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Guides for the Perplexed
Oral Tradition and the New Testament: A Guide for the Perplexed
The last three decades have seen an explosion of biblical scholarship on the presence and consequences of the oral expression of tradition among Jesus' followers, especially in the earliest decades of the Common Era. There is a wealth of scholarship focused on 'orality'. This scholarship is, however, abstract and technical almost by definition, and to date no introductory discussion exists that can introduce a new generation of biblical students to the issues being discussed at higher levels of scholarship. Rafael Rodriguez address this gap.
Rodriguez adopts a fourfold structure to cover the topic, beginning with basic essentials for further discussion of oral-tradition research and definitions of key terms (the 'what'). He then moves on to discuss the key players in this area (the 'who') before examining the methods involved in oral-tradition research among New Testament scholars (the 'how'). Finally Rodriguez provides examples of the ways in which oral-tradition research can bring texts into clearer focus (the 'why'). The result is a comprehensive introduction to this key area in New Testament studies.
Rodriguez adopts a fourfold structure to cover the topic, beginning with basic essentials for further discussion of oral-tradition research and definitions of key terms (the 'what'). He then moves on to discuss the key players in this area (the 'who') before examining the methods involved in oral-tradition research among New Testament scholars (the 'how'). Finally Rodriguez provides examples of the ways in which oral-tradition research can bring texts into clearer focus (the 'why'). The result is a comprehensive introduction to this key area in New Testament studies.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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February 7, 2014
The last couple of decades have seen a torrent of publications seeking to expound the significance of orality for our understanding of the New Testament texts. Many of these published works contain extremely specialized and obscure language. Language that is not familiar to the majority of students of early Christianity.
It is in response to this unfortunate inaccessibility that Rafael Rodríguez has written an incredibly helpful introductory volume, Oral Tradition and the New Testament: A Guide for the Perplexed.
Though this work is primarily geared toward the novice who is unfamiliar with the current discussions, it will still be of considerable benefit to any student of the New Testament. Rodriguez goes far beyond a merely descriptive task and offers, in my view, persuasive proposals for implementing Oral Tradition considerations into New Testament exegesis.
This is a slim volume, weighing in at only 118 pages of text. It is divided into 5 chapters which, besides the introduction, each address one of the primary questions related to the oral tradition: the what, who, how and why.
The Introduction serves as an excellent orientation for the reader. Rodriguez makes the oft-neglected point that the purpose of studying the oral tradition must ultimately be for exegesis. If it cannot payout in our historical/literary/theological interpretation of the actual New Testament texts, then it is not worth our time. Reading this was a breath of fresh air. I have often read through whole essays addressing some matter of "orality" to find that they made no contribution to the actual exegesis of the text. That is a failure. Likewise, I found Rodriguez' declamation of the term "orality" refreshing. It is used all over writings in oral studies, yet, it is rarely if ever defined, and its denotation is o muddled that it is of no benefit to the conversation. Thus, Rodriguez chooses, rightly, to abstain from employing "orality" in his discussion. Rather, he suggest the use of the term "media criticism" as an alternative, which he defines as,
The analysis of the function and dynamics of various media of communication(speech, writing, ritual, etc.), and especially of the significance of shifts from one medium to another (e.g. from oral to written expression). (pp. 22)
Chapter Two (The what of oral tradition and New Testament studies) is an invaluable resource for those walking into the thick of oral tradition studies. Rodriguez has composed a nearly exhaustive list of the special terms employed by media critics. Being that the language of media criticism is probably the most difficult part to appropriate, this chapter is incredibly helpful.
Chapter Three (The who of oral tradition and New Testament studies) discusses the major players in oral tradition studies, beginning with Birger Gerhardsson. Some may complain that Rodriguez chose to omit discussion of Dibelius and Bultmann, as well as other noted form critics, but I consider his choice a wise one. Media criticism, to use the term a bit anachronistically, has moved far beyond mere reaction to form criticism and has begun to construct a new approach in its place. Rodriguez offers and evaluative survey of the following scholars: Birger Gerhardsson, Werner Kelber, Joanna Dewey, Paul J. Achtemeier, Pieter Botha, Kenneth Bailey, and Richard Horsley. This list is clearly meant to be representative rather than exhaustive. Rodriguez does a fine job of highlighting each scholar's contribution as well as presenting critique where warranted.
Chapter Four (The how of oral tradition and New Testament studies) marks the shift from introducing the discipline to demonstrating its practice. Rodriguez considers two different approaches to the task. The first, the morphological approach, represented by folks like Joanna Dewey, aims to identify oral remnants in the New Testament texts. The assumption is that the written texts, if they are derived from oral sources, will portray oral forms and qualities that allow us, the readers, to spot an underlying oral source. Rodriguez heavily critiques this approach for its unfounded assumption that oral forms are fundamentally distinct from written forms. Since the supposedly oral features are displayed in written texts, why features? To the dismay of many, this renders the morphological approach rather useless. Yet, there is another approach available, one that I think, with Rodriguez, offers a much more fruitful route. He has termed this approach "the contextual approach".
