GOSPEL ORIGINS

1 GOSPEL ORIGINSA bibliography of the critical study of the process by which the traditions of Jesus became the canonical gospels, to 31 December 2000 Compiled by Alan BillClick here t o go to the Contents page Dedicated to King's College London and those who taught me there especially the Reverend Doctor Christopher Evans and Doctor Morna HookerCopyright 2008 Alan Bill(Use CTRL with Home to return to the title-page) CONTENTS(Click on the left-hand number to go to the section wanted)(1) A preliminary note (Please read first)(2) Preface(3) Introduction(4) The main subject classes of the bibliography(5) The bibliography(6) The author index (7) The subject index to the classification and to the subject sections of the bibliography (8) Appendix A: A full schedule of the subject classification(9) Appendix B: A list of abbreviations used for journal titles in listing reviews of pre-1920 (10) Appendix C: A list of commentary series on the gospels(Use CTRL with Home to return to the title-page) A PRELIMINARY NOTE1.

2 This bibliography is provided on the Web primarily to be downloaded and either used directly or printedoff in whole or in There is only very limited cross-referencing on the web pages and the printed instructions for cross-referencing do not apply to the Web document except on the Contents page2. Note the following points relating to the downloaded Word document:- There is extensive cross-linking between From any page use CTRL+Home to go to the title-page and thence to the Contents- There is no direct link from entries referring to an item in Class Z and it will be found useful to have a printout of that Class.

3 - Neither is there a direct link from the entries in the author index to the full entries, but the links to the Contents page and thence to the relevant Section will quickly lead to Although provided for downloading without charge this work is copyright. If you wish to issue substantialportions of it in any form please contact me for A work of this kind will inevitably contain errors - probably a regrettably large number of them - and Iwould be grateful to be told of any. There will also be omissions: I would welcome suggestions for items to be added - preferably with the bibliographical here to return to Contents page)(Use CTRL with Home to return to the title-page) PREFACEThe Synoptic Problem has intrigued and puzzled me for as long as I have been a serious student of the gospels.

4 It seems to be by far the most fascinating and complex problem of its kind, which has not surprisingly attracted the solving efforts of many - without so far any sign of a generally accepted solution!And it is not just an intriguing puzzle: upon the answers to the questions it poses lie immensely important considerations in the critical study of the canonical gospels and in any theology that takes that study seemed to me that a classified bibliography of the critical work that has been done on the problem would be useful. But it soon became clear that the Synoptic Problem is only part of a wider subject - the process by which the canonical gospels emerged out of the traditions about Jesus as they circulated in the early bibliography covering the critical study of that whole process is the result.

5 For many of the sections the coverage is as reasonably complete as I have been able to make it; for the more peripheral subjects the coverage is intended to be complete only for those aspects which relate to the question of the origin of the gospels. There will inevitably be omissions and errors of inclusion and I would naturally be glad to know of any that are classified arrangement used for the bibliography has been chosen deliberately, as I believe that (together with detailed author and subject indices) it provides the most helpful way of setting out the material. The classification has been constructed not according to some pre-chosen scheme but on the basis of the actual material that has been published.

6 I believe that the wide-ranging nature of the classification and its detailed arrangement help to bring out the variety and complexity involved in the study of the ORIGINS of our gospels. Finding the correct terminology to use in those sections dealing directly with the Synoptic Problem proved difficult - over the years a variety of terms have been used by scholars. I hope that the terms chosen will be found both neutral and bibliography is more than simply a list of material. Information has been included which may help in evaluating the content and value of a book or an article before it needs to be seen.

7 Reviews have been indexed for pre-1920 books and for most later books the Elenchus Bibliographicus reference will lead to details of reviews, usually with the name of the reviewer given. Abstract references are given for nearly all books and articles from 1951. More information about the content of the bibliography will be found in the work such as this rests mainly on the work of others. Most of my time has been spent scouring the lists produced by the devoted labours of many scholars and bibliographers over the years and doing my best not to introduce errors into the information they have recorded (though I have also been able to make the occasional correction!)

8 More indirectly, it rests on the constant inspiration and interest in the gospels which so many scholars have given me, especially those whose memory I honour in the work and the subject of GOSPEL ORIGINS are not things to set the pulse of the ordinary person racing and the members of my family are no exception! But my wife has provided a constant background of understanding and encouragement, and a ready acceptance of long absences in libraries and long hours on the computer, for which I am deeply and permanently Week, 2008 Alan Bill(Use CTRL with Home to return to the title-page) INTRODUCTIONTHE COVERAGE OF THE BIBLIOGRAPHY(1) The bibliography aims to cover as comprehensively as possible the critical study of the process by which the original information and traditions about Jesus were transmitted and eventually recorded in the canonical gospels of the New Testament.

9 It covers books and articles in journals published from the rise of critical study of the New Testament to the end of the year 2000, including extensive indexing of composite works. Material available only on the Internet is not included. (2) 'Popular' material and publications for students below university level are not in general included but have been listed if they seem to make a critically useful contribution to the subject. The subjective nature of this evaluation is recognised!(3) The Section headings listed in the subject classification cover almost the whole range of GOSPEL studies but it is important to note that in each Section only material which is relevant to the particular subject of the bibliography - the origin of the canonical gospels - is included.

10 THE MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION USED FOR THE BIBLIOGRAPHY(1) For books published before 1920 the main sources were published bibliographies, which are listed at the appropriate places in the bibliography, and the catalogues of the British Museum Library (as it then was) and the wonderful National Union Catalog published by the Library of Congress.(2) For articles in journals published before 1920 Bruce Metzger's Index to periodical literature on Christ and the Gospels (1961) was the starting-point and this was supplemented by indexing a number of journals not covered by that work.(3) For book reviews of books published before 1920 an extensive search was made in all journals likely to carry appropriate reviews.