
Texts and Artefacts
Selected Essays on Textual Criticism and Early Christian Manuscripts
Larry W. Hurtado(Author)
T.& T.Clark Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 30. May 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-567-68882-8 (ISBN)
Description
The essays included in this volume present Larry W. Hurtado's steadfast analysis of the earliest Christian manuscripts. In these chapters, Hurtado considers not only standard text-critical issues which seek to uncover an earliest possible version of a text, but also the very manuscripts that are available to us. As one of the pre-eminent scholars of the field, Hurtado examines often overlooked 2nd and 3rd century artefacts, which are among the earliest manuscripts available, drawing fascinating conclusions about the features of early Christianity.
Divided into two halves, the first part of the volume addresses text-critical and text-historical issues about the textual transmission of various New Testament writings. The second part looks at manuscripts as physical and visual artefacts themselves, exploring the metadata and sociology of their context and the nature of their first readers, for the light cast upon early Christianity. Whilst these essays are presented together here as a republished collection, Hurtado has made several updates across the collection to draw them together and to reflect on the developing nature of the issues that they address since they were first written.
Divided into two halves, the first part of the volume addresses text-critical and text-historical issues about the textual transmission of various New Testament writings. The second part looks at manuscripts as physical and visual artefacts themselves, exploring the metadata and sociology of their context and the nature of their first readers, for the light cast upon early Christianity. Whilst these essays are presented together here as a republished collection, Hurtado has made several updates across the collection to draw them together and to reflect on the developing nature of the issues that they address since they were first written.
Reviews / Votes
It will make an excellent companion reader for all students and scholars of the New Testament. Ultimately, this volume is an example a Hurtado's commitment to New Testament and early Christian scholarship. We are indebted to him for his many years of service to our guild. * Biblical Theology Bulletin * Masterly written and extremely insightful ... Studying these texts to try and determine the earliest available form of the Greek text is useful, but studying them as artefacts provides some understanding of the early Christians themselves. I highly recommend this volume. * Neotestamentica * Hurtado's style is moderate, though appropriately decisive and well-reasoned. As a result, each chapter is particularly engaging and persuasive. Ultimately, they are argued competently and convincingly for the importance of increased scholarly engagement with the physical and visual features of manuscripts for the purpose of developing a greater understanding of early Christianity and its texts. * Reviews in Biblical and Early Christian Studies *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
760 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-567-68882-8 (9780567688828)
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 Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Larry W. Hurtado
Texts and Artefacts
Selected Essays on Textual Criticism and Early Christian Manuscripts
E-Book
11/2017
1st Edition
T.& T.Clark Ltd
€38.49
Available for download
Person
Larry W. Hurtado is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Content
Introduction
Part 1: Text-Critical and Text-Historical Studies
1. The New Testament in the Second Century: Text, Collections and Canon
2. The Early New Testament Papyri: A Survey of Their Significance
3. New Testament Scholarship and the Dating of New Testament Papyri
4. God or Jesus? Textual Ambiguity and Textual Variants in Acts of the Apostles
Part 2: Manuscripts as Artefacts
5. The 'Meta-Data' of Earliest Christian Manuscripts
6. Manuscripts and the Sociology of Early Christian Reading
7. The Origin of the Nomina Sacra: A Proposal
8. The Staurogram in Early Christian Manuscripts: The Earliest Visual Reference to the Crucified Jesus
9. A Fresh Analysis of P.Oxyrhynchus 1228 (P22) as Artefact
10. The Greek Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas as Artefacts: Papyrological Observations on Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1, Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654 and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655
11. Who Read Early Christian Apocrypha?
12. P45 as Early Christian Artefact: What it Reflects about Early Christianity
Index
Part 1: Text-Critical and Text-Historical Studies
1. The New Testament in the Second Century: Text, Collections and Canon
2. The Early New Testament Papyri: A Survey of Their Significance
3. New Testament Scholarship and the Dating of New Testament Papyri
4. God or Jesus? Textual Ambiguity and Textual Variants in Acts of the Apostles
Part 2: Manuscripts as Artefacts
5. The 'Meta-Data' of Earliest Christian Manuscripts
6. Manuscripts and the Sociology of Early Christian Reading
7. The Origin of the Nomina Sacra: A Proposal
8. The Staurogram in Early Christian Manuscripts: The Earliest Visual Reference to the Crucified Jesus
9. A Fresh Analysis of P.Oxyrhynchus 1228 (P22) as Artefact
10. The Greek Fragments of the Gospel of Thomas as Artefacts: Papyrological Observations on Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1, Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 654 and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 655
11. Who Read Early Christian Apocrypha?
12. P45 as Early Christian Artefact: What it Reflects about Early Christianity
Index