M. D. Goulder, The Evangelists Calendar: A Lectionary Explanation o the Develop!

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The Evangelists' Calendar: A Lectionary Explanation of the Development of Scripture
M. D. Goulder
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$u4lisher: "$C%
$u4lication Date: &'()
,inding: 5ardcover
Midrash and Lection in Matthe
Goulder
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$u4lisher: 7ip 8 "toc9 $u4
$u4lication Date: /..6
,inding: $aper4ac9
Synopsis:
This challenging and original 4oo9 :uestions the accepted conclusions o synoptic research. +t
argues, irst, that Matthe; is an adaptation and expansion o Mar9 4y !idrash 3 that is, 4y standard
<e;ish expository techni:ues 3 depending on no ;ritten source other than Mar9, and only to a very
s!all extent on oral tradition= and, secondly, that Matthe; ;as ;ritten to 4e read in Christian
;orship round the year, as a cycle o lessons ollo;ing the <e;ish estal lectionary.$art + esta4lishes
the characteristics o the Matthaean !anner 3 his voca4ulary, his rhyth!s and i!ages, the or! and
!ode o his para4les. 7ith so !uch typical o Matthe; as a gospel, sources other than Mar9
4eco!e progressively less plausi4le.$art ++ is a co!!entary on the gospel ro! this 4ase. +t inds a
4asic Marcan text or each ne; unit and a reason or its develop!ent, and ;or9s out in detail the
correspondence 4et;een the ive teaching sections o Matthe; and the ive <e;ish estal seasons o
$entecost, -e; >ear3Atone!ent, Ta4ernacles, Dedication, and $assover. A stri9ing piece o
corro4orative evidence is ound in the section nu!4ers o the old Gree9 !anuscript
tradition.Michael Goulder 4elieves that lectionary sche!es also underlie Mar9 and Lu9e, and that at
least one !a?or part o the @ld Testa!ent, the ;or9 o the Chronicler, has a si!ilar character. A
gospel, in act, is not a literary genre at all, 4ut a liturgical one. Matthe; hi!sel co!es into ocus
as a converted <e;ish scri4e ;ho possessed the su4stance o the $auline teaching, and ;ho has
4een the do!inant inluence in or!ing the ChurchAs i!age o <esus in his adaptation o Mar9 4y
!idrash and through lection.
Allen Ca4aniss, $attern in Early Christian 7orship