Is the New Testament Actually Greek Literature?

Episode Outline:
0:00 Special episode: the Gospels in Greco-Roman literary culture
0:20 Megan introduces Robyn Walsh and her new book on early Christian literature
3:00 Why classics and New Testament studies developed as separate fields
7:22 Theology, language, and disciplinarity: how the divide hardened
12:49 Why New Testament scholarship often defaulted to “community” explanations
15:58 German Romanticism, folklore, and the search for the “voice of the people”
25:40 How these methods shaped Gospel scholarship and historical Jesus research
28:55 If not spokespersons for communities, what were Gospel authors?
33:35 Literary creativity, elite culture, and what the Gospels can really tell us
38:38 Can we recover history from these texts, or mostly just the authors?
39:01 Subversive biography: what kind of literature are the Gospels?
42:49 Other genres in view: epic, philosophy, and paradoxography
46:11 How Walsh’s approach differs from earlier New Testament scholarship
49:11 Final reflections on the book and the New Insights conference

Episode Description

The New Testament is often studied in isolation, separated from other ancient writings. How did this division come about, and what do we lose by looking at it as something different? Dr. Robyn Walsh talks about what can be gained from placing the New Testament back into the canon of Classical Literature.

Also watch these episodes:
Must Christians Keep Kosher? Decoding Matthew's Answer
Must Christians Keep Kosher? Decoding Matthew’s Answer

How to Weaponize the Bible
How to Weaponize the Bible

Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Guest Interview with Jeffrey Siker
Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Guest Interview with Jeffrey Siker