From Jesus to the New Testament is a translation of Jens Schröter’s 2007 work Von Jesus zum Neuen Testament. The volume comprises a collection of sixteen independently-written essays united by their focus on early Christian history and the formation of the New Testament canon. It also constitutes the inaugural volume of the series “Studies in Early Christianity” (published jointly by Baylor University Press and Mohr Siebeck), which “aims to facilitate increased dialogue between German and Anglophone scholarship by making recent German research available in English translation” (vii). In this work, Schröter focuses on the question of how the past is appropriated as history and becomes a “common point of reference for a community” (1), specifically in relation to the events and writings of early Christianity.
The volume is divided into four parts. In part one, “Recollection and History in Early Christianity” (chapters 1-4), Schröter begins by discussing the methodological and epistemological questions of the “science” of history, and exploring their significance for understanding the development of early Christian theology. He argues that the task of New Testament (NT) science is to “mediate to the respective present a picture of the beginnings of Christianity that is based on the early Christian witnesses” (9), thereby grounding theology in history. Consequently, Schröter aims to explore the process of development of historical constructions that resulted in the NT: a group of writings which seeks to make the past “rationally comprehensible” (30) and meaningful. “The goal of history writing,” he claims, “is thus not reconstruction of the past but construction of history” (35).
In part two, “Jesus–Paul–Luke” (chapters 5-11), Schröter explores three “central components” (249) of the development of Christianity as a religious community – the synoptic gospels’ presentation of Jesus’ activity, Paul’s presentation of the message of Christ to the Gentile world, and Luke’s portrayal of this new Jew-Gentile community as the continuation of the history of Israel – and how each appropriated the events surrounding Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Particularly interesting components of these chapters include Schröter’s exploration of how Paul uses metaphor to portray the significance of what happened in this “Christ-event,” and his discussion of the book of Acts as the first clear example of Christian history.
Part three, “On the Way to the NT” (chapters 12-14), forms the heart of the volume. Here Schröter explores the process by which the appropriations of the past discussed in part two came together in the formation of the NT canon. This involved a lengthy developmental process, with several factors impacting the gradual shaping – and then preservation – of Christian identity. Although Schröter acknowledges that Jesus’ teaching was perhaps the most important “impulse for the emergence of the NT canon” (255), he argues that the preservation of the Jesus tradition was not aimed towards a single “authoritative” version. Rather, it was a “free and living tradition,” “linguistically variable and extendable” (265). The regula fidei (“rule of faith”) secured continuity with the historical origins of the Christian community and apostolic witness. Only when alternative views began to arise – especially those pertaining to the Jesus tradition and the teaching of Paul – did Acts, as a Christian history which bound together the events of the past in a way which mediated their significance to the present, become necessary. Schröter also emphasizes how the canon was shaped primarily by the necessary exclusion of works attesting views outside accepted boundaries of Christian understanding and interpretative appropriation of the past.
Finally, in part four, “What is ‘Theology of the New Testament’?” (chapters 15-16), Schröter addresses the question of how this understanding of the canon impacts the quest for a cohesive “NT Theology.” Can this goal be pursued while remaining faithful to “historical-critical science” as described in part one? Schröter answers affirmatively, arguing that both historical-critical interpretation and NT theology are indispensable to a proper understanding of the text, and should stand in a “tension-filled dynamic” (330). The canonical meaning of a text (which it possesses as part of an established group of texts) cannot be equated to its historical function. Both must be understood and considered independently.
From Jesus to the New Testament is exciting and challenging, a thorough and intellectually-sophisticated work of NT scholarship. The task of following Schröter’s dense, technical discussion is rewarded by frequent insight into the biblical text. Schröter evidences considerable aptitude for rigorous adherence to the technicalities of “historical science,” and careful thought regarding the application of such analysis to the texts of the NT and to the process of their canonization. The result is a volume which challenges certain “traditional” Christian views of (a) what it means to consider the NT texts as “historical” and (b) why these specific texts are “canonical.” For example, Schröter’s argument that “The canon does not possess its own dignity for reasons of priority in terms of theological substance or history but exclusively from an effective history-hermeneutical perspective” (312) will, one expects, raise some eyebrows. Yet Schröter nowhere denies either the historicity of the texts or the significance of the canon. Instead, he offers a nuanced presentation of how these elements of NT study can be understood – and indeed affirmed – within the methodology of the science of history. Therefore, Schröter’s work stands as a strong defense of the necessity and depth of rigorous, intellectually critical historical and literary analysis of the NT.
Wayne Coppins, as translator of this volume and co-editor of the Studies in Early Christianity series, is to be commended for making Schröter’s study available to a wider audience. Anyone interested in German NT scholarship will surely find Schröter’s work indispensable, given his interaction with nearly every major figure in the field from the last two centuries. For all others interested in historical-critical NT scholarship, the NT and history, or canonical studies, this book is highly recommended.
The Bottom Line: From Jesus to the New Testament presents Schröter’s approach to the “science” of New Testament history, and his application of this discipline to the understanding of early Christian history and the development of the New Testament canon. An excellent example of thorough and technical biblical scholarship, this work offers great insight into various facets of the NT texts, both individually and as a unified whole.
Review by Jesse Nickel (jn26@st-andrews.ac.uk)
University of St Andrews
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.