The Epistles for All Christians

Epistolary Literature, Circulation, and the Gospels for All Christians
Erscheinungsjahr 2020
ISBN: 978-90-04-44020-3
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 186, 172 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 386 g

Reihe: Biblical Interpretation Series

In The Epistles for All Christians, David Smith argues that epistolary literature offers analogous evidence of circulation to the Gospels. Since Richard Bauckham’s edited volume The Gospels for All Christians was published in 1998, debate over the validity of the contributors’ claims that the Gospels were written for “all Christians” has revolved around interpretation. Smith brings circulation to bear on the conversation.

Studying ancient media practices of publication and circulation and using social network theory, Smith makes a compelling case that if the evangelists did not expect their texts to circulate they would be atypical.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Smith, David

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften Neues Testament: Exegese, Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

Abbreviations

Introduction

1 Chapter Summaries

1 Refocusing the Lenses

1 Interpretation vs. Circulation

2 What About the Epistles?

3 Correcting the Vision

2 Expected Circulation of Early Christian Epistolary Literature

1 Circulation to Multiple Locales

2 Circulation to “All Christians”

3 Conclusion

3 Actual Practice of Early Christian Circulation

1 Transmission

2 Catholicizing Tendencies

3 Letter Collections

4 Manuscripts

5 Allusions

6 Circulation of Books and the Gospels

7 Conclusions and Summary

4 Circulation and Social Networks

1 Social Networks and Early Christianity

2 Social Network Analysis of Early Christian Letters

3 Conclusion

Conclusion

1 This Study

2 Future Study

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

David A. Smith, Ph.D. (2017), St. Mary’s University Twickenham, is Lecturer in Bible and Theology at Johnson University. His latest publication is “Paul’s ‘Friends’: Rethinking Paul in Light of His Social Network,” Stone-Campbell Journal, 22/1 (2019).