Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the ... more Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the oldest intact single-volume Bible in any language. Within its extensive prefatory material is an image of Ezra, the scribe who according to legend rewrote the whole of the Old Testament, while behind him stands a large open book cupboard in which nine volumes of the scriptures are displayed. In this paper, I will argue that this image depicts a tension between two versions of the Old Testament that the compilers of the codex have had to resolve. In the image, this Bible represents itself as the product of the decisions that have gone into its making.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
By the late second century, early Christian gospels had been divided into two groups by a canonic... more By the late second century, early Christian gospels had been divided into two groups by a canonical boundary that assigned normative status to four of them while consigning their competitors to the margins. Connecting Gospels: Beyond the Canonical/Non-canonical Divide finds new ways to reconnect these divided texts. Starting from the assumption that, in spite of their differences, all early gospels express a common belief in the absolute significance of Jesus and his earthly career, this authoritative collection makes their interconnectedness fruitful for interpretation. The contributors have each selected a theme or topic and trace it across two or more gospels on either side of the canonical boundary, and the resulting convergences and divergences shed light not least on the canonical texts themselves as they are read from new and unfamiliar vantage points. This volume demonstrates that early gospel literature can be regarded as a single field of study, in contrast to the overwhel...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
The polarity between ‘hierarchical’ and ‘egalitarian’ perspectives on the relationship of male an... more The polarity between ‘hierarchical’ and ‘egalitarian’ perspectives on the relationship of male and female is not the best way to approach this passage (1 Cor 11.2–16), which interprets this relationship as one of interdependence. This interdependence is expressed in the shared practices of prophecy and prayer, in which the dialogue between God and the congregation is articulated. In Paul's proposed modification to these practices, female head-covering – probably a veil – serves as a symbol of women's freedom from an erotic basis for the relationship of male and female derived from creation.
contributions to the discussion. Constraints of space preclude a full response to all the issues ... more contributions to the discussion. Constraints of space preclude a full response to all the issues on which Seifrid and Watson touch, but the main point of disagreement between us is the relative importance of trust and belief to New Testament writers, especially Paul, so I begin there before turning briefly to other points and a few minor corrections to misunderstandings of Roman Faith and Christian Faith's argument. 1 Both respondents argue contra Roman Faith that belief rather than trust is central to early Christian pistis. '[B]eliefs come first'; they are 'credal' and 'counterintuitive' and 'believing is the intended perlocutionary effect of preaching'. 2 If Christians did not need to believe in the 'fundamental, paradoxical content' of the 'proclamation of "the word of the cross"', why could they not simply trust in the God of Abraham; why did they need to be baptized in the name of Jesus and acknowledge the lordship of Christ? 3 It is worth noting that Roman Faith never claims that early Christians trusted in God or Christ without believing anything, nor that '[i]t was only with time that propositional content came to prominence within early Christianity'. 4 In fact, it argues that trust and belief are always entwined, across ancient and modern cultures and in early Christian texts (pp. 20-22 and passim). It recognizes, however, that pistis, fides 1 I use 'belief' here as in the book to refer to what philosophers call 'propositional belief' or 'the attitude of belief': the disposition, short of knowledge, to think that a certain thing is true. 2 Watson, pp. 1, 2. 'First' seems to refer to significance rather than timing, but we cannot assume that belief comes first chronologically either (cf. Paul's emphasis on the importance, perhaps even temporal priority, of the non-verbal aspects of his impact on the Thessalonians and Corinthians (1 Thess. 1.5, 2.7-8, 1 Cor. 2.4); cf. Or. CC 1.10). I am sympathetic to the argument that the counterintuitiveness of Christian preaching may be part of its strength, but Paul's appeal to the apostles' experience (Roman Faith, 242-3, cf. 39-41, 145-6), suggests that he does not regard this preaching as counterintuitive. 3 Seifrid, pp. 9-10.
A gospel or gospel-fragment might be regarded as " fake " whether its author belongs to... more A gospel or gospel-fragment might be regarded as " fake " whether its author belongs to the ancient or the modern world. In both cases, the aim would be to persuade as many readers as possible to take the new text seriously – as a window onto unknown aspects of Jesus' life, or how it was perceived by his later followers. In her thorough and helpful analysis of the text that is coming to be known as the Gospel of Jesus' Wife (GJW), Karen King rightly points out that new items of information about the historical Jesus are not to be expected from it. 2 It can though provide valuable insights into early Christian debates about sexuality and gender. At least, it can do so if it is " genuine " , genuinely old. King admits to initial scepticism, but is now convinced that this papyrus fragment derives from a fourth century copy of a second century text. I shall argue here that scepticism is exactly the right attitude. The text has been constructed out of small pi...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the ... more Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the oldest intact single-volume Bible in any language. Within its extensive prefatory material is an image of Ezra, the scribe who according to legend rewrote the whole of the Old Testament, while behind him stands a large open book cupboard in which nine volumes of the scriptures are displayed. In this paper, I will argue that this image depicts a tension between two versions of the Old Testament that the compilers of the codex have had to resolve. In the image, this Bible represents itself as the product of the decisions that have gone into its making.
