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WORKSHEET 7

REDACTION CRITICISM PORTRAITS OF CHRIST | AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUR GOSPELS Prof. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. University of San Francisco

Portraits of Christ: An Introduction to the Four Gospels Pr Artist Unknown, Detail of the Christ Pantocrator, 1260s, mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.

Portraits of Christ: An Introduction to the Four Gospels Pr 2

Worksheet 7: Redaction Criticism

DEFINING TERMS Redaction: - form of editing in which multiple sources of texts are combined and altered slightly to make a single document. - method of collecting a series of writings on a similar theme and creating a definitive and coherent work - a version of a text, such as a new edition or an abridged version

Redaction Critic: - the study of the theological perspective of a biblical text evident in its collection, arrangement, editing and modification of sources; a critical method for the study of biblical texts - regards the author of the text as editor (redactor) of the source materials

Harmonization: -an attempt to compile the canonical gospels of the Christian New Testament into a single account

Literary Dependence: - refers to the original relationship between biblical texts -often seen in discussions among biblical scholars around the question of how the gospels relate to each other (synoptic problem)

Synopsis: - a brief summary or general survey of something - taking a common view -used chiefly in reference to the first three Gospels (synoptic Gospels), Matthew, Mark, and Luke, from their similarity in content, order, and statement. What is said in the text-comparing Mark 15:33-41 and Luke 23: 44-49. In Mark Jesus dies with a cry of dereliction and the centurion affirms Jesus’ divinity, and in Luke Jesus dies with a cry of hope and the centurion confirms his innocence.

Prof. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. University of San Francisco | 3

Worksheet 7: Redaction Criticism

What is said through the text-Mark 15: 33-41, Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering servant and Messiah. Luke 23: 44-49, Luke de-emphasizes Jesus’ suffering and portrays him as a prophet and righteous martyr whose death was a miscarriage of justice that will lead others to repentance. UNDERSTANDING THE METHOD A. Redaction Criticism presupposes the insights and conclusions of (1) Tradition Criticism, (2) Form Criticism, and (3) Source Criticism. In your own words, explain the relationship of Redaction Criticism to all three. -Tradition criticism: There was an oral period of passing on traditions and stories before they were written down in what we now call the New Testament canon, so it acknowledges that through this oral period there could have been redactions and stages of modifying the text. -Form criticism: The observation that there are many different “forms” or genres of writing in the bible. -Source criticism: indicates the Gospels were written through the use of previously written sources and accounts about the events in the life of Jesus. -Redaction criticism: the purpose of this critical method is to examine the intent of the author. Changes can include additions, subtractions, rewording, etc. **Relationship among these methods: Redaction criticism takes a step forward and asks what is the source or origin of these texts and how are they changed or modified to say something new or distinctive to a different audience.

B. What is the theological importance of Redaction Criticism? -emphasizes the creative role of the author - examines the way the various pieces of the tradition have been assembled into the final literary composition by an author or editor. -The arrangement and modification of these pieces, according to this method’s proponents, can reveal something of the author’s intentions and the means by which he hoped to achieve them -can still find wide agreement on works from different traditions, since the purpose of an author/editor largely can still be recovered

Prof. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. University of San Francisco | 4

Worksheet 7: Redaction Criticism

-can show us some of the environment in the communities to which works were written.

C. When is Redaction Criticism not helpful for interpreting a text? -when trying to understand the total theology; redaction criticism does not seek to discover the total theology of the Evangelists but rather the particular emphases that they gave to the tradition -focuses its attention mostly on the situations, therefore you still have to think about what the goal of the discipline was

EXEGETICAL METHOD Look up the following texts in your Bible: Mk 15:33-41; Mt 27:45-56; Lk23:44-49 Knowing what you do about Tradition, Form, and Source Criticism, do a redactional analysis of Matthew and Luke by responding to the following: 1. What evidence do we possess for Marcan priority over Matthew and Luke? a. For the past century or so, three arguments have proved widely convincing for establishing Mark’s priority to Matthew and Luke. i. Patterns of agreement- sometime all three of the Gospels tell a story in precisely the same way. ii. The sequence of narrative- Even the materials not found in Mark suggest that Mark was a source for Matthew and Luke. Matthew and Luke often present the stories of their Gospels in the same sequence. What is odd is that when they do preserve the same sequence, it is almost always with stories that are also found in Mark. iii. Characteristics of the changes 2. What evidence do we possess that Matthew and Luke used mark as a source? a. Matthew and Luke took perhaps 90% of their gospel from Mark. Many biblical texts have a pre-history which can often be detected and reconstructed with a reliable degree of certainty. The pre-history of Matthew and Luke would be Mark, a Q, L, and M. The four-source hypothesis also goes into great detail as we mentioned in the last module. 3. Given what you have determined from points 1 and 2, name three elements of Mathew and Luke respectively that make their literary portraits of Christ distinctive? (Don’t overthink this: simply make note of differences in each version of the death of Jesus.) a. Matthew: focuses on Jesus’ genealogy (that he was king), he was the ultimate fulfillment of the hopes of the Jews.

Prof. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. University of San Francisco | 5

Worksheet 7: Redaction Criticism

b. Luke: Portray Jesus as a divine man, written for a gentile audience, proves Jesus did no wrong 4. Record what the Centurion at the foot of the cross says in each gospel upon the death of Jesus (this is an exercise of noticing what is said in the text): a. Mark: Surely this man was the Son of God! b. Matthew: Surely, he was the son of God. c. Luke: Surely this was a righteous man. 5. Finally, speculate as to what each evangelist is attempting to convey about Jesus through the words of the Centurion in their respective gospel (this is an exercise in determining what is being said through the text). a. In Luke, the evangelist wants the readers to know Jesus was an innocent man that did no wrong and should not have been punished. Mark and Matthew both have very similar words said by the centurion. In the Gospel of Matthew, the evangelist focuses on Jesus being the King of the Jews.

Prof. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. University of San Francisco | 6...