Mark and Matthew I: Comparative Readings: Understanding the Earliest Gospels in Their First Century Settings

The study of Mark and Matthew from a comparative perspective has a long history. Ever since the theory of Markan priority became firmly established in the 19th century however, many studies, especially commentaries on either Mark or Matthew, make observations related primarily to one of the Gospels only. Thus the most frequent result of studying Mark and Matthew is that one Gospel is overshadowed by the other. This collection of papers employs a sustained multiperspectival comparative approach which contributes simultaneously to the synoptic problem discourse and sheds light on the individual Gospels in their first century setting(s), a procedure that reveals new questions and discoveries. This highlights new aspects of the Gospels which are critical for our understanding of the rise and development of Gospel literature in the first century C.E.

Contributors:
Barbara Aland , David E. Aune , Wayne Baxter , Eve-Marie Becker, Cilliers Breytenbach , Warren Carter , Sean Freyne , Morten Horning Jensen , John S. Kloppenborg , Stanley E. Porter , Anders Runesson , David C. Sim , Lorenzo Scornaienchi , Tommy Wasserman , Oda Wischmeyer , Adela Yarbro Collins , Linden Youngquist