[The contextual approach] does not look for the shape of oral tradition in the written text of the NT (see Morphological approach, above). Instead the contextual approach posits the oral expression of the tradition as the context within which the NT written texts developed and were written by authors, recited by lectors (and/or oral performers), and received by audiences (and/or readers). (pp. 72)
Rather than seeing the oral tradition nothing more than a source preceding the composition of the New Testament texts, Rodriguez, following John Miles Foley, argues that we see the texts as situated within the oral tradition. It is precisely within that oral tradition that the texts gain their full meaning. Essentially, words contain certain traditional connotations that are detected only when the full tradition is recognized.
Chapter 5 (The why of oral tradition and New Testament studies) seeks to demonstrate the exegetical usefulness of media criticism when applied to the New Testament. Rodriguez considers four diverse New Testament passages (the Markan tempation passage, the Johannine prologue, Romans 10, and Revelation 5 and 10) in order to see how media criticism may elucidate the text. The exegesis at display in this chapter is persuasive and enlightening, however, I was left wondering how media criticism offered a distinct contribution that a traditional eye toward intertextuality could not make. Certainly the nuance was different, and the attention toward metonymy was more focused, yet, it did not seem to go far beyond traditional exegesis.
UPDATE: Rafael commented on my review and made an important distinction regarding exegesis. Unlike traditional exegetes searching for certain texts being alluded to, the media critic (such as Rodriguez) has an eye for the circumambient tradition that is being referenced. A reference that is made through, what media critics call, metonymy. So, for example, regarding the Markan Temptation narrative, rather than claiming that Mark's use of ekballo is a result of his lifting that word directly from Exodus. Rodriguez argues that rather, Mark swims in a tradition that connects ekballo with God's redemptive work. Thus, he is not simply appealing to a single text, but a whole tradition.
So this may not change the exegetical results drastically, but I think it does refine our method and results in a more sophisticated, more accurate understanding of how the New Testament writings gained meaning in their context.
Closing Thoughts
With the publication of Eric Eve's introductory volume, Behind the Gospels, it may seem that there is no need for Rodriguez' volume. That is far from the case. Eve is asking fundamentally different questions than Rodriguez is, particularly questions related to the Historical Jesus. That concern does not play any factor in Rodriguez' volume.
Rodriguez has written an excellent volume that, though short, makes a weighty contribution to the discussion, primarily by mediating the near foreign-language nature of oral studies. I commend it highly to those interested, especially for its attention to the exegetical purpose of our task.
NOTE: This book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
For More Articles on Christian Origins, Theology, and Philosophy, Subscribe to Freedom in Orthodoxy!
It is in response to this unfortunate inaccessibility that Rafael Rodríguez has written an incredibly helpful introductory volume, Oral Tradition and the New Testament: A Guide for the Perplexed.
Though this work is primarily geared toward the novice who is unfamiliar with the current discussions, it will still be of considerable benefit to any student of the New Testament. Rodriguez goes far beyond a merely descriptive task and offers, in my view, persuasive proposals for implementing Oral Tradition considerations into New Testament exegesis.
This is a slim volume, weighing in at only 118 pages of text. It is divided into 5 chapters which, besides the introduction, each address one of the primary questions related to the oral tradition: the what, who, how and why.
The Introduction serves as an excellent orientation for the reader. Rodriguez makes the oft-neglected point that the purpose of studying the oral tradition must ultimately be for exegesis. If it cannot payout in our historical/literary/theological interpretation of the actual New Testament texts, then it is not worth our time. Reading this was a breath of fresh air. I have often read through whole essays addressing some matter of "orality" to find that they made no contribution to the actual exegesis of the text. That is a failure. Likewise, I found Rodriguez' declamation of the term "orality" refreshing. It is used all over writings in oral studies, yet, it is rarely if ever defined, and its denotation is o muddled that it is of no benefit to the conversation. Thus, Rodriguez chooses, rightly, to abstain from employing "orality" in his discussion. Rather, he suggest the use of the term "media criticism" as an alternative, which he defines as,
The analysis of the function and dynamics of various media of communication(speech, writing, ritual, etc.), and especially of the significance of shifts from one medium to another (e.g. from oral to written expression). (pp. 22)
Chapter Two (The what of oral tradition and New Testament studies) is an invaluable resource for those walking into the thick of oral tradition studies. Rodriguez has composed a nearly exhaustive list of the special terms employed by media critics. Being that the language of media criticism is probably the most difficult part to appropriate, this chapter is incredibly helpful.
