1
Q the virtual gospelsecond lecture

• Burton Mack, the editor of Q, calls it The Lost
  Gospel
• But was it ever really lost?
• Or alive and well and just hiding out in Matthew
  and Luke?

2
The virtual gospel -- recapping

• Q quelle, German for source.
• Mark is the narrative source of Matthew and Luke.
• But not of various other materials, mostly
  sayings of Jesus, shared by Matthew and Luke.
• Q is the presumed source of this other material.
• (Matthew and Luke each also have their own
  individual source material.)
• But besides Mark, Q is what they share.

3
Q as text sayings as genre

• Some have wondered if Q might just be shared oral
  materials, what people remembered about what
  Jesus said.
• But the similar ordering of the materials in
  Matthew and Luke suggests both working,
  independently, from a shared written source.
• A number of reasons why Luke and Matthew would
  not have been copying from each other.
• So the hypothesis that most scholars have adopted
  is that Q was an independent written source.
• Q might have been just an isolated collection of
  sayings except that the discovery of Thomas
  points to a specific genre of collected sayings.
• So we know that there existed a genre of
  collected sayings and anecdotes.
• Q, then, is part of that genre.

4
A term to remember Pericopé

• (Not a periscope!)
• Pericopé in Greek, literally, a cutting around
  or a cut out,?
• Refers to a single isolatable unit of the gospel
  tradition.
• A specific saying, a parable, a brief narrative,
  an account of a healing or of an exorcism of an
  unclean spirit.
• These pericopés are the building blocks of gospel
  tradition and of gospel narratives.
• Early part of Mark is stitched together from
  various pericopés.

5
Separate strata of Q (à la Burton Mack)?

• Mack wants primitive (i.e., more authentic,
  real Jesus material), then later levels of Q
  that represent additions from the post-Jesus
  traditions.
• But this is because Mack wants to eliminate the
  apocalyptic Jesus, the disruptive, prophetic
  Jesus who judges the age.
• This seems methodologically suspect if we
  postulate Q, why various developments of Q?
• And how could the Jesus of Macks original Q be
  someone whom the Romans would find it necessary
  to crucify?
• He doesnt seem to threaten anyone or any
  institutions just a pleasant fellow who seems
  to enjoy paradoxes!
• Mack wants this Jesus to be a witty teacher of
  paradoxes and challenging aphorisms, but nothing
  more.

6
What to make of Q?

• Granted, its an hypothesis but a strong
  hypothesis.
• We cant know for sure what it contained beyond
  the pericopés we have
• Brief narrative of Johns preaching that
  forecasts Jesus (Qs. 5).
• Narrative of temptation of Jesus (Qs. 6).
• Narrative of healing of centurions servant (Qs.
  15).
• Narrative of relationship of John and Jesus (Qs.
  16, 17).
• Narrative of exorcising of demon and what this
  means (Qs. 28).
• Condemnation of Pharisees (Qs. 34).
• Two parables of Kingdom of God (Qs. 46).
• Day of Judgment (Qs. 60).
• Parable of talents.
• And lots of sayings, teachings.

7
Whats left out of Q (from what we know of
other gospel traditions)?

• Most obviously, no kerygma proclamation, a
  good word to remember of death and resurrection.
  
• No miracle pericopés (beyond healing of
  centurions servant). (But we hear about
  healings in Qs 16.)
• No narratives about his conception, birth.
• Few stories about Jesus identity even
  temptation story except perhaps Qs. 16, 17.
  Any others?
• Qs. 31 seems specifically to reject focus on his
  personal identity.
• Any insistence on a divine identity for Jesus?

8
Whats emphasized?

• Paradoxes Qs. 8, 9, 35?, 36, 39, 50, 52, 54.
• Difficult sayings, ones that imply alienation
  from ordinary life 52, 19, 43.
• Sayings that suggest persecution 8, 9, 29, 32,
  36, 37, 56, 60.
• Or opposition to other groups 22, 34.
• References to a mysterious kingdom of God 46,
  47, 48, 56, 20?, 14?
• Belief in a coming judgment 4, 21, 22, 32, 35,
  60, 61, 62.
• Just three reference to Jewish law 56 (but
  should actually be seen as three pericopés).

9
How would we characterize a hypothetical Q
community?

• Not settled and domestic? See 52, 19, 43.
• Itinerant? See 19, 20.
• Opposed to religious authorities? See 34.
• Expecting major changes in the coming of Gods
  kingdom? See 46, 48, 22, 60.
• A community living on the edge?
• What would this community be?
• What would their relationship to Yeshua be?
• Who would Yeshua be for this community?

10
Narrative?

• Several internal narratives within the pericopés
  of Q.
• But no framing narrative.
• The effect of this?
• Can we understand even the internal narrative
  pericopés, e.g., Qs. 61?
• Or Qs. 30?
• Deficit of understanding in a sayings gospel?
• Narrative as a mode of interpretation,
  understanding.
• Narrative as a way of thinking.