Dean Anderson

I am well aware (in general terms) about the hypothetical Q document, and how it is generally considered the most parsimonious solution to the Synoptic Problem.

However, I often see people referring to different strata of Q: Q1-Q4.

Can anyone point me to (or simply give) a good explanation of what these different strata are, how the Q material is divided between them, and what sort of support they have in Biblical Scholarship circles?

Thanks in advance!

motorhead

I've been getting into the whole Q document discussion lately, and from reading Crossan's The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (or via: amazon.co.uk) I think the divisions of Q come from John Kloppenborg, who is considered a Q scholar. The idea is that there are different levels in the Q writings, as far as dates.

I was going to ask if anyone would recommend Kloppenborg's book Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel (or via: amazon.co.uk)?

By the way, how do I rename a hyperlink? I wanted to rename the Amazon hyperlinks to the title of the books but couldn't figure out how to do it. Fixed and check your PM's for the answer.

Zeichman

In Excavating Q, he spends a bit of time talking about the topic, but if you want what is more or less a commentary on Q regarding it's compositional history check out Kloppenborg's "Formation of Q." He's subsequently written articles modifying things a bit, including one called "Nomos and Ethos" and one on the parables, but I've forgotten the name of it. There are actually three layers of Q, per his hypothesis, and the last one consists of one pericope and two additional verses and is perhaps better described as interpolations rather than an actual layer.

Before you read those, check out this link, which Bill Arnal helpfully summarizes the arguments. http://www.misericordia.edu/users/da...s/billklop.htm

Excavating Q has a fantastic bibliography for Q's stratification.

Read Arnal's thing and see if there's anything more we can help you with here.

Ben C Smith

This is the understatement of the year so far.

Ben.

Tigers!

Does this mean that someone at last has found Q?

Zeichman

...no.

But scholars have reconstructed, with great precision, the wording it originally contained. Check out "The Sayings Gospel Q in Greek and English: With Parallels from the Gospels of Mark and Thomas" if you want the student version. The Hermeneia commentary series published a much larger and more comprehensive version of the International Q Project's findings.

RED DAVE

Peter Kirby's site is always useful.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/q.html

RED DAVE