Maurice Casey reconstructs sources of Q: material found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (and not in the Gospel of Mark). He replaces the conventional model of Q as a single Greek document with something more complex. This reconstruction and interpretation of the Aramaic sources raises the credibility level of deeds attributed to Jesus in earliest recorded sources.

It has long been recognized that in the Gospel according to St Matthew the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees has been intensified and it has often been suggested that this intensification reflects the continued struggle between the Church and the synagogue. The theme of Jewish persecution of Christians in the Gospel according to St Matthew is examined in this book with two questions in mind: 1. Has Matthew exaggerated the severity of the persecution? 2. How has the persecution influenced Matthew's theology? Professor Hare examines the historical data relating to the suffering imposed...

This historical study is concerned with the adoption by Christianity of Jewish prerogatives and attributes, and in particular with its assumption of the name 'Israel'. Dr Richardson's claim is that this was not a simple development, as it is usually conceived to be, but one which took place over a long period. The equation between the Church and the 'true Israel' does not occur, Dr Richardson argues, until the mid-second century in the works of Justin Martyr. The book is concerned mainly with an exegetical study of the New Testament passages relevant to the argument, concentrating on the...

Professor Epp's purpose in this investigation is to discover to what extent textual variants in the New Testament were caused by dogmatic interference with the text. Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, a late fifth-century manuscript of the Gospels and Acts, is the leading Greek representative of the so-called 'Western' text, and a natural starting point for an inquiry into theological bias behind the striking variants in that textual tradition. Professor Epp makes a detailed comparison between the 'Western' text and the 'Neutral' text of Acts, and discloses a strongly heightened anti-Judaic...

This is the first of a series of monograph supplements to the journal New Testament Studies. The main purpose of the series is to make possible publication of work which is too long for inclusion in the journal. The monographs will be published in either English, French or German: the present one is in English. Dr Gartner's purpose is to follow in detail the parallels between the New Testament and Qumran writings in their concpet of the community - Christian or Essene - as a spiritual temple. The whole complex of relationships between Qumran and the early Church is studied with the purpose of...

Recent research on the Gospel of Luke has concentrated largely on the assumption that Mark's Gospel was Luke's exclusive source for the Markan tradition, and has therefore concluded that all deviations from Mark's Gospel within the Markan material used by Luke can be considered as Luke's own contribution. In this detailed analysis Dr Schramm points out that, in addition to his use of the Gospel of Mark in its extant form, Luke also drew on other oral or written traditions and concludes that where Luke shortened, augmented or modified his main source this was frequently due to the influence of...

This book attempts to make a contribution to the New Testament doctrine of the Spirit, with special reference to the paraclete problem. Dr Johnston begins with the use of the word 'spirit' in the Gospel of John and treats it as primarily 'impersonal'. It denotes divine power or energy. God acts by his spirit, both to create and to redeem. The Fourth Evangelist shows Jesus as the incarnate Word, a man uniquely inspired, whose absence after death is compensated for by an outburst of spiritual powers in his Church. The paraclete is representative of God or of Christ, and the Johannine teaching...

Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians poses exegetical problems of well-known difficulty. The structure and unity of the whole Epistle are in doubt, as is the meaning of many particular passages and references - for example, the identity of Paul's opponents. Dr Collange bases his solutions to these problems on a detailed study of 2,14 - 7,4. He argues that the obscurities of the Epistle can be explained by the particular circumstances of its composition; Paul's use of more primitive Christian materials gives us a measure of his own originality and genius. This book should be of interest to...

A study of the authenticity and interpretation of the last twelve verses of St Mark's Gospel. These verses are omitted from at least one important manuscript tradition and queried in most modern translations (though not from the NEB). Professor Farmer traces the history of the text tradition for omission back to Egypt, and argues that one important factor contributing to their omission was the dangerous teaching they seemed to contain: they appear to encourage Christians to handle deadly snakes and drink poisons to prove their faith, a practice which has been revived today by some Christian...

This monograph deals with a major problem of New Testament exegetical and related studies - the attitude of Jesus to the Mosaic Law. While much has been written on the subject, a fresh approach in the light of the insights of, for instance, redaction-criticism and our increased knowledge of attitudes to the Law in Inter-testamental Judaism has become overdue. Dr Banks' book is concerned centrally with a detailed exegesis of the texts in the first three Gospels relevant to the ethical teaching and practice of Jesus as it related to Jewish Law. This examination is preceded by an account of the...