The Passing of Birger Gerhardsson

Last updated on: January 3, 2014 at 7:02 am by Michael F. Bird

The Passing of Birger Gerhardsson 2014-01-03T07:02:38-04:00 Michael F. Bird

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Over at Evangelical Textual Criticism, Tommy Wasserman has a tribute to Swedish scholar Birger Gerhardsson.

In my view, Gerhardsson is the grandfather of a lot of what goes on in studies in oral traditional and orality of the Gospels. The impact of his 1961 thesis Memory and Manuscript is still felt and being fleshed out. He challenged the form critics on several fronts and I think, in course of time, he has won the argument Jacob Neusner’s foreword to the 1998 edition of the book is a MUST READ for anyone involved in Gospel scholarship, since Neusner repents of his earlier criticism of Gerhardsson. Everyone criticized Gerhardsson for reading post-135 CE rabbinic practices back into the New Testament, however, I think it is fair to say that the rabbis did not invent the use of memory in education and it was a standard feature in ancient pedagogy (see my earlier post on Libanius and memorization in Hellenistic education). No less an authority than Gerd Theissen said: “Despite reservations concerning a direct transfer of rabbinic techniques of transmission to early Christianity, we must recognize that we have here a historical analogy to the process of tradition in Christianity’s earliest phase.”[1]

May he rest in peace and rise in glory!

[1] Gerd Theissen, The Gospels in Context: Social and Political History in the Synoptic Tradition (trans. Linda M. Maloney; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), 3 n 3. Cf. Alexander (“Orality in Pharisaic-Rabbinic Judaism at the Turn of the Eras,” 184): “Rabbinic models may be particularly relevant to elucidating how the early Christian groups elaborated and passed on their traditions. Comparison of the later rabbinic schools with the New Testament is, perhaps, all the more plausible because … rabbinic schools are not, broadly speaking, a distinctively rabbinic institution: they are an example of a cultural phenomenon widespread through the whole of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, a phenomenon established well before the rise of Christianity.” Kelber (“Work of Birger Gerhardsson,” 177) says that Gerhardsson “advanced an explanatory model that was suited to demonstrate the historical concreteness of the traditioning processes and the actual techniques that were operative in the transmission and reception of the tradition.”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 3, 2014

Larry Hurtado Clarifies Things about "Early High Christology"

Next Post

January 3, 2014 The Scandal of Disunity according to N.T. Wright

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Lands Blogosphere Book Review Calvinism Colleges & Universities Ecclesiology Emerging Adulthood Evangelicalism Foreign Affairs Gospel of John Greco-Roman World Humor Just War N. T. Wright Old Testament Resurrection Terrorism Theological Education Travel Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the "Great Commission" Jesus gave his followers?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Gather riches Build a temple Stay hidden Go and make disciples

Books by This Author Books by Mike Bird

See All Titles »