How did Gospel authors Matthew and Luke shape the story of John the Baptist around the story of Jesus? Why was the historical Baptist so popular? In John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age, Catherine Murphy explores the character of John the Baptist and compares what the foundational Gospels yield: not only the perspectives of the synoptic authors, but also a sketch of the historical figure of John the Baptist, which is then placed within the religious, political and economic context of first-century C.E. Judea. Special attention is given to the interface between John and the Qumran community, which scholars have proposed ever since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Chapters are "Will the Real Baptist Please Stand Up?" "Redaction Criticism: How and Why Authors Shape Their Stories," "Baptist Vignettes in the Gospels: A Redaction-Critical Approach," "Another Angle on the Baptist Movement: Social-Scientific Criticism," "Purification Movements in the First-Century C.E. Judea," and "Conclusion."
Catherine M. Murphy, PhD, is assistant professor in the department of religious studies at Santa Clara University. She has co-published three editions of Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, and has written journal articles on the Scrolls and the New Testament.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
The treatise should furnish the intended audience with an understanding not only of an important personage from the biblical world but also with a first-hand experience of the manner in which various academic disciplines operate to bring the past to life in the present-not from mere curiosity but from a desire for vital religious and rational integrity.
Religious Studies Review
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 153 mm
Dicke: 14 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-8146-5933-5 (9780814659335)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Contents
List of Figures ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Abbreviations xvii
CHAPTER ONE
Will the Real Baptist Please Stand Up? 1
Reading the Evidence: The Sources for John the Baptist 3
The "Game Rules" for Reconstructing History from Ancient Witnesses 13
CHAPTER TWO
Redaction Criticism: How and Why Authors Shape Their Stories 23
The Synoptic Problem in the Account of the Baptism of Jesus 24
A Solution to the Synoptic Problem: The Two-Source Hypothesis 28
Redaction Criticism 35
CHAPTER THREE
Baptist Vignettes in the Gospels: A Redaction-Critical Approach 41
Fifteen Vignettes 42
Some Redaction-Critical Results 80
The Historical Baptist 83
CHAPTER FOUR
Another Angle on the Baptist Movement: Social-Scientific Criticism 85
Definition, Scope, and Methods 87
An Initial Exercise: A Map for Designing a Social-Scientific Inquiry 89
An Inductive Exercise: From Text to Hypothesis 96
CHAPTER FIVE
Purification Movements in First-Century C.E. Judea 109
A Deductive Exercise: From Model (Purity and Pollution) to Text 110
An Inductive Exercise: First-Century Jewish Purification Movements 134
CHAPTER SIX
Conclusion 157
Glossary 161
Bibliography 167
Index of Scripture and Ancient Sources 175
Index of Modern Authors 183
