Rightly Dividing the Early Writings
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:06 am
In the past I posted some tables:
http://peterkirby.com/a-table-of-christ ... itles.html
http://peterkirby.com/a-table-of-leadership-terms.html
http://peterkirby.com/self-identifications.html
Since then I've looked for ways of making these tables useful. Here's one possibility: based on a (somewhat arbitrary) selection of attributes, the table can be used to attempt to group the texts into subgroups that share interesting characteristics.
1. Omega Group
This group has nearly every influence, as well as rare references to "Gnostics" and "Catholics." Chronologically, they are considered to be the latest.
Clement of Alexandria
Irenaeus of Lyons
Hippolytus of Rome
Origen
Tertullian
2. Alpha Group
This group will refer to "apostles" but neither as part of a narrative nor as consigned to the past. If it refers to a gospel, it does not mean a book. You could call it the apostolic epistolary literature.
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
1 Thessalonians
Philippians
Ephesians
Colossians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
1 Peter
2 Peter
Jude
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul
Letter of Peter to Philip
Hebrews (apostle - of Jesus)
Revelation (apostles - in heaven)
3. Beta Group
This group refers to "Nazarenes," refers to Jesus as "Teacher," and does not yet regard a "Gospel" as a particular kind of book.
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Luke
Acts of the Apostles
Gospel of John
Gospel of Philip
Acts of Peter
Apocryphon of John
4. Gamma Group
This group refers to a gospel as a book or refers to the apostles as in the past.
Ignatius of Antioch
Justin Martyr
Melito of Sardis
Acts of Peter
Martyrdom of Polycarp
2 Clement
Didache
Acts of Paul
Acts of Andrew
Diognetus
Polycarp
Treatise on the Resurrection
Aristides
Shepherd of Hermas
1 Clement
Epistle of Barnabas
Athenagoras of Athens
Melito of Sardis
Sophia of Jesus Christ
5. Delta Group
This group includes all that don't fit into the above groups.
2 Thessalonians
James
Philemon
1 John
2 John
3 John
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Mary
Gospel of Peter
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Infancy Gospel of James
Dialogue of the Savior
Acts of Andrew
Book of Thomas the Contender
Apocryphon of James
Coptic Apocalypse of Peter
Ascension of Isaiah
Gospel of Truth
Odes of Solomon
Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs
Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
First Apocalypse of James
Melchizedek
Sibyllines
Authoritative Teaching
Second Apocalypse of James
Trimorphic Protennoia
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul
Theophilus of Antioch
Eugnostos the Blessed
Some further observations:
The "Omega group" is the most clearly defined of them all. They form an unmistakable block in all these tables. Older writings are characterized by their ignorance of certain strands of tradition, and, by the same token, these writings stand out for having broad familiarity with all preceding tradition.
The "Alpha group" seems to have at least a few texts that get membership by their fictive setting (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter). The interesting question is whether all the texts attributed to Paul, Peter, and Jude are like this or whether, instead, some come from an actual situation in which claims to being an apostle were current events. (The claim to being an apostle quickly recedes into a feature of the past in the early Christian writings.)
The "Beta group" has all the NT Gospels (and Acts) plus the Gospel of Philip, Acts of Peter, and Apocryphon of John. The most particular distinction of this group is that they refer to "Nazarenes," unlike other Gospels and Acts (and unlike all the letters and treatises before the "Omega group"). It is a most curious feature.
The "Gamma group" contains most of the "apostolic fathers" and cognate texts of the era. They show familiarity with the Gospels or at least with the age of the apostles, which is set in the past. They are thus influenced by the Alpha group or the Beta group (or both).
The "Delta group," a catch-all, requires further subdivision. It contains some NT epistles that might (or might not) otherwise be in the "Gamma group" or the "Alpha group" but did not have the formal characteristics of either. Likewise it contains Gospels and Acts (that would thus be similar to the "Beta group") that do not say anything about "Nazarenes." Lastly it contains a number of treatises and apocalypses that may have escaped the influence of the Alpha and Beta groups. One such example is Eugnostos the Blessed, which is actually an earlier version of the Sophia of Jesus Christ, which latter text has been edited under the influence of the Gospels and thus brought into the Gamma group.
