3 ms·

Most scholars thing the hypothetical "Q" gospel would have been a "sayings" gospel--which is to say, it was mostly a collection of quotes from Jesus, rather tha

Most scholars thing the hypothetical "Q" gospel would have been a "sayings" gospel--which is to say, it was mostly a collection of quotes from Jesus, rather than a narrative. The Gospel of Thomas would be a comparable "sayings" gospel, for an example of what that would look like. It might seem a little string to think of an entire book that's just quotes from someone, absent context. However, this tradition still exists today: https://www.amazon.com/Dalai-Lama-Book-Quotes-Collection/dp/1578266408 https://www.amazon.com/Dalai-Lama-Book-Quotes-Collection/dp/...

zifpanachr23 2y ago
It makes sense as a reference to build a more cohesive narrative structure from. Imagine you are actually physically there following Jesus on all his adventures. It's unlikely you have the supplies or resources or time to accurately transcribe a narrative as you yourself are involved. You probably treat it more like you would treat being the "note taker" in a modern Zoom project management call. "So and so said this". "He said that and said he would talk about it again next week for an update" ... Seems like a sayings gospel to me. Makes sense a sayings gospel would be the most contemporaneous source and then other gaps could be filled in in other ways in order to build a coherent narrative once you've got the time to sit down and really put something big and official together.
pram 2y ago
Gospel of Thomas actually has one of my favorite parables. It really stuck in my mind since I read it: "The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who takes a vessel of flour and sets out on a long road. The handle of the vessel broke: the flour spilled out on the road behind her without her knowing it and stopping it. When she arrived at the house she put the vessel down and found it was empty."

3 ms·

Most scholars thing the hypothetical "Q" gospel would have been a "sayings" gospel--which is to say, it was mostly a collection of quotes from Jesus, rather tha

by AdmiralAsshat 2y ago

zifpanachr23 2y ago
It makes sense as a reference to build a more cohesive narrative structure from. Imagine you are actually physically there following Jesus on all his adventures. It's unlikely you have the supplies or resources or time to accurately transcribe a narrative as you yourself are involved. You probably treat it more like you would treat being the "note taker" in a modern Zoom project management call. "So and so said this". "He said that and said he would talk about it again next week for an update" ... Seems like a sayings gospel to me. Makes sense a sayings gospel would be the most contemporaneous source and then other gaps could be filled in in other ways in order to build a coherent narrative once you've got the time to sit down and really put something big and official together.
pram 2y ago
Gospel of Thomas actually has one of my favorite parables. It really stuck in my mind since I read it: "The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who takes a vessel of flour and sets out on a long road. The handle of the vessel broke: the flour spilled out on the road behind her without her knowing it and stopping it. When she arrived at the house she put the vessel down and found it was empty."