Description
Book SynopsisAnyone who reads the Gospels carefully will notice that there are differences in the manner in which they report the same events. These differences have led many conservative Christians to resort to harmonization efforts that are often quite strained, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Many people have concluded the Gospels are hopelessly contradictory and, therefore, historically unreliable accounts of Jesus. The majority of New Testament scholars now hold that most if not all of the Gospels belong to the genre of Greco-Roman biography and that this genre permitted some flexibility in the manner that historical events were narrated. However, few scholars provide a robust discussion on how this plays out in Gospel pericopes (self-contained passages). Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? provides a fresh approach to the matter by examining the works of Plutarch, a Greek essayist who lived in the first and second centuries CE. Michael R. Licona discovers three-dozen pericopes narrated two or more times in Plutarch''s Lives, identifies differences between the accounts, and views these differences in light of compositional devices acknowledged by classical scholars to have been commonly employed by ancient authors. The book then uses the same approach with nineteen pericopes narrated in two or more Gospels to demonstrate that the major differences found in them likely result from the same compositional devices employed by Plutarch.By suggesting that both the strained harmonizations and the hasty dismissals of the Gospels as reliable accounts are misguided, Licona invites readers to view the Gospels in light of their biographical genre in order to gain a clearer understanding of why the differences are present.
Trade ReviewBesides its important contribution to our understandings of Gospel composition, Licona's book will be a helpful addition to the classroom. Its relaxed, even occasionally conversational tone, detailed notes and appendices, and glossary of technical and non-English terms make it accessible for students and experienced scholars alike. * Margaret Froelich, Religious Studies Review *
The book is a valuable contribution to discussion of the genre of the gospels and of the historiographical propensities of their authors, incorporating detailed engagement with the primary sources and drawing judicious conclusions. * David J. Armitage, Journal for the Study of the New Testament *
[Licona's] work deserves respect not only for its solid scholarship, but for the fact that he is seeking to understand and defend bilblical inerrancy by carefully analysis of the bilble itself. * Michael Dormandy, Churchman *
Licona has written a well-researched and challenging work, and his knowledge of Roman rhetoric is impressive... In my view, the most helpful contribution of Licona's work is his analysis of the differences found in nineteen parallel Gospel accounts. This alone is worth the purchase of the book. His honesty in admitting that he knows no convincing harmonization with respect to some of these differences is refreshing and causes the reader to take his harmonizations more seriously than those of scholars who think that all such differences can easily be harmonized. * Robert H. Stein, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society *
Licona should be applauded for helping his audience rethink their presuppositions about the Gospels by situating them among ancient Mediterranean biographies, rather than the modern kind, correcting a 'historical nearsightedness.' Moreover, the presentation is very reader friendly, with a glossary and appendices added to assist those lacking certain competencies. Interested readers can add this affordable volume to their libraries with confidence. * Reading Religion *
Licona's book is the most important book I've ever read on the literary techniques of the Evangelists. There is no book that has this finesse based on the Gospel genre as a "biography" and hence this study can be used with confidence in classes engaged in the Synoptic Gospels. His conclusions about how the Evangelists did what they did are reliable and give us yet one more clear glimpse in how to understand the nature of the Gospels. * Scot McKnight, Jesus Creed *
It is helpfully detailed and demonstrates that those who question the historic reliability of the gospels are reading them in an uninformed way. Anyone teaching the gospels, or indeed anyone interested in apologetics who would wish to better equip themselves, would find this book very helpful. * Stephen McQuoid, Partnership Perspectives *
Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Compositional Textbooks 2. Who was Plutarch? 3. Parallel Pericopes in Plutarch's Lives 4. Parallel Pericopes in the Canonical Gospels 5. Synthetic Chronological Placement in the Gospels Conclusion Appendix 1: Thirty-Six Pericopes Appearing Two or More Times in the Nine Lives of Plutarch Examined Appendix 2: Nineteen Pericopes Appearing Two or More Times in the Canonical Gospels Examined Appendix 3: Which Women Were Present at the Cross, Burial, and Empty Tomb? Appendix 4: Biosketches of Main Characters in Plutarch's Lives Notes Glossary Bibliography General Index Ancient Sources Index Scripture Index
