Early Christian Gospels

A Classified Bibliography

Early Judaism

1. General

Boccaccini, Gabrielle. "Multiple Judaisms: A New Understanding of the Context of Earliest Christianity." Bible Review 11:1 (1995): 38-41, 46.

Grabbe, Lester L. An Introduction to First Century Judaism. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996.

__________. Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian. Two volumes. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

Patrich, Joseph. "Reconstructing the Magnificent Temple Herod Built." Bible Review 4:5 (1988): 16-29.

Pummer, Reinhard. "The Samaritans - A Jewish Offshoot or a Pagan Cult?" Bible Review 7:5 (1991): 22-29, 40.

Saldarini, Anthony J. "Sanhedrin." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

__________. "Scribes." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Sandmel, Samuel. Judaism and Christian Beginnings. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.

Schechter, Solomon. Aspects of Rabbinic Theology. New York: Schocken Books, 1961.

Schiffman, Lawrence H. "New Light on the Pharisees - Insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls." Bible Review 8:3 (1992): 30-33, 54.

2. Jewish Hellenistic Literature (Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha)

Charlesworth, James H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Two volumes. New York: Doubleday, 1983 & 1985.

__________. "Pseudonymity and Pseudepigraphy." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Nickelsburg, George W.E. Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.

Stone, Michael, ed. Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

3. Messianism

Collins, John J. The Scepter and the Star: The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature. New York: Doubleday, 1995.

de Jonge, Marinus. "Messiah." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

4. Qumran and Christian Origins

Translations of Scrolls

Martínez, Florentino. The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated. Second edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Introductions

Schiffman, Lawrence H. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their True Meaning for Judaism and Christianity. Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday, 1995.

Vanderkam, James C. The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1994.

Qumran and Christianity

Betz, Otto. "Was John the Baptist an Essene?" Bible Review 6:6 (1990): 18-25.

Charlesworth, James H., ed. John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Christian Origins Library. New York: Crossword, 1991.

__________. "Reinterpreting John: How the Dead Sea Scrolls Have Revolutionized Our Understanding of the Gospel of John." Bible Review 9:1 (1993): 18-25, 54.

__________ and Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, eds. Paul and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Christian Origins Library. New York: Crossword, 1992.

Stanton, Graham. "A Gospel Among the Scrolls?" Bible Review 11:6 (1995): 36-42.

Stegemann, Hartmut. "Jesus and the Teacher of Righteousness: Similarities and Differences." Bible Review 10:1 (1994): 42-47, 63.

Vanderkam, James C. "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Christianity: What They Share." Bible Review 8:1 (1992): 17-23, 40-41.

__________. "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Christianity: How Are They Related?" Bible Review 7:6 (1991): 14-21, 46.

New Testament Introductions

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Conzelmann, Hans and Andreas Lindemann. Interpreting the New Testament: An Introduction to the Principles and Methods of N.T. Exegesis. Translated by Siegfried S. Schatzmann. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1988.

Dunn, James D.G. Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Chracter of Earliest Christianity. Second edition. Philadelphia: Trinity Press, 1990.

Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford, 1997.

Powell, Mark Allan, ed. The New Testament Today. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1999.

 

Schnelle, Udo. The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings. Translated by M. Eugene Boring. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.

The Canonical Gospels

1. Gospels Introductions

Aune, David E. "The Gospels as Ancient Biography," in idem, The New Testament in Its Literary Environment, pp. 46-66.

 

____________. "The Gospels - Biography or Theology?" Bible Review 6:1 (1990): 14-21, 37.

 

Bauckham, Richard, ed. the Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1998.

Responses:

 

Esler, Philipp F. "Community and Gospel in Early Christianity : A Response to Richard Bauckham's Gospels for All Christians." Scottish Journal of Theology 51:2 (1998) 235-48.

 

Marcus, Joel. Pp. 25-28 in idem, Mark 1-8. The Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

 

Sim, David C. "The Gospels for All Christians? A Response to Richard Bauckham." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 84 (2001) 3-27.

Burridge, Richard A. What Are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography. Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Cartlidge, David R. and David L. Dungan, eds. Documents for the Study of the Gospels. Revised and enlarged edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994.

Hengel, Martin. The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Intl., 2000.

 

Koester, Helmut. Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1990.

Miller, Robert J., ed. The Complete Gospels. Revised edition. San Francisco: Harper, 1994.

Powell, Mark Allan. Fortress Introduction to the Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.

 

Stanton, Graham. The Gospels and Jesus. 2nd edition. Oxford, 2002.

 

Vorster, Willem S. "Gospel Genre." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Specalized topics

 

Infancy Narratives

 

Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. 2nd edition. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

 

Freed, Edwin D. The Stories of Jesus' Birth: A Critical Introduction. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001.