Arguments for the Q hypothesis have changed little since B. H. Streeter. The purpose of this arti... more Arguments for the Q hypothesis have changed little since B. H. Streeter. The purpose of this article is not to advocate an alternative hypothesis but to argue that, if the Q hypothesis is to be sustained, the unlikelihood of Luke's dependence on Matthew must be demonstrated by a systematic and comprehensive reconstruction of the redactional procedures entailed in the two hypotheses. The Q hypothesis will have been verified if (and only if) it generates a more plausible account of the Matthean and Lukan redaction of Mark and Q than the corresponding account of Luke's use of Mark and Matthew.
Ein redaktionskritischer Zugang zum Diatessaron betrachtet diesen Text als eigenständiges Evangel... more Ein redaktionskritischer Zugang zum Diatessaron betrachtet diesen Text als eigenständiges Evangelium und ist bestrebt, redaktionelle Vorgehensweisen bezüglich seiner Quellen aufzuzeigen, die denen vergleichbar sind, die von früheren Evangelisten verwendet werden. Trotz aller Schwierigkeiten, den ursprünglichen Text des Diatessaron zu bestimmen, kann das bestehende Material Aufschluss geben über die charakteristischen redaktionellen Motive des Kompilators.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
... Beyond Suspicion: on the Authorship of the Mar Saba Letter and the Secret Gospel of Mark. ...... more ... Beyond Suspicion: on the Authorship of the Mar Saba Letter and the Secret Gospel of Mark. ... 12 According to Smith, this suggests that a collection of Clement's letters was known to John of Damascus, resident at the Mar Saba monastery c.716–49. ...
Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the ... more Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the oldest intact single-volume Bible in any language. Within its extensive prefatory material is an image of Ezra, the scribe who according to legend rewrote the whole of the Old Testament, while behind him stands a large open book cupboard in which nine volumes of the scriptures are displayed. In this paper, I will argue that this image depicts a tension between two versions of the Old Testament that the compilers of the codex have had to resolve. In the image, this Bible represents itself as the product of the decisions that have gone into its making.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
By the late second century, early Christian gospels had been divided into two groups by a canonic... more By the late second century, early Christian gospels had been divided into two groups by a canonical boundary that assigned normative status to four of them while consigning their competitors to the margins. Connecting Gospels: Beyond the Canonical/Non-canonical Divide finds new ways to reconnect these divided texts. Starting from the assumption that, in spite of their differences, all early gospels express a common belief in the absolute significance of Jesus and his earthly career, this authoritative collection makes their interconnectedness fruitful for interpretation. The contributors have each selected a theme or topic and trace it across two or more gospels on either side of the canonical boundary, and the resulting convergences and divergences shed light not least on the canonical texts themselves as they are read from new and unfamiliar vantage points. This volume demonstrates that early gospel literature can be regarded as a single field of study, in contrast to the overwhel...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
The polarity between ‘hierarchical’ and ‘egalitarian’ perspectives on the relationship of male an... more The polarity between ‘hierarchical’ and ‘egalitarian’ perspectives on the relationship of male and female is not the best way to approach this passage (1 Cor 11.2–16), which interprets this relationship as one of interdependence. This interdependence is expressed in the shared practices of prophecy and prayer, in which the dialogue between God and the congregation is articulated. In Paul's proposed modification to these practices, female head-covering – probably a veil – serves as a symbol of women's freedom from an erotic basis for the relationship of male and female derived from creation.
contributions to the discussion. Constraints of space preclude a full response to all the issues ... more contributions to the discussion. Constraints of space preclude a full response to all the issues on which Seifrid and Watson touch, but the main point of disagreement between us is the relative importance of trust and belief to New Testament writers, especially Paul, so I begin there before turning briefly to other points and a few minor corrections to misunderstandings of Roman Faith and Christian Faith's argument. 1 Both respondents argue contra Roman Faith that belief rather than trust is central to early Christian pistis. '[B]eliefs come first'; they are 'credal' and 'counterintuitive' and 'believing is the intended perlocutionary effect of preaching'. 2 If Christians did not need to believe in the 'fundamental, paradoxical content' of the 'proclamation of "the word of the cross"', why could they not simply trust in the God of Abraham; why did they need to be baptized in the name of Jesus and acknowledge the lordship of Christ? 3 It is worth noting that Roman Faith never claims that early Christians trusted in God or Christ without believing anything, nor that '[i]t was only with time that propositional content came to prominence within early Christianity'. 4 In fact, it argues that trust and belief are always entwined, across ancient and modern cultures and in early Christian texts (pp. 20-22 and passim). It recognizes, however, that pistis, fides 1 I use 'belief' here as in the book to refer to what philosophers call 'propositional belief' or 'the attitude of belief': the disposition, short of knowledge, to think that a certain thing is true. 2 Watson, pp. 1, 2. 'First' seems to refer to significance rather than timing, but we cannot assume that belief comes first chronologically either (cf. Paul's emphasis on the importance, perhaps even temporal priority, of the non-verbal aspects of his impact on the Thessalonians and Corinthians (1 Thess. 1.5, 2.7-8, 1 Cor. 2.4); cf. Or. CC 1.10). I am sympathetic to the argument that the counterintuitiveness of Christian preaching may be part of its strength, but Paul's appeal to the apostles' experience (Roman Faith, 242-3, cf. 39-41, 145-6), suggests that he does not regard this preaching as counterintuitive. 3 Seifrid, pp. 9-10.
A gospel or gospel-fragment might be regarded as " fake " whether its author belongs to... more A gospel or gospel-fragment might be regarded as " fake " whether its author belongs to the ancient or the modern world. In both cases, the aim would be to persuade as many readers as possible to take the new text seriously – as a window onto unknown aspects of Jesus' life, or how it was perceived by his later followers. In her thorough and helpful analysis of the text that is coming to be known as the Gospel of Jesus' Wife (GJW), Karen King rightly points out that new items of information about the historical Jesus are not to be expected from it. 2 It can though provide valuable insights into early Christian debates about sexuality and gender. At least, it can do so if it is " genuine " , genuinely old. King admits to initial scepticism, but is now convinced that this papyrus fragment derives from a fourth century copy of a second century text. I shall argue here that scepticism is exactly the right attitude. The text has been constructed out of small pi...
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the ... more Dating from the early 8th century and created in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria, Codex Amiatinus is the oldest intact single-volume Bible in any language. Within its extensive prefatory material is an image of Ezra, the scribe who according to legend rewrote the whole of the Old Testament, while behind him stands a large open book cupboard in which nine volumes of the scriptures are displayed. In this paper, I will argue that this image depicts a tension between two versions of the Old Testament that the compilers of the codex have had to resolve. In the image, this Bible represents itself as the product of the decisions that have gone into its making.
Arguments for the Q hypothesis have changed little since B. H. Streeter. The purpose of this arti... more Arguments for the Q hypothesis have changed little since B. H. Streeter. The purpose of this article is not to advocate an alternative hypothesis but to argue that, if the Q hypothesis is to be sustained, the unlikelihood of Luke's dependence on Matthew must be demonstrated by a systematic and comprehensive reconstruction of the redactional procedures entailed in the two hypotheses. The Q hypothesis will have been verified if (and only if) it generates a more plausible account of the Matthean and Lukan redaction of Mark and Q than the corresponding account of Luke's use of Mark and Matthew.
Ein redaktionskritischer Zugang zum Diatessaron betrachtet diesen Text als eigenständiges Evangel... more Ein redaktionskritischer Zugang zum Diatessaron betrachtet diesen Text als eigenständiges Evangelium und ist bestrebt, redaktionelle Vorgehensweisen bezüglich seiner Quellen aufzuzeigen, die denen vergleichbar sind, die von früheren Evangelisten verwendet werden. Trotz aller Schwierigkeiten, den ursprünglichen Text des Diatessaron zu bestimmen, kann das bestehende Material Aufschluss geben über die charakteristischen redaktionellen Motive des Kompilators.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
... Beyond Suspicion: on the Authorship of the Mar Saba Letter and the Secret Gospel of Mark. ...... more ... Beyond Suspicion: on the Authorship of the Mar Saba Letter and the Secret Gospel of Mark. ... 12 According to Smith, this suggests that a collection of Clement's letters was known to John of Damascus, resident at the Mar Saba monastery c.716–49. ...
The Gospel of Mark has a secure place within the canonical four gospel collection. Once it was es... more The Gospel of Mark has a secure place within the canonical four gospel collection. Once it was established there, no-one seems to have declared it to be redundant on the grounds that it contains little more than mere repetition of material already available in Matthew and Luke.
Redaction criticism attempts to clarify and explain an evangelist's treatment of his sources, in ... more Redaction criticism attempts to clarify and explain an evangelist's treatment of his sources, in the expectation that characteristic theological emphases will emerge as the newer text is compared with the older one. Like any other method, its scope is limited.
Tatian's 'Diatessaron' is generally and anachronistically regarded as the first gospel harmony. Y... more Tatian's 'Diatessaron' is generally and anachronistically regarded as the first gospel harmony. Yet its aim is not to show how established canonical gospels agree with one another, but rather to create a comprehensive and definitive Gospel out of the available source-material. The freedom with which the sources were reworked is that of a redactor rather than a harmonist. The old tradition of anonymous gospel-writing was maintained, and the later Latin and Arabic evidence suggests the possibility of two distinct recensions.
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Papers by Francis Watson