Als Spezialist für die Anfänge des Christentums hat John S. Kloppenborg umfangreich über das synoptische Spruch-Evangelium (Q) und die Gleichnisse Jesu geschrieben. Seine akademische Arbeit befasst sich eingehend mit den Gründungstexten und Lehren des frühen Christentums. Seine Gelehrsamkeit bietet tiefe Einblicke in den historischen und literarischen Kontext der Botschaft Jesu.
This groundbreaking investigation delves into early Christian groups in the ancient Mediterranean, challenging traditional views of their associations during the first three centuries CE. By examining historical contexts and social dynamics, the book reshapes our understanding of how these communities functioned and interacted, offering fresh insights into the development of Christianity in its formative years.
An Introduction to the Original Stories and Sayings of Jesus
The lost Gospel known as Q, believed to originate from the early Jesus movement, presents a unique perspective on Jesus and his importance, contrasting sharply with the views of the apostle Paul. This gospel sheds light on the teachings and message of Jesus, providing insights that challenge established interpretations and enrich the understanding of his role in early Christianity.
Exploring the social and cultural dynamics of the Greco-Roman world, this book delves into the various associations that shaped community life, including religious cults, trade guilds, and civic organizations. It examines the roles these groups played in fostering social cohesion, identity, and political influence, while also highlighting their impact on individual lives. Through historical analysis and case studies, the text reveals how these associations contributed to the broader tapestry of ancient society and its legacy in contemporary culture.
This volume contains a collection of twenty-one essays of John S. Kloppenborg, with four foci: conceptual and methodological issues in the Synoptic Problem; the Sayings Gospel Q; the Gospel of Mark; and the Parables of Jesus. Kloppenborg, a major contributor to the Synoptic Problem, is especially interested in how one constructs synoptic hypotheses, always aware of the many gaps in our knowledge, the presence of competing hypotheses, and the theological and historical entailments in any given hypothesis. Common to the essays in the remaining three sections is the insistence that the literature, thought and practices of the early Jesus movement must be treated with a deep awareness of their social, literary, and intellectual contexts. The context of the early Jesus movement is illumined not simply by resort to the literary and historical sources produced by Greek and Roman elites but, more importantly, by data gathered from documentary sources available in non-literary papyri.
Private associations organized around a common cult, profession, ethnic identity, neighbourhood or family were common throughout the Greco-Roman antiquity, offering opportunities for sociability, cultic activities, mutual support and a context in which to display and recognize virtuous achievement. This volume collects a representative selection of inscriptions from associations in Attica, Central Greece, Macedonia, Thrace, published with English translations, brief explanatory notes, commentaries and full indices. This volume is essential for several areas of study: ancient patterns of social organization; the organization of diasporic communities in the ancient Mediterranean; models for the structure of early Christian groups; and forms of sociability, status-displays, and the vocabularies of virtue.
John S. Kloppenborg provides an in-depth analysis of the challenging parable of the Tenants (Mark 12:1-12; Gospel of Thomas 65), exploring how Christians have traditionally interpreted and misinterpreted it. He contextualizes the parable within the practices of ancient viticulture and introduces a novel interpretative approach. The author critically examines the history of the text's interpretation, investigating the ideological interests that have shaped its use in Christian churches and political discourse. He reconstructs the social environment of the parable's origin, focusing on the economic, social, and legal dimensions of ancient viticulture. Kloppenborg reveals that interpretations have largely favored those in power, which is ironic given the social status of Jesus and the parable's literary context. The parable, as presented in Mark and the Gospel of Thomas, is depicted as a realistic narrative, with Mark's editing being the only element that shifts it from the typical idiom of Jesus' parables. The work concludes with a dossier of 58 papyrus documents related to viticulture and agrarian conflict. This significant contribution was recognized with the 2007 Francis W. Beare Book Award by the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies.