This volume breathes new life into the debate surrounding the authorship of the Catholic Epistles — commonly attributed to the brothers of Jesus and some of his closest disciples — through a focus on the epistemology of authorship. Rather than simply asking questions about who wrote the epistles, those who contribute to this book explore how interpreters arrive at their conclusions about authenticity and pseudonymity. These essays represent a critical assessment of the methods, evidence, and assumptions that inform modern dialogues on authorship in the letters of James, 1-2 Peter, and Jude.After an analysis by Travis B. Williams, Darian R. Lockett and Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn on recent critical scholarship on the epistles, arguing that fundamental questions about language, literacy, memory, and pseudonymity have been significantly neglected by interpreters, the collection explores those queries. Beginning with the authors' education, literacy and proficiency in various languages, the contributors then assess their role as eye witnesses to the events of the Gospels and the aspects of individual or collective memory. Moving on to an extensive analysis of the identity and authenticity of the authors, this collection finally concludes by considering whether these essays move readers closer toward a solution of the authorship question.
Travis B. Williams is Professor of Religion at Tusculum University, USA.Darian R. Lockett is Professor of New Testament at Biola University, USA.Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn is Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Regent College, USA.
List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors 1. Introduction, Travis B. Williams, Tusculum University, USA; Darian R. Lockett, Biola University, USA; and Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn, Regent College, USA 2. Occupation and Authorship in the Catholic Epistles: Diagnosing the Literacy of Ancient Fishermen and Carpenters, Travis B. Williams, Tusculum University, USA 3. The Catholic Epistles and Early Roman Palestine: Questions of Language and Literacy, Michael Owen Wise, University of Northwestern, St. Paul, USA 4. James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude in a Landscape of Early Christian Education, Teresa Morgan, Yale Divinity School, USA 5. Defending the Prevalence of Secretaries in Greco-Roman Letter Writing in Light of a Recent Challenge, E. Randolph Richards, Palm Beach Atlantic University, USA 6. Assumptions, Evidence, and Arguments: Reflections on Petrine Authorship of 2 Peter, Matthew S. Harmon, Grace Theological Seminary, USA 7. Why External Evidence for Petrine Involvement in 1 Peter Matters, Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary, USA 8. Authorship, the Catholic Epistles, and the Chain of History, Kelsie G. Rodenbiker, University of Glasgow, UK 9. The Authors of the Epistle of Jude: Some Methodological Considerations and a New Proposal, Wolfgang Grünstäudl, University of Münster, Germany 10. Reflections on Authorship in the Catholic Epistles, Darian R. Lockett, Biola University, USA Bibliography Index