With this collection of essays, Müller and Nielsen (both, Univ. of Copenhagen) attempt to bring clarity to the origins of St. Luke's Gospel. Students of the synoptic gospels know that this problem of origin has a long and storied history. The premise of the book is that Luke used Mark and Matthew as his sources, a position generally associated with theologian/philosopher Austin Farrer and his seminal essay "On Dispensing with Q" (published in 1955). Farrer's hypothesis was later taken up by Michael Goulder and, more recently, Mark Goodacre. In continuing the course these writers charted, the contributors are potent in arguing that Luke was more than a redactor of earlier materials, he was a creative writer with innovative ideas and new perspectives on traditional materials. The contributors rigorously reject the idea of a hypothetical Q document. For them, the theory that Luke's use of Matthew was creative and innovative is more elegant and parsimonious than conjecturing that Luke used a non-existent source. Those who are unconvinced by the four-document hypothesis will find this treatment of an old topic stimulating and thought provoking. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.
CHOICE
The essays are timely, appropriate, well-researched and thought-provoking. Well recommended.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Produktdetaljer
Biographical note
Mogens Müller is Professor of New Testament at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jesper Tang Nielsen is Professor of New Testament at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.