James R. Edwards (born 1945) is an American New Testament scholar.[1] His primary research interests include Biblical studies and the history of the early church, with secondary interests in the Reformation and history of the twentieth-century German Church struggle. After gaining degrees from Whitworth University (B.A.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Fuller Theological Seminary (Ph.D.), and further study at the University of Zurich and the University of Tübingen, Tyndale House (Cambridge), and the Center of Theological Inquiry (Princeton), in 1997 he joined the faculty at Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington. He continues his work as Professor Emeritus of Theology.[2]
James R. Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 (age 78–79) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | New Testament scholar |
| Title | Professor Emeritus of Theology |
| Awards | Templeton Grant in Science and Religion (1996); recipient of Deutsche Akademische Austausch Dienst Award (1993) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Whitworth University, Princeton Theological Seminary, University of Zürich, University of Tübingen |
| Alma mater | Fuller Theological Seminary (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Biblical studies |
| Sub-discipline | NT studies |
| Institutions | Whitworth University |
| Notable works | The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition (2009) |
The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition edit
In 2009, Edwards advanced a controversial theory that the synoptic Gospels are partly dependent on the "Hebrew Gospel", which includes the Gospel of the Hebrews, a syncretistic Jewish–Christian text believed by most scholars to have been composed in Koine Greek, the Hebrew Gospel hypothesis of Lessing and others, and traditions of a writing of Matthew's supposed to have been written by him “in the Hebrew language” (Papias) and Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, 1385, a rabbinical translation of Matthew's gospel.[clarification needed][3][4][5] Edwards argues that patristic citations from "the Hebrew Gospel" correlate more distinctly and repeatedly with sections called "Special Luke" in the Gospel of Luke than with either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Mark.[6]
Two separate reviews were published by the Society of Biblical Literature in which the reviewers were not convinced of Edwards' thesis.[7][8] John S. Kloppenborg also reviewed Edwards' thesis negatively.[9]
Edwards also rejects the modern division, by Schneemelcher and others, of the Jewish-Christian Gospels' fragments into three or more separate lost Gospels.
Works edit
Commentaries edit
- Edwards, James R. (1992). Romans. NIBC. Vol. 6. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson. ISBN 978-0-943-57534-6. OCLC 24546901.
- ——— (2001). The Gospel According to Mark. PNTC. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3734-9.
- ——— (2003). Romans. New Interpreter's Study Bible. Abingdon.
- ——— (2005). Hebrews. Renovare Study Bible. Harper.
- ——— (2015). The Gospel According to Luke. PNTC. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3735-6.
- ——— (2012). Romans. Understanding the Bible (Reissue of the 1992 Hendrickson title ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0801046155.
Other books edit
- ———; Knight, George W., eds. (1987). The Layman's Overview of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 978-0-840-77560-3. OCLC 15164774.
- ——— (1989). A response to A theological understanding of the relationship between Christians and Jews. Colorado Springs, CO: First Presbyterian Church. ISBN 9780802862341. OCLC 892924623.
- ——— (2000). The Divine Intruder. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. ISBN 978-1-576-83201-1. OCLC 43296776.
- ———; Knight, George W., eds. (2004). Compact Bible Handbook. Nelson's Compact Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 978-0-785-25246-7. OCLC 276406036.
- ——— (2005). Is Jesus the Only Savior?. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-80981-0. OCLC 57531370.
- ——— (2009). The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-86234-1. OCLC 368048433.--
- ———, ed. (2019). Between the Swastika and the Sickle: The Life, Disappearance, and Execution of Ernst Lohmeyer. Earmans. ISBN 978-0802876188.
Articles edit
- ——— (1994). "The Authority of Jesus in The Gospel of Mark". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 37 (2): 217–233.
- ——— (Autumn 2004). "The Servant of the Lord and the Gospel of Mark". Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. 8 (3): 36–49.
- ——— (2011). "Galatians 5:12: circumcision, the Mother Goddess, and the scandal of the cross". Novum Testamentum. 53 (4): 319–337. doi:10.1163/156853611X578275.
References edit
- ^ Academic homepage and biography
- ^ "James Edwards | Theology Department Newsletter | Whitworth University".
- ^ The Whitworthian Monday, November 23, 2009 "Professor's book 'controversial' - News "Edwards said the Hebrew Gospel has remained largely unstudied in the theological world and, in his opinion, has been scandalously overlooked. "Most scholars don't know much about the Hebrew gospel and many deny that it existed," he said. Throughout history, Edwards said, Christians have been hesitant to accept a Hebrew ancestor to the gospels. The theory of the Hebrew Gospel is still unpopular with many in the theological world. Though no copies of the Hebrew Gospel are known to exist, Edwards' research and study of ancient manuscripts has convinced him to believe unwaveringly that it once did. "We know [the Hebrew Gospel] did exist because it was referred to about 100 times in the first nine centuries of Christianity," he said."
- ^ The Whitworthian FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2010 Whitworth professor of theology releases groundbreaking new book about the gospels - James Edwards challenges long-held "Q hypothesis," asserts existence of a Hebrew gospel
- ^ Dallas Theological Seminary review
- ^ James R. Edwards - The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition 2009 "In Chapters Two and Three I attempt to show that when the fathers actually quote from the Hebrew Gospel the quotations correlate more distinctly and repeatedly with Special Luke than with either Matthew or Mark. The fourth chapter shifts from a survey of the patristic tradition to a detailed discussion of Lukan Semitisms in which the above thesis is argued on the dual basis of philological evidence in Luke and the testimony of the prologue."
- ^ Friedrichsen, Timothy A. (2010). "Book review: The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition" (PDF). Review of Biblical Literature.
- ^ Sweeney, James P. (2010). "Book review: The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition" (PDF). Review of Biblical Literature.
- ^ Kloppenborg, John S. (2011-04-14). "The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition (review)". Toronto Journal of Theology. 27 (1): 109–111. doi:10.1353/tjt.2011.0000. ISSN 1918-6371. S2CID 144873030.