Redaction Criticism
- Created by: Laura McClelland
- Created on: 19-05-19 10:01
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- Redaction Criticism and the New Testament
- What is Redaction Criticism?
- Attempts to discern the different theological emphasis of the evangelist by looking at the way they edit (redact) their gospel
- It sees the gospels as a coherent piece of work of one author/redactor with their own unique theology
- "By looking carefully at the individual comments of the evangelists... it is possible to discover how each writer understood and interpreted (as well as edited) the tradition he received" - Smalley
- Method
- Takes place over 2 stages
- 1. An examination of the redaction in comparison to what is already known of the evangelist's source material
- In Mark, Jesus says "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
- In Matthew, Jesus says "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?
- 2. An exploration of how the evangelist treats all the traditions at their disposal
- 1. An examination of the redaction in comparison to what is already known of the evangelist's source material
- Powell argues there ate presuppositions which redaction criticism works from
- The gospel writers were not eye witnesses, they relied on oral and written reports
- The gospel writers relied on written materials and the oral tradition
- The gospel writers were not just 'scissor and paste' collectors, they wanted to tell coherent stories and would edit sources in order to make a narrative
- The writers were not disinterested reporters, they were evangelists
- Takes place over 2 stages
- Implications for the New Testament reader
- Drawbacks
- we must be careful in regard to the presuppositions regarding the early church
- the presupposition that composition equates to invention in the mind of the evangelist can be problematic
- "redaction critics are at times too subtle and subjective in their approach to the gospels" - Smalley
- Benefits
- it treats the gospels as a whole and allows us to examine the actual contributions of the evangelists
- Reader gains the fullest possible picture of the person of Jesus
- It allows to understand how the evangelists interacted with their source material
- Drawbacks
- What is Redaction Criticism?
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