The Sayings Source Q And The Historical Jesus

Papers presented at the 49th Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense held at the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 25-27 july, 2000.

The so-called "Sayings Source" ("Q") contains traditions that can be found in the narrative gospels of Matthew and Luke. Situated within both early Judaism and the burgeoning Jesus movement, the sayings waver somewhere between the historical Jesus and the Christian communities. Following the reconstructed text of the "Critical Edition of Q", Tiwald brings a new study on the narratology of Q as a coherent attempt to answer the question: Who is Jesus?

Presents the original teachings of Jesus written by his contemporaries and early followers

The Sayings Gospel Q in Greek and English with Parallels from the Gospels of Mark and Thomas is the outcome of a generation's work by the International Q Project, in reconstructing the collection of sayings ascribed to Jesus (and some to John) that lies behind the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It thus makes available in a convenient form the most important source for reconstructing the message of Jesus' original Galilean followers, as they proclaimed anew after his death his message of God's reign. Q is, as a result, the most important single source for the study of the historical Jesus. It should be in the hands of every student of theology and of every layperson seriously interested in knowing more about Jesus. This small volume presents, on facing pages, the Greek and English reconstruction of the text of Q. It is in a simplified and more readable format than its original massive publication of 1990, The Critical Edition of Q: Synopsis including the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mark and Thomas with English, German and French Translations of Q and Thomas, edited by James M. Robinson, Paul Hoffmann, and John S. Kloppenborg, Managing Editor Milton C. Moreland, at Peeters and Fortress Press.

An accessible translation of this important lost gospel of the Bible, with an account if its reconstruction and analysis of its far-reaching implications. This is the first full account of the lost gospel of Jesus’ original followers, revealing him to be a Jewish Socrates who was mythologized into the New Testament Christ. Compiled by his followers during his lifetime, the Book of Q (from Quelle, German for source) became the prime foundation for the New Testament gospels. Once lost, it has now been reconstructed through a century of scholarship. Instead of telling a dramatic story about Jesus’ life as the Christian gospels do, the Book of Q contained only his sayings. The first followers of Jesus focused not upon his life and destiny, but on the social experiment called for by his teachings. Their book collected his proverbs, aphorisms, and parables to offer instruction in living authentically in the midst of a most confusing time. In presenting his own translation, Burton Mack explains how the text of Q was determined and explores the implications of the discovery that Jesus was transformed into the dying and rising messianic savior of Christianity by the New Testament gospels.

Estimated to date back to the very early Jesus movement, the lost Gospel known as Q offers a distinct and remarkable picture of Jesus and his significance--and one that differs markedly from that offered by its contemporary, the apostle Paul. Q presents Jesus as a prophetic critic of unbelief and a sage with the wisdom that can transform. In Q, the true meaning of the "kingdom of God" is the fulfillment of a just society through the transformation of the human relationships within it. Though this document has never been found, John Kloppenborg offers a succinct account of why scholars maintain it existed in the first place and demonstrates how they have been able to reconstruct its contents and wording from the two later Gospels that used it as a source: Matthew and Luke. Presented here in its entirety, as developed by the International Q Project, this Gospel reveals a very different portrait of Jesus than in much of the later canonical writings, challenging the way we think of Christian origins and the very nature and mission of Jesus Christ.

In this tour de force, the author offers a comprehensive introduction to the study of Q, the collection of Jesus' sayings long hypothesized as the source for the canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke. Part I deals with the methods for studying Q, their presuppositions, and a survey of current research. Part II addresses more theological and theoretical issues relevant to the Synoptic Problem, Q as a document, its redaction, and its social setting.

The Epistle of James lies on a wisdom trajectory that extends from the Old Testament through to the New. It is among the earliest of the New Testament writings, providing valuable insight into the process of transmission of the sayings of Jesus. By examining textual similarities between James and the early Jesus traditions, such as Q, QMt and QLk, Hartin argues that the Epistle of James is an independent witness to the existence of the Q source, as well as to the way in which this source developed within the Matthaean community which produced QMt.