Redescribing Christian Origins

CONTENTS
Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………………..xi
Introduction: Ancient Myths and Modern Theories of
Christian Origins
Ron Cameron and Merrill P. Miller ………………………………………………..1
PART 1: ALTERNATE BEGINNINGS:
THE SAYINGS GOSPEL Q AND THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
Introduction to the Papers from the Third Year of
the Consultation
Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………………………………………..33
The Schooling of a Galilean Jesus Association
(The Sayings Gospel Q)
Willi Braun ………………………………………………………………………………..43
Why Q Failed: From Ideological Project to Group Formation
William E. Arnal …………………………………………………………………………67
Ancient Myths and Modern Theories of the Gospel of Thomas
and Christian Origins
Ron Cameron………………………………………………………………………………89
“Keep Speaking until You Find. . . ”: Thomas and the
School of Oral Mimesis
Arthur J. Dewey …………………………………………………………………………109
Discussion and Reflections
Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………………………………………133
PART 2: A JESUS SCHOOL IN JERUSALEM?
Proposal for the First Year of the Seminar
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….141
Introduction to the Papers from the First Year of the Seminar
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….151
Acts and the History of the Earliest Jerusalem Church
Christopher R. Matthews …………………………………………………………….159
Antioch, Paul, and Jerusalem: Diaspora Myths of Origins
in the Homeland
Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………………………………………177
What Do We Really Know about the Jerusalem Church?
Christian Origins in Jerusalem according to Acts and Paul
Dennis E. Smith …………………………………………………………………………237
A Jewish Jesus School in Jerusalem?
Burton L. Mack …………………………………………………………………………253
History, Historiography, and Christian Origins: The Jerusalem
Community
Luther H. Martin ……………………………………………………………………….263
Agenda for the Annual Meeting, Discussion, and Reflections
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….275
PART 3: A PRE-PAULINE CHRISTOS ASSOCIATION
Proposal for the Second Year of the Seminar
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….285
Introduction to the Papers from the Second Year of the Seminar
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….293
The Problem of the Origins of a Messianic Conception of Jesus
Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………………………………………301
Christos as Nickname
Barry S. Crawford ……………………………………………………………………..337
From Messiahs to Christ: The Pre-Pauline Christ Cult in Scholarship
Christopher R. Matthews …………………………………………………………….349
Why Christos ? The Social Reasons
Burton L. Mack …………………………………………………………………………365
viii Contents
The Anointed Jesus
Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………………………………………375
Agenda for the Annual Meeting, Discussion, and Reflections
Ron Cameron…………………………………………………………………………….417
Backbay Jazz and Blues
Burton L. Mack …………………………………………………………………………421
Smoke Signals from the North: A Reply to Burton Mack’s
“Backbay Jazz and Blues”
Willi Braun ………………………………………………………………………………433
Issues and Commentary
Ron Cameron and Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………….443
PART 4: METAREFLECTIONS
Social Formation and Mythmaking: Theses on Key Terms
William E. Arnal and Willi Braun………………………………………………459
Remarkable
Burton L. Mack …………………………………………………………………………469
Redescribing Christian Origins: Historiography or Exegesis?
Luther H. Martin ……………………………………………………………………….475
Dayyeinu
Jonathan Z. Smith ……………………………………………………………………..483
Mythmaking, Social Formation, and Varieties of Social Theory
Stanley K. Stowers ……………………………………………………………………..489
Conclusion: Redescribing Christian Origins
Ron Cameron and Merrill P. Miller …………………………………………….497
Select Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..517
Index of Ancient Texts……………………………………………………………………..521
Select Index of Modern Authors ……………………………………………………….535
Contents ix
Index of Subjects …………………………………………………………………………….537
Contributors ……………………………………………………………………………………539