For centuries, Christians believed that the biblical letters of 1, 2, and 3 John were penned by a disciple of Jesus. Today, scholars speculate that the three are artifacts of a lost 'Johannine Community.' In this groundbreaking study, however, Hugo Mendez challenges both paradigms, meticulously laying out the evidence that the Epistles are, instead, a series of falsely authored works. The texts position themselves as works by a single author. In reality, they were penned by three different writers in a chain of imitation, creative adaptation, and invention. Through incisive, close readings of the Epistles, Mendez clarifies their meaning and purpose, demystifying their most challenging sections. And by placing these works in dialogue with Greco-Roman pseudo-historical writing, he uncovers surprising links between Classical and early Christian literature. Bold, comprehensive, and deeply original, this book dismantles older scholarly views while proposing new and exciting approaches to these enigmatic texts.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'This bold, original, and courageous reappraisal of The Johannine Epistles will forever change how we read these texts.' Candida Moss, Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology, University of Birmingham, UK 'Combining meticulous attention to textual details, reception history, and ancient pseudepigraphy, Hugo Mendez persuasively argues that the Johannine epistles are not works of any known early Christian, but literary creations with distinctive interpretations of John and its mysterious author. A provocative and engaging read!' Harold Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Yale University 'Rejecting the notion of a Johannine community, Mendez argues that the Johannine epistles represent a lineage of falsely authored works, each with its own compositional aims. As he canvasses the ancient evidence, Mendez mounts an argument with tremendous substance and explanatory power. A work of rare scholarly imagination and importance.' Christopher Skinner, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, Loyola University Chicago
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Worked examples or Exercises
ISBN-13
978-1-009-68954-0 (9781009689540)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Hugo Méndez is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A scholar of the New Testament and Early Christianity, he is the author of The Gospel of John: A New History and The Cult of Stephen in Jerusalem, and co-author, with Bart Ehrman, of The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 8th edition.
Autor*in
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Introduction; Part I. Relationships: 1. Different hands; 2. Literary dependence; 3. Disguised authors; 4. Invented situations; Part II. Interpretation: 5. A Treatise on sinlessness; 6. Quasi-biographical letters; Epilogue.
