Christian LiteratureContextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture, pp. 50 - 104Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021