A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels

by Roland Meynet

Publishers:

Convivium Press; Gregorian University Press

, 2010

Overview

In this book, Roland Meynet offers an entirely new perspective on the Synoptic Gospels, adding further insights to the growing body of modern research into the meanings of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Utilizing the method of rhetorical analysis, of which he is a leading proponent, Meynet studies the composition of the Gospels as they were written and makes it possible to understand them in systematic and unexpected ways. He does not approach these Gospels on the basis of introductory questions, but instead combines critical analysis with the evangelists’ own persuasive intentions.

Key Features

• Offers a new perspective on the Synoptic Gospels
• Analyzes two passages shared by the three Synoptic Gospels

Contents

• Introduction
  • Editions and Translations
    • The Titles of the Pericopes are Not Part of the Text!
    • The Divisions are Not Part of the Text!
  • Synopses
    • Traditional Synopses
    • An Initial Improvement
  • Diachronic Work
    • Form Criticism
    • Redaction Criticism
    • Historical Criticism
    • Critical Assessment
  • Synchronic Work
    • Rhetorical Analysis, One Method Among Many
    • Biblical Rhetoric
    • Biblical Rhetorical Analysis Is Not a Method
    • Comparing the Compositions
    • A New Way of Carrying Out a Synoptic Comparison
• The Passage Itself
  • The Healing at Jericho
    • The Healing of Two Blind Men in Matthew (Matt. 20:29–34)
    • The Healing of the Blind Man in Mark (Mark 10:46B–52)
    • The Healing of the Blind Man in Luke (Luke 18:35–43)
  • The Calling of the Rich Man
    • An Initial Glance at the Synoptics
    • The Calling of the Rich Young Man in Matthew (Matt. 19:16–22)
    • The Calling of the Rich Young Man in Mark (Mark 10:17–22)
    • The Calling of the Rich Young Man in Luke (Luke 18:18–27)
• The Passage in its Immediate Context. The Sub-sequence
  • The Accounts of the Healing at Jericho in their Immediate Context
    • The Sub-sequence in Mark 10:35–52
    • The Sub-sequence in Matt. 20:20–34
    • The Sub-sequence in Luke 18:35–19:10
  • The Accounts of the Calling of the Rich Man in their Immediate Contexts
    • The Sub-sequence in Matt. 19:1–26
    • The Sub-sequence in Mark 10:1–27
    • The Sub-sequence in Luke 18:15–30
• The Passage in its Broader Context. The Sequence
  • The Sequence in Mark 10:1–52
    • The Central Sub-sequence (Mark 10:28–34)
    • The Sequence as a Whole (Mark 10:1–52)
  • The Sequence in Matthew 19–20
    • The Central Sub-sequence (Matt. 19:27–20:19)
    • The Sequence as a Whole (Matthew 19–20)
  • The Sequence in Luke 17:11–18:30
    • The First Sub-sequence (Luke 17:11–37)
    • The Second Sub-sequence (Luke 18:1–14)
    • When the Son of Man Comes, Will He Find Faith? (Luke 17:11–18:30)
  • The Sequence in Luke 18:31–19:46
    • The Prediction of Jesus’ Fate (Luke 18:31–34)
    • In Jericho (Luke 18:35–19:10
    • The Central Parable
    • At the Mount of Olives (Luke 19:29–36)
    • The Prediction of Jerusalem’s Fate (Luke 19:41–46)
    • Jesus, Contested King, Exercises Judgment (Luke 18:31–19:46)
  • Synoptic Comparison of the Sequences
    • Matthew and Mark
    • Matthew, Mark, and Luke
• The Passage in the Global Context. The Section and the Book
  • Sequence C8 (Luke 19:47–21:38)
  • Sub-section C6–8 (Luke 17:11–21:38)
  • Section C (Luke 9:51–21:38)
  • The Book (1:1–24:53)

Praise for the Print Edition

This is indeed a trail-blazer in Synoptic studies. The fact that the French original is made available in English within a year of its publication is remarkable. This means that the influence of this novel approach to the Synoptics will be far reaching in the scholarly community.

—Academia

A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels is an updated analysis of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Meynet seeks to provide another angle of understanding of these works and how modern thought brings a whole new light to the works, as he uses his own critical analysis and hopes to understand the intentions of those who penned these works all those years ago. A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels is a must for any student of Christian studies who wants to understand the faith further.

—Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Title: A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels
• Author: Roland Meynet
• Translator: Patricia Kelly
• Publisher: Convivium Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 440

About Roland Meynet

Roland Meynet, a French Jesuit, is presently a professor of biblical theology at the Papal Gregorian University in Rome, and was the former director of its Department of Biblical Theology. He is a founding member and currently the secretary of the International Society for the Studies of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric in Rome, and is one of the most important and renowned promoters of the rhetorical method as it applies to biblical and Semitic texts. His numerous books and academic articles have contributed significantly to contemporary biblical studies. In 2006, he was awarded the Grand prix de philosophie de l’Académie Française.

Sample Pages from A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels