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Gospel Media: Reading, Writing, and Circulating Jesus Traditions
Contextualizing the gospels in ancient Greco-Roman media practices
New Testament scholars have often relied on outdated assumptions for understanding the composition and spread of the gospels. Yet this scholarship has spread myths or misconceptions about how the ancients read, wrote, and published texts.
Nicholas Elder updates our knowledge of the gospels’ media contexts in this myth-busting academic study. Carefully combing through Greco-Roman primary sources, he exposes what we take for granted about ancient reading cultures and offers new and better ways to understand the gospels. These myths include claims that ancients never read silently and that the canonical gospels were all the same type of text. Elder then sheds light on how early Christian communities used the gospels in diverse ways. Scholars of the gospels and classics alike will find Gospel Media an essential companion in understanding ancient media cultures.
New Testament scholars have often relied on outdated assumptions for understanding the composition and spread of the gospels. Yet this scholarship has spread myths or misconceptions about how the ancients read, wrote, and published texts.
Nicholas Elder updates our knowledge of the gospels’ media contexts in this myth-busting academic study. Carefully combing through Greco-Roman primary sources, he exposes what we take for granted about ancient reading cultures and offers new and better ways to understand the gospels. These myths include claims that ancients never read silently and that the canonical gospels were all the same type of text. Elder then sheds light on how early Christian communities used the gospels in diverse ways. Scholars of the gospels and classics alike will find Gospel Media an essential companion in understanding ancient media cultures.
- GenresNew Testament
344 pages, Hardcover
Published January 4, 2024
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27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 28, 2025
Dr. Elder was one of my New Testament professors in seminary & I had such a fun time in his class on the Gospel of Mark. I know how long & hard he worked on this piece of scholarship & I was a really interesting read for me.
June 19, 2024
Summary: Addresses myths and generalizations about reading, writing, and publication in the Greco-Roman world shaping ideas of how the gospels were composed, used, and circulated.
Nicholas Elder writes to address the myths around how people read, wrote, and circulated written materials in the Greco-Roman world. It is assumed, for example, that no one read silently. Reading was a communal rather than solitary act. Likewise, it is assumed that texts were rarely composed in one’s own hand and that the gospels all reflect the same compositional practices. Circulation of written texts was believed to follow a “concentric circles model from intimate associates to a broader public. Elder’s study of Greco-Roman practices and the gospel texts reveal a much more complicated picture than has been generally assumed.
Reading
Elder observes that there are examples of both silent and vocal reading in the Greco-Roman world. He also notes at least one example in the gospels, when Jesus reads from Isaiah. Jesus would have read silently or at least scanned, to find the text he read. Reading also was not always a communal activity. For example, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading on his own when Philip came along. People read alone both silently and aloud. Also, reading aloud with others occurred in various settings, from large groups to intimate family settings, or even one person reading for another.
The gospels reflect these different reading practices. Mark reflects the oral recitations of the Jesus tradition converted to text whereas Matthew wrote a “book,” that best worked when read in sections communally. Luke reflects an account written for an individual, if we interpret Theophilus as such, that was also used communally. John is written as a document reflecting awareness of the other accounts, and complementing these. Elder notes the concluding colophons in John 20 and 21 in support of this idea.
Writing
Contrary to the idea that the same compositional practices, often in the form of dictation to an amanuensis, pertained in all instances, Elder proposes that the evidence supports a variety of practices. Both composing by mouth and by hand may be used, or some combination, whether in writing or revision. All of this may or may not be in connection with a prior oral event, with or without the approval of the speaker (such as unauthorized dissemination of lecture notes).
Elder notes evidence for very different compositional approaches with the gospels. He sees Mark as reducing oral preaching to text to be re-used in other oral readings. Matthew and Luke both reflect written compositions, working with Mark and other sources, removing the oral residues (for example, reducing the use of “and”). Matthew wrote for communal readings (its five-fold structure) whereas Luke wrote for individual and communal reading. John is more complicated, reflecting both oral and written aspects and the evidence, for Elder is less clear.
Circulation
\
How were written compositions circulated? One assumption is that many New Testament documents were circulated in codex, or book, form. Also, it was believed that compositions were circulated in successively larger concentric circles. This goes from initial text, to friends, a wider friend circle with feedback, a public release, and then further copying of texts by others.
Elder proposes that both the form in which they were circulated and the process varied with different documents, both in Graeco-Roman society and with the gospels. Things may be accidentally or intentionally published abroad with or without the author’s approval of the text. Or it may go through more limited circulation with authorial revision. It may even be suppressed.
Elder thinks that Mark was circulated in codex form to a select group, and presumably they circulated it to other churches. He believes Matthew and Luke to have been circulated in roll form in a public release. John, he believes, was read intramurally among friends, and then circulated more widely. This felt to me the most speculative part of his book.
