Lifelines

Abstract

"Our survey so far reveals that there are a string of questions that are constantly being asked in 'historical Jesus' research. For example, was there ever a document (now termed 'Q') which was a common source shared by Matthew and Luke? Can we take John's Gospel as historical? What weight do we give to apocryphal literature, especially the Gospel of Thomas (though still dated to the second century by most scholars)? And what are the appropriate tests for establishing the authenticity of a Gospel saying? But, as noted in conclusion to PART I, there is also the whole issue of methodology: if all scholars are prone to a 'circularity of argument' (producing a Jesus which suits their prior hypotheses, often 'hidden' and unacknowledged), perhaps what we need is a completely different approach to the task of history"