Oral Tradition and the Gospels: The Problem of Mark 4

337 Pages·1993·15.22 MB·English

by  Barry Henaut

l i b r a ry o f n e w t e s ta m e n t s t u d i e s

oral tradition
and the gospels

barry w. henaut
JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
82
Executive Editor
Stanley E. Porter
Editorial Board
Richard Bauckham, David Catchpole, R. Alan Culpepper,
Joanna Dewey, James D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Robert Fowler,
Robert Jewett, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Dan O. Via
JSOT Press
Sheffield

Oral Tradition and
the Gospels
The Problem of Mark 4
Barry W. Henaut
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 82
IN MEMORY
Emile C. Henaut and D. Gordon M. Fraser
Jan. 1925-Sept. 1970 April 1934-Nov. 1984
Copyright © 1993 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by JSOT Press
JSOT Press is an imprint of
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
343 Fulwood Road
Sheffield S10 3BP
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Henaut, Barry W.
Oral Tradition and the Gospels: Problem of
Mark 4. — (JSNT Supplement Series,
ISSN 0143-5108; No. 82)
I. Title n. Series
226.3
EISBN 9781850754077
CONTENTS
Preface 9
Abbreviations 11
Introduction
THE PROBLEM OF ORAL TRADITION 13
1. The Universality of Oral Tradition 15
2. Oral Tradition as an Apologetic 16
3. Early Modern Scholarship and Orality 17
4. The Synoptic Problem as a Basis for a Model of Orality 19
5. Purpose and Assumptions of the Present Study 26
Chapter 1
ORAL TRADITION TAKEN FOR GRANTED 28
1. The Beginnings of Form Criticism 28
2. R. Bultmann and Oral Tradition 29
3. Jesus the Rabbi (H. Riesenfeld and B. Gerhardsson) 41
4. Kelber's Program 53
5. Critique of Oral Tradition Taken for Granted 71
Chapter 2
ORALITY IN PERSPECTIVE:
THE CONTRIBUTION OF FOLKLORIC ANALYSIS 75
1. The Parry-Lord Thesis 76
2. Eric Havelock 86
3. The Ground Rules of Orality 91
4. The Application of Folkloric Method to the Gospels 104
5. Orality in Perspective 115
6 Oral Tradition and the Gospels: The Problem of Mark 4
Chapter 3
TEXTUALITY AS A BARRIER TO ORALITY: THE MARKAN
REDACTION OF 4.1-34 120
1. Text Criticism 121
2. Previous Tradition Histories of Mark 4.1-34 131
3. Mark 4.1-2, 33-34: A Redactional Inclusion 150
4. Mark 4.10-13: A Redactional Sandwich 167
5. Other Editorial Links 188
6. Conclusion: Textuality as a Barrier to Orality 190
Chapter 4
ALLEGORY AND ORALITY: THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
AND ITS INTERPRETATION 192
1. Birger Gerhardsson 196
2. C.F.D. Moule 202
3. Critique of Gerhardsson and Moule 203
4. The Allegorical Interpretation and Textuality 211
Chapter 5
PARABLES AND ORALITY 220
1. The Sower (Mark 4.3-8; Gospel of Thomas 9;
1 Clement 24.4-5) 222
2. The Seed Growing Secretly (Mark 4.26-29; Gospel
of Thomas 21c) 242
3. The Mustard Seed (Mark 4.30-32; Q 13.18-19; Gospel
of Thomas 20) 251
4. Summary of Results 265
Chapter 6
APHORISMS AND ORALITY: MARK 4.21-25 268
1. The Lamp (Mark 4.21; Q 11.33; Gospel of Thomas 33) 270
2. The Hidden Revealed (Mark 4.22; Q 12.2; Gospel
of Thomas 5, 6b) 278
3. Measure for Measure (Mark 4.24b and Q 6.38) 284
4. To the One Who Has (Mark 4.25; Q 19.26; Gospel
of Thomas 41) 288
5. Ears to Hear (Mark 4.9, 23; Q 14.35; Gospel
of Thomas 8) 292
6. Summary of Results: Signs of Orality in Mark 4.21-25 294
Contents 7
Conclusion
ORAL TRADITION: THE IRRECOVERABLE BARRIER TO JESUS 295
Appendixes 306
Bibliography 311
Index of References 325
Index of Authors 332

PREFACE
This book is a revised edition of my doctoral dissertation which was
accepted at the University of Toronto in September of 1991. First of
all, I wish to express my gratitude to Miss Muna Salloum, formerly
the Administrative Assistant of the Centre for Religious Studies, who
was of invaluable assistance at numerous times as I charted my path
through the myriad of regulations during my programme. I should
also thank especially a number of the Centre's community—Michel,
Willi, Jackie and Bill—for conversations over coffee, encouragement
and friendship during my studies. Their own insights into early
Christianity have added significantly to my knowledge.
Secondly, I am particularly fortunate in the advice, encouragement
and collective wisdom that I have received from my supervision
committee. My association with my supervisor, Professor Heinz O.
Guenther, goes back to when I was a first-year MDiv student at
Emmanuel College in the fall of 1980.1 am extremely grateful for his
guidance and support during the current project. Similarly, Professors
Peter Richardson and Donald Wiebe have also generously given of
their time and made a valuable contribution to the project. I am also
extremely grateful for the efforts of Professor David Hill—and all the
staff of Sheffield Academic Press—for their work in speedily
bringing about this published edition. Thank you one and all.
I should also thank a number of members of the wider 'Mac
community'—Professor M.J. Connoly of Boston College was kind
enough to forward to me a number of fonts for my computer, as was
Jay Treat of the Center for Computer Analysis of Text. Steven C.
Muir, of the University of Ottawa, was also kind enough to help with
the final proof reading.
My brother and mother deserve particular mention for their heroic
endurance during the two years I was busy with the writing and
editing. Without their support I doubt that the project could have been