 

Jesus and the Law according to the Gospels

 

Dunn, James D. Jesus, Paul and the Law: Studies in Mark and Galatians. London: SPCK, 1990

 

Fredriksen, Paula. "Did Jesus Oppose the Purity Laws?" Bible Review 11:3 (1995): 19-25, 42-45.

 

Loader, William. Jesus' Attitude towards the Law: A Study of the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2002.

 

Parables

 

Crossan, John D. In Parables. New York: Harper and Row, 1973.

Hultgren, Arland J. The Parables of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2000.

 

Jeremias, Joachim. The Parables of Jesus. 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972.

 

Resurrection narratives

 

Fuller, Reginald H. The Formation of the Resurrection Narratives. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980.

 

Luedemann, Gerd. The Resurrection of Jesus: History, Experience, Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994.

 

Riley, Gregory J. Resurrection Reconsidered: Thomas and John in Controversy. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995.

 

2. Synoptic Gospels

Bellinzoni, Arthur J. Jr., ed. The Two-Source Hypothesis: A Critical Appraisal. Mercer University Press, 1985.

 

Boring, M. Eugene. The Continuing Voice of Jesus: Christian Prophecy and the Gospel Tradition. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1991.

 

Bultmann, Rudolf. History of the Synoptic Tradition. Translated by John Marsh. Revised edition. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1963.

 

Dungan, David L. A History of the Synoptic Problem. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

 

____________. "The Two-Gospel Hypothesis." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Goodacre, Mark. The Case against Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Intl., 2002.

 

Kloppenborg-Verbin, John S. "Q and the Synoptic Problem." Pp. 11-54 in Excavating Q. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000.

 

Koch, Dietrich-Alex. "Source Criticism (NT)." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Manson, T. W. The Sayings of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957.

 

Nickle, Keith F. The Synoptic Gospels: An Introduction. 2nd edition. Lousiville: Westminster/John Knox, 2001.

 

Stein, Robert H. The Synoptic Problem. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987.

Tuckett, Christopher M. "Synoptic Problem." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

____________. "The Two-Source Hypothesis." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

3. Matthew

Allison, Dale C. Jr. The New Moses: A Matthean Typology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

 

Anderson, Janice Capel. Matthew's Narrative Web: Over, and Over, and Over Again. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1994.

 

Aune, David, ed. The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

 

Carter, Warren. Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2001.

 

Kingsbury, Jack Dean. Matthew as Story. Second edition. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988.

 

____________. Matthew: Structure, Christology, Kingdom. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1975.

 

Meier, John P. "Matthew, Gospel Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Overman, J. Andrew. Matthew's Gospel and Formative Judaism. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990.

 

Riches, John. Matthew. New Testament Guides. Sheffield: Sheffield University Press, 1996.

 

Saldarini, Anthony. Matthew's Christian-Jewish Community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.

____________. "Understanding Matthew's Vitriol." Bible Review 13:2 (1997): 32-39, 45.

Senior, Donald. The Gospel of Matthew. Interpreting Biblical Texts. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997.

Sim, David C. Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Gospel of Matthew. Cambridge University, 1996.

 

____________. The Gospel of Matthew and Christian Judaism. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. 1998.

 

Stanton, Graham N. A Gospel for a New People: Studies in Matthew. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992.

 

____________, ed. The Interpretation of Matthew. Second edition. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995.

 

Weinfeld, Moshe. "The Jewish Roots of Matthew's Vitriol." Bible Review 13:5 (1997): 31.

4. Mark

Achtemeier, Paul J. "Mark, Gospel Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Best, Ernest. Disciples and Discipleship: Studies in the Gospel according to Mark. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986.

Hengel, Martin. Studies in the Gospel of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985.

 

Holmes, Michael W. "To Be Continued . . . The Many Endings of the Gospel of Mark." Bible Review 17:4 (2001) 12-23, 48-50.

 

Juel, Donald H. The Gospel of Mark. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999.

 

Marcus, Joel. Pp. 17-69 in idem,Mark 1-8. Vol. 27, The Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

5. Luke-Acts

Cadbury, Henry J. The Making of Luke-Acts. Second edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson (reprint), 1999.

 

Carroll, John T. "On character building: the reader and the rhetoric of characterization in Luke-Acts." Bible Review 9 (1993) 12-14.

 

Fitzmeyer, Joseph A. "The Current State of Lucan Studies." In idem, The Gospel According to Luke, I-IX. The Anchor Bible, volume 28. New York: Doubleday, 1981.

 

__________. "Title, Authorship, Date and Purpose of Acts." The Anchor Bible, volume 18c. New York: Doubleday, 1998.

 

Johnson, Luke Timothy. "Luke-Acts, Book Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Keck, Leander and J. Louis Martyn, eds. Studies in Luke Acts. Mifflintown, PA: Siegler Press (reprint), 1999.

