Gospel Writing: A Canonical Perspective (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780802840547)

That there are four canonical versions of the one gospel story is often seen as a problem for Christian faith: where gospels multiply, so too do apparent contradictions that may seem to undermine their truth claims. In Gospel Writing Francis Watson argues that differences and tensions between canonical gospels represent opportunities for theological reflection, not problems for apologetics.

Watson presents the formation of the fourfold gospel as the defining moment in the reception of early gospel literature -- and also of Jesus himself as the subject matter of that literature. As the canonical division sets four gospel texts alongside one another, the canon also creates a new, complex, textual entity more than the sum of its parts. A canonical gospel can no longer be regarded as a definitive, self-sufficient account of its subject matter. It must play its part within an intricate fourfold polyphony, and its meaning and significance are thereby transformed.

In elaborating these claims, Watson proposes nothing less than a new paradigm for gospel studies -- one that engages fully with the available noncanonical material so as to illuminate the historical and theological significance of the canonical.

Author: Francis Watson
ISBN-10: 080284054X
ISBN-13: 9780802840547
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Language: English
Published: 05/01/2013
Pages: 679
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.99lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.10w x 1.44d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 08/01/2013 pg. 80
Choice 10/01/2013
LJ Best Books of Year 12/01/2013 pg. 36