Gospel Audiences

Note this new book which continues the debate started by Richard Bauckham on the Gospels for All Christians, about whether the Gospels were written for "communities" or for wide distribution amongst Christians.

Edward W. Klink III (editor)

The Audience of the Gospels: The Origin and the Function of the Gospels in Early Christianity

(LNTS; London: Continuum, 2010).

Note: You can read part of the book via the Amazon.com link.

Essays include:

Edward Klink

"Gospel Audience and Origin: The Current Debate"

Michael F. Bird

"Sectarian Gospels for Sectarian Christians? The Non-Canonical Gospels and Bauckham's The Gospels for All Christians"

Justin Marc Smith

"About Friends, by Friends, for Others: Author-Subject Relationships in Contemporary Greco-Roman Biographies"

Richard Bauckham

"Is There Patristic Counter-Evidence? A Response to Margaret Mitchell"

Craig L. Blomberg

"The Gospels for Specific Communities and All Christians"

Adele Reinhartz

"Gospel Audiences: Variations on a Theme"

Edward Klink

"Conclusion: The Origin and Function of the Gospels in Early Christianity"

My essay argues that appeals to the extra-canonical Gospels as a way of proving that all the Gospels were written for specific audiences does not hold water. I point out that the extra-canonical Gospels were probably reactions to the canonical Gospels in terms of supplementation, attempts to displace them, and strive to imitate their content and replicate their wide distribution. Furthermore, many of the extra-canonical Gospels were conducive to dissemination beyond their own original circle and were probably intended to circulate wider than a limited circle. The essay also includes some remarks about unity and diversity in early Christianity.

An "Orthodox" Approach to the Extra-Canonicals

How are Christian interpreters to relate to the extra-canonical Gospels? A good example of how to do so, in Martin Hengel's opinion, is Clement of Alexandria. Although Clement holds to the four-fold Gospel that was handed down, he also takes the extra-canonical Gospels seriously in discussion with his opponents, e.g. Julius Cassian (a Valentinian Gnostic).

Martin Hengel, The Four Gospels and the One gospel of Jesus Christ, 17-19.

"In contrast to Irenaeus, however, he [Clement] does not reject a Gospel in principle; rather, he has quoted this saying of Jesus to Salome twice before, and on the first mention he emphasizes that it must be expounded to the Encratites in the correct way so that they are confused and refuted by it. In other words, although it does not come from a recognized Gospel it must be taken seriously because of the discussion with the opponents."