The Gospels: Oral History, Not Oral Tradition

In Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Richard Bauckham argues that the Gospels are records of eyewitness testimony (oral history carefully collected from the individuals who were involved) rather than oral traditions (anonymous stories passed down collectively in the community):

If, as I shall argue in this book, the period between the “historical” Jesus and the Gospels was actually spanned, not by anonymous community transmission, but by the continuing presence and testimony of the eyewitnesses, who remained the authoritative sources of their traditions until their deaths, then the usual ways of thinking of oral tradition are not appropriate at all. Gospel traditions did not, for the most part, circulate anonymously but in the name of the eyewitnesses to whom they were due. Throughout the lifetime of the eyewitnesses, Christians remained interested in and aware of the ways the eyewitnesses themselves told their stories. So, in imagining how the traditions reached the Gospel writers, not oral tradition but eyewitness testimony should be our principal model….

[T]estimony — the stories told by involved participants in the events — was not alien to ancient historiography but essential to it. 

Bauckham discusses this in the video below (or see here for an even shorter summary of the ideas he contends for in his book). 

 

Comments

[Daron]

I like when someone's perspective allows me to envision the actual time and events of the early church.
Thanks you for this resource.

p.s.
I am reminded to pray for STR.

[Aries Daya]

I read the book in 2010. Highly recommend it. 5 Stars!

[Maria]

If any of you have ever hear Tim McGrew talk about how the bible proves it's within the bible (of course outside sources too). For example, when Jesus asks Phillip where to get food to feed the 5000...why ask him? If you to another gospel (I can't remember exactly right now) but the bible says that Phillip was from that town. There are hundreds more examples in the entire bible that proves itself. It's absolutely fasinating.

[Daron]

That Philip/Bethsaida point is on this post:
http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2011/08/undesigned-coincidences.html

[Daron]

Which reminds me, here is the Peter Williams lecture that I love to link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5vrFAAhpss

[Daron]

The Philip/Bethsaida point is made at about 45 minutes in the Pete Williams video.

[SteveK]

Love that lecture.

[Anory]

geari

[Headphones]

I've came across. It really helps make reading your blog a lot easier.