Peter Kirby

Not a recommendation, because I am talking about ideas for writing a book.

The void is there. That void is a sober, scholarly, and skeptical introductory-level book on Christian origins, or some subtopic thereof.

This will be the second or third book that I write. The first book will be an updated edition of "The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha" with new introductions, to be completed this summer. It will be printed with an indie publisher, yet available (at least) on Amazon and other sites. The second book, which is much more tentative, is a monograph or a commentary on the Gospel of John. But that book would not be at an introductory level. (It would be completed after I finish my Master's Thesis, probably on the Gospel of John. That's about four years away.)

One idea that occurs to me is to write a book that works backward, and stops in the second century, in order to find out what is actually known about the patristic writers. But then, that wouldn't be introductory level, would it? I suppose it could be made so.

Another idea that occurs to me is to write a survey of some of the mythicist literature since around 1950. It would be, basically, a bunch of book reviews, with some analysis and comparison of the theories, and suggestions for future work. One goal would be to encourage more rigor among mythicists, but the main goal would just be to make the ideas plainly, and generally known, in the least polemical fashion possible.

Any other ideas?

Coming to a bookstore near you in 2012.

best,
Peter Kirby

Peter Kirby

Well, that void is not a total vacuum, I should mention. Price and Doherty fit the bill most exactly, in our generation.

best,
Peter Kirby

Diogenes the Cynic

I'd like to see something like an "Idiot's Guide" to the synoptic problem. Something that basically outlines the problem and then gives summarized descriptions of each theoretical solution with the pros and cons for each. I'd like to see something that makes the subject a little more accessible to lay people. a little less dry and pedantic.

It should also include some sort of color coded rendering of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke which would make it easy to spot what is what for a novice or a lay person.

None of this would be groundbreaking but I think it would be nice to see something that tries to simplify and untangle the subject a little bit.


Another idea (and you would be a perfect person to do this) would be a sort of compendium of Historical Jesus theories. Something that would catalogue what's what and who the leading players are and what their ideas are, etc.

Actually, I guess what I'm suggesting is a book form of this page.

I think some sort of overview of the Mythicist movement is a great idea too, though, and something that's probably needed at this point.

Peter Kirby

It's been done, by a much better scholar than I. See The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze by Mark Goodacre.

The current "handbook of Jesus theories" is Ben Witherington III's The Jesus Quest.

Another idea: people are talking about the need for a model of the development of Christianity, generally speaking. Bill Arnal mentions this in his review of Price, for example, in that Price focuses on the negative in his book. What general shape would such a model take, and what kinds of questions would it answer?

best,
Peter Kirby

Julian

Burton Mack writes extensively about the development of early christianity in Who Wrote The New Testament?. An excellent read although a bit fuzzy, more elaboration on this topic would be interesting and, indeed, central to understanding the religion and its writings better.

ETA: Peter, do you have an essay in the new Empty Tomb book?

Julian

Peter Kirby

Yes, my essay is titled, "The Case Against the Empty Tomb."

best,
Peter Kirby

darstec

Is there actually a dearth in that area? It seems those topics are covered in the scholarly tomes but not outwardly. Little nuggets are intersperced with primarily apologetic structure.

It's a cop-out primarily for the reasons discussed in another thread. I know one noted scholar who publishes mainstream apologetics but personally believes differently, and even chastized us in class if we spewed that apologetic garbage. Yet one would come to the conclusion that he was very traditional/orthodox if reading his books.

I think Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code pushed far more scholars from their ivory towers into the popular arena, and engendered more discussion than almost all the scholarly works put together.

If education is the aim, especially education of the ignorant masses, the world could use more Dan Browns regardless of the fact that his novels are inaccurate on much of what is considered "fact."

Dominus Paradoxum

I think it would be nice to have a book that went over the Gospels and A) listed the variant readings that were major/ could have theological consequences and b) highlighted the passages most likely to be redactions or interpolations.

Julian

This book does that, to some extent:
The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture by Bart D. Ehrman

Julian

Dominus Paradoxum

Own it.

I was thinking more of something that went over the Gosples pericope by pericope and went over the variants and redactions. Ehrman's is good, but I was looking for something with less detailed commentary/less argument.

Thanks for the reccomendation, though.