Scripting Jesus: The Gospels in Rewrite

by L. Michael White

Overview

In Scripting Jesus, Michael White, famed scholar of early Christian history, reveals how the gospel stories of Jesus were never meant to be straightforward historical accounts, but rather were scripted and honed as performance pieces for four different audiences with four different theological agendas. As he did as a featured presenter in two award-winning PBS Frontline documentaries (“From Jesus to Christ” and “Apocalypse!”), White engagingly explains the significance of some lesser-known aspects of The New Testament; in this case, the development of the stories of Jesus—including how the gospel writers differed from one another on facts, points of view, and goals. Readers of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Bart Ehrman will find much to ponder in Scripting Jesus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061228803
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	1,002,802
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

L. Michael White is Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins and the director of the Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of From Jesus to Christianity and has been featured in and co-written two award-winning PBS Frontline documentaries.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Prologue: Scripting Jesus: The Storyteller's Art 1

Act I Casting Characters

Chapter 1 Acting the Part 19

Messiah

Chapter 2 Logos and Wisdom's Child 39

Chapter 3 Divine Man 51

Chapter 4 Savior 66

Act II Crafting Scenes

Chapter 5 Orality, Memory, and Performance 87

Chapter 6 Heralding the Crucifixion 106

Chapter 7 Marking the Passion 124

Chapter 8 Casting Spells 161

Chapter 9 Spinning Parables 188

Chapter 10 Potting the Nativity 226

Act III Staging Gospels

Chapter 11 The Misunderstood Messiah 259

The Gospel of Mark

Chapter 12 The Righteous Teacher of Torah 290

The Gospel of Matthew

Chapter 13 The Martyred Sage 318

The Gospel of Luke

Chapter 14 The Man from Heaven 345

The Gospels of John and Thomas

Chapter 15 Gospels and More Gospels 374

Epilogue: Tales of Fancy, Acts of Faith 405

Appendices

A The Geography of Jesus's World 423

B Solving the Synoptic Problem 428

C The Gospel of Peter 432

D A "Transcript" of Q 437

E Mapping the Narrative World of Luke 449

Notes 455

Ancient Writings Index 499

Subject Index 507