Chapter Three (The who of oral tradition and New Testament studies) discusses the major players in oral tradition studies, beginning with Birger Gerhardsson. Some may complain that Rodriguez chose to omit discussion of Dibelius and Bultmann, as well as other noted form critics, but I consider his choice a wise one. Media criticism, to use the term a bit anachronistically, has moved far beyond mere reaction to form criticism and has begun to construct a new approach in its place. Rodriguez offers and evaluative survey of the following scholars: Birger Gerhardsson, Werner Kelber, Joanna Dewey, Paul J. Achtemeier, Pieter Botha, Kenneth Bailey, and Richard Horsley. This list is clearly meant to be representative rather than exhaustive. Rodriguez does a fine job of highlighting each scholar's contribution as well as presenting critique where warranted.
Chapter Four (The how of oral tradition and New Testament studies) marks the shift from introducing the discipline to demonstrating its practice. Rodriguez considers two different approaches to the task. The first, the morphological approach, represented by folks like Joanna Dewey, aims to identify oral remnants in the New Testament texts. The assumption is that the written texts, if they are derived from oral sources, will portray oral forms and qualities that allow us, the readers, to spot an underlying oral source. Rodriguez heavily critiques this approach for its unfounded assumption that oral forms are fundamentally distinct from written forms. Since the supposedly oral features are displayed in written texts, why features? To the dismay of many, this renders the morphological approach rather useless. Yet, there is another approach available, one that I think, with Rodriguez, offers a much more fruitful route. He has termed this approach "the contextual approach".
[The contextual approach] does not look for the shape of oral tradition in the written text of the NT (see Morphological approach, above). Instead the contextual approach posits the oral expression of the tradition as the context within which the NT written texts developed and were written by authors, recited by lectors (and/or oral performers), and received by audiences (and/or readers). (pp. 72)
Rather than seeing the oral tradition nothing more than a source preceding the composition of the New Testament texts, Rodriguez, following John Miles Foley, argues that we see the texts as situated within the oral tradition. It is precisely within that oral tradition that the texts gain their full meaning. Essentially, words contain certain traditional connotations that are detected only when the full tradition is recognized.
Chapter 5 (The why of oral tradition and New Testament studies) seeks to demonstrate the exegetical usefulness of media criticism when applied to the New Testament. Rodriguez considers four diverse New Testament passages (the Markan tempation passage, the Johannine prologue, Romans 10, and Revelation 5 and 10) in order to see how media criticism may elucidate the text. The exegesis at display in this chapter is persuasive and enlightening, however, I was left wondering how media criticism offered a distinct contribution that a traditional eye toward intertextuality could not make. Certainly the nuance was different, and the attention toward metonymy was more focused, yet, it did not seem to go far beyond traditional exegesis.
UPDATE: Rafael commented on my review and made an important distinction regarding exegesis. Unlike traditional exegetes searching for certain texts being alluded to, the media critic (such as Rodriguez) has an eye for the circumambient tradition that is being referenced. A reference that is made through, what media critics call, metonymy. So, for example, regarding the Markan Temptation narrative, rather than claiming that Mark's use of ekballo is a result of his lifting that word directly from Exodus. Rodriguez argues that rather, Mark swims in a tradition that connects ekballo with God's redemptive work. Thus, he is not simply appealing to a single text, but a whole tradition.
So this may not change the exegetical results drastically, but I think it does refine our method and results in a more sophisticated, more accurate understanding of how the New Testament writings gained meaning in their context.
Closing Thoughts
With the publication of Eric Eve's introductory volume, Behind the Gospels, it may seem that there is no need for Rodriguez' volume. That is far from the case. Eve is asking fundamentally different questions than Rodriguez is, particularly questions related to the Historical Jesus. That concern does not play any factor in Rodriguez' volume.
Rodriguez has written an excellent volume that, though short, makes a weighty contribution to the discussion, primarily by mediating the near foreign-language nature of oral studies. I commend it highly to those interested, especially for its attention to the exegetical purpose of our task.
NOTE: This book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
For More Articles on Christian Origins, Theology, and Philosophy, Subscribe to Freedom in Orthodoxy!
December 29, 2015
Do not kid yourself into thinking that this is a quick and easy book to read. Any book on the field of Oral Tradition/Media Criticism is necessarily dense, but Rodriguez's genius attempts to boil it down to the what, who, how, and why. Tricky, but he does a great job.
I am the target audience of this book ("A Guide for the Perplexed") evidently, as I certainly qualify as one of the perplexed. Readers willing to devote their attention to reading this book carefully will come away with a much more crystallized vision of the role of media criticism in biblical studies. I will certainly be using this book as a reference guide in the future.
I am the target audience of this book ("A Guide for the Perplexed") evidently, as I certainly qualify as one of the perplexed. Readers willing to devote their attention to reading this book carefully will come away with a much more crystallized vision of the role of media criticism in biblical studies. I will certainly be using this book as a reference guide in the future.
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