 

Parsons, Mikeal C. "Who Wrote the Gospel of Luke?" Bible Review 17:2 (2001) 12-21, 54-55.

Sanders, Jack T. "Luke the Theologian: Aspects of His Teaching." Bible Review 7 (1991) 11-12.

Tuckett, Christopher M. Luke. New Testament Guides. Sheffield: Sheffield University Press, 1996.

6. Q Source

   Allison, Dale C. Jr. The Jesus Tradition in Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Intl., 1997.

   Goodacre, Mark. The Case against Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Intl., 2002.

   Horsley, Richard A. and Jonathan A. Draper. Whoever Hears You Hears Me: Prophets, Performance, and Tradition in Q. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press Intl., 1999.

   Kloppenborg Verbin, John S. Excavating Q. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.

   Kloppenborg, John S., ed. The Shape of Q: Signal Essays on the Sayings Gospel. Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1994.

   __________, et al. Q-Thomas Reader. Sonoma, California: Polebridge Press, 1990.

   __________. The Formation of Q. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987.

   Mack, Burton L. The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian Origins. San Francisco: Harper, 1993.

   Patterson, Stephen J. "Q-The Lost Gospel." Bible Review 9:5 (1993): 34-41, 61-62.

   Tuckett, Christopher M. Q and the History of Early Christianity. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996.

   __________. "Q (Gospel Source)." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

6. John

Ashton. Understanding the Fourth Gospel. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991.

Brown, Raymond E. The Community of the Beloved Disciple. New York: Paulist, 1979.

Charlesworth, James H., ed. John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Christian Origins Library. New York: Crossroads, 1991.

__________. "Reinterpreting John: How the Dead Sea Scrolls Have Revolutionized Our Understanding of the Gospel of John." Bible Review 9:1 (1993): 18-25, 54.

__________. "A Critical Comparison of the Dualism in 1QS 3:13-4:26 and the "Dualism" Contained in the Gospel of John." In John and Qumran, James H. Charlesworth, ed. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1972. (Originally published in New Testament Studies 15 (1968-69) 389-418.

 

Culpepper, R. Alan. The Gospel and Letters of John. Interpreting Biblical Texts. Nashville: Abindgon, 1998.

__________. "The Plot of John's Story of Jesus." Interpretation 49:4 (1995): 347-358. (Reprinted in Jack D. Kingsbury, Gospel Interpretation: Narrative-Critical and Social Scientific Approaches.)

Dodd, C. H. The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. Cambridge University Press, 1953.

 

Fortna, Robert T. and Tom Thatcher, eds. Jesus in the Johannine Tradition. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2001.

 

Kysar, Robert. John, the Maverick Gospel. Revised edition. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993.

__________. "John's Anti-Jewish Polemic." Bible Review 9:2 (1993): 26-27.

__________. "John, The Gospel Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

__________. "John, Epistles Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

MacRae, George W. "Gnosticism and the Church of John's Gospel." In Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism and Early Christianity. Edited by Chares W. Hedrick and Robert Hodgson, Jr. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1986.

Martyn, J. Louis. History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel. 1st edition, New York: Harper and Row, 1968. 2nd edition, Louisville: Abingdon, 1979. 3rd edition, Lousiville: Westminster/John Knox, forthcoming in spring, 2003.

 

Smith, D. Moody. Johannine Christianity. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1984.

 

__________. John among the Gospels: The Relationship in Twentieth-Century Research. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

 

__________. The Theology of the Gospel of John. Cambrdige University Press, 1995.

The Gospel of Thomas

Kloppenborg, John S., et al. Q-Thomas Reader. Sonoma, California: Polebridge Press, 1990.

 

Koester, Helmut and Stephen J. Patterson. "The Gospel of Thomas - Does It Contain Authentic Sayings of Jesus?" Bible Review 6:2 (1990): 28-39.

 

Meyer, Marvin and Harold Bloom. The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus. San Francisco: Harper, 1992.

 

Patterson, Stephen J. "Now Playing: The Gospel of Thomas." Bible Review 16:6 (2000) 38-41,51-52.

Other Non-canonical Gospels

Crossan, John Dominic. Four Other Gospels. Sonoma, California: Polebridge Press, 1992.

 

Miller, Robert J. "The Gospels that Didn't Make the Cut." Bible Review 9:4 (1993): 14-25, 56.

 

Patterson, Stephen J. "Gospels, Apocryphal." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

 

Petersen, William L. "Ebionites, Gospel Of." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Gnosticism

Layton, Bentley. The Gnostic Scriptures. The Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday, 1987.

Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels.

__________. The Gnostic Paul. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1975.

Rudolph, Kurt. "Gnosticism." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

The New Testament Canon

Barton, John. Holy Writings, Sacred Text: The Canon in Early Christianity. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1997.

Clabeaux, John J. "Marcion." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Gamble, Harry Y. "Canon, New Testament." S.v. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.