Summary conclusion: The early Christian writings include Gospels (like those in the NT), letters (like those in the NT), and other texts. Some authors show themselves to be familiar with pretty much all preceding tradition (Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Clement, Origen). Some texts were influenced by the letters attributed to the apostles or by the well-known Gospels. And yet there are still texts that are unlike the NT letters and gospels and that do not (at least at first glance) appear to be influenced by them.
http://peterkirby.com/a-table-of-christ ... itles.html
http://peterkirby.com/a-table-of-leadership-terms.html
http://peterkirby.com/self-identifications.html
Since then I've looked for ways of making these tables useful. Here's one possibility: based on a (somewhat arbitrary) selection of attributes, the table can be used to attempt to group the texts into subgroups that share interesting characteristics.
1. Omega Group
This group has nearly every influence, as well as rare references to "Gnostics" and "Catholics." Chronologically, they are considered to be the latest.
Clement of Alexandria
Irenaeus of Lyons
Hippolytus of Rome
Origen
Tertullian
2. Alpha Group
This group will refer to "apostles" but neither as part of a narrative nor as consigned to the past. If it refers to a gospel, it does not mean a book. You could call it the apostolic epistolary literature.
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
1 Thessalonians
Philippians
Ephesians
Colossians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
1 Peter
2 Peter
Jude
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul
Letter of Peter to Philip
Hebrews (apostle - of Jesus)
Revelation (apostles - in heaven)
3. Beta Group
This group refers to "Nazarenes," refers to Jesus as "Teacher," and does not yet regard a "Gospel" as a particular kind of book.
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Luke
Acts of the Apostles
Gospel of John
Gospel of Philip
Acts of Peter
Apocryphon of John
4. Gamma Group
This group refers to a gospel as a book or refers to the apostles as in the past.
Ignatius of Antioch
Justin Martyr
Melito of Sardis
Acts of Peter
Martyrdom of Polycarp
2 Clement
Didache
Acts of Paul
Acts of Andrew
Diognetus
Polycarp
Treatise on the Resurrection
Aristides
Shepherd of Hermas
1 Clement
Epistle of Barnabas
Athenagoras of Athens
Melito of Sardis
Sophia of Jesus Christ
5. Delta Group
This group includes all that don't fit into the above groups.
2 Thessalonians
James
Philemon
1 John
2 John
3 John
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Mary
Gospel of Peter
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Infancy Gospel of James
Dialogue of the Savior
Acts of Andrew
Book of Thomas the Contender
Apocryphon of James
Coptic Apocalypse of Peter
Ascension of Isaiah
Gospel of Truth
Odes of Solomon
Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs
Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
First Apocalypse of James
Melchizedek
Sibyllines
Authoritative Teaching
Second Apocalypse of James
Trimorphic Protennoia
Coptic Apocalypse of Paul
Theophilus of Antioch
Eugnostos the Blessed
Some further observations:
The "Omega group" is the most clearly defined of them all. They form an unmistakable block in all these tables. Older writings are characterized by their ignorance of certain strands of tradition, and, by the same token, these writings stand out for having broad familiarity with all preceding tradition.
The "Alpha group" seems to have at least a few texts that get membership by their fictive setting (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter). The interesting question is whether all the texts attributed to Paul, Peter, and Jude are like this or whether, instead, some come from an actual situation in which claims to being an apostle were current events. (The claim to being an apostle quickly recedes into a feature of the past in the early Christian writings.)
The "Beta group" has all the NT Gospels (and Acts) plus the Gospel of Philip, Acts of Peter, and Apocryphon of John. The most particular distinction of this group is that they refer to "Nazarenes," unlike other Gospels and Acts (and unlike all the letters and treatises before the "Omega group"). It is a most curious feature.
The "Gamma group" contains most of the "apostolic fathers" and cognate texts of the era. They show familiarity with the Gospels or at least with the age of the apostles, which is set in the past. They are thus influenced by the Alpha group or the Beta group (or both).
The "Delta group," a catch-all, requires further subdivision. It contains some NT epistles that might (or might not) otherwise be in the "Gamma group" or the "Alpha group" but did not have the formal characteristics of either. Likewise it contains Gospels and Acts (that would thus be similar to the "Beta group") that do not say anything about "Nazarenes." Lastly it contains a number of treatises and apocalypses that may have escaped the influence of the Alpha and Beta groups. One such example is Eugnostos the Blessed, which is actually an earlier version of the Sophia of Jesus Christ, which latter text has been edited under the influence of the Gospels and thus brought into the Gamma group.
Summary conclusion: The early Christian writings include Gospels (like those in the NT), letters (like those in the NT), and other texts. Some authors show themselves to be familiar with pretty much all preceding tradition (Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Clement, Origen). Some texts were influenced by the letters attributed to the apostles or by the well-known Gospels. And yet there are still texts that are unlike the NT letters and gospels and that do not (at least at first glance) appear to be influenced by them.