Conclusion
Overall, I thought Elder raised interesting questions and proposed reading, writing, and circulation processes that are as complex as they are today. I found the section on reading fascinating as I relate to contemporary readers who also read in a variety of ways. The section on writing helped me reflect on the differences of the four gospels from a compositional point of view. I think the section on circulation the most speculative, but challenging the general adoption of codices seems to point to a direction for further research. What I most appreciated was Elder’s attention to textual detail in the gospels for clues to how they were written, form whom they were written and how they were intended to be used. All told, I thought this a fascinating account that challenged prevailing assumptions and asked interesting questions.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Nicholas Elder writes to address the myths around how people read, wrote, and circulated written materials in the Greco-Roman world. It is assumed, for example, that no one read silently. Reading was a communal rather than solitary act. Likewise, it is assumed that texts were rarely composed in one’s own hand and that the gospels all reflect the same compositional practices. Circulation of written texts was believed to follow a “concentric circles model from intimate associates to a broader public. Elder’s study of Greco-Roman practices and the gospel texts reveal a much more complicated picture than has been generally assumed.
Reading
Elder observes that there are examples of both silent and vocal reading in the Greco-Roman world. He also notes at least one example in the gospels, when Jesus reads from Isaiah. Jesus would have read silently or at least scanned, to find the text he read. Reading also was not always a communal activity. For example, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading on his own when Philip came along. People read alone both silently and aloud. Also, reading aloud with others occurred in various settings, from large groups to intimate family settings, or even one person reading for another.
The gospels reflect these different reading practices. Mark reflects the oral recitations of the Jesus tradition converted to text whereas Matthew wrote a “book,” that best worked when read in sections communally. Luke reflects an account written for an individual, if we interpret Theophilus as such, that was also used communally. John is written as a document reflecting awareness of the other accounts, and complementing these. Elder notes the concluding colophons in John 20 and 21 in support of this idea.
Writing
Contrary to the idea that the same compositional practices, often in the form of dictation to an amanuensis, pertained in all instances, Elder proposes that the evidence supports a variety of practices. Both composing by mouth and by hand may be used, or some combination, whether in writing or revision. All of this may or may not be in connection with a prior oral event, with or without the approval of the speaker (such as unauthorized dissemination of lecture notes).
Elder notes evidence for very different compositional approaches with the gospels. He sees Mark as reducing oral preaching to text to be re-used in other oral readings. Matthew and Luke both reflect written compositions, working with Mark and other sources, removing the oral residues (for example, reducing the use of “and”). Matthew wrote for communal readings (its five-fold structure) whereas Luke wrote for individual and communal reading. John is more complicated, reflecting both oral and written aspects and the evidence, for Elder is less clear.
Circulation
\
How were written compositions circulated? One assumption is that many New Testament documents were circulated in codex, or book, form. Also, it was believed that compositions were circulated in successively larger concentric circles. This goes from initial text, to friends, a wider friend circle with feedback, a public release, and then further copying of texts by others.
Elder proposes that both the form in which they were circulated and the process varied with different documents, both in Graeco-Roman society and with the gospels. Things may be accidentally or intentionally published abroad with or without the author’s approval of the text. Or it may go through more limited circulation with authorial revision. It may even be suppressed.
Elder thinks that Mark was circulated in codex form to a select group, and presumably they circulated it to other churches. He believes Matthew and Luke to have been circulated in roll form in a public release. John, he believes, was read intramurally among friends, and then circulated more widely. This felt to me the most speculative part of his book.
Conclusion
Overall, I thought Elder raised interesting questions and proposed reading, writing, and circulation processes that are as complex as they are today. I found the section on reading fascinating as I relate to contemporary readers who also read in a variety of ways. The section on writing helped me reflect on the differences of the four gospels from a compositional point of view. I think the section on circulation the most speculative, but challenging the general adoption of codices seems to point to a direction for further research. What I most appreciated was Elder’s attention to textual detail in the gospels for clues to how they were written, form whom they were written and how they were intended to be used. All told, I thought this a fascinating account that challenged prevailing assumptions and asked interesting questions.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
April 25, 2024
Mythology is easily able to develop in all things history and religion, especially when history meets religion. And you generally need systematic and thorough presentations of evidence to overcome those myths.
Nicholas Elder thus confronts a lot of myths regarding the nature of reading, writing, and distributing literature in the ancient Greco-Roman world as it relates to the Gospel narratives in Gospel Media: Reading, Writing, and Circulating Jesus Traditions (galley received as part of early review program).
Elder identified the scholarly sources of these myths and their easy propagation and worked diligently to explore Greco-Roman reading and writing practices. He well demonstrates a variety of reading and writing practices and explores personal, quiet reading; having texts read to oneself; performances of texts; personal writing; writing by dictation via amanuensis; writing in different contexts and situations. He also considers what “publication” looked like in the Greco-Roman world and the various possibilities and trajectories which might be involved. Throughout the author provides abundant evidence from Greek and Roman authors and from papyri letters to build a very strong case.
Personal confession: I have made much regarding the need to speak out Hebrew and Greek texts in order for proper understanding and to give life to the text. I am appropriately chastened in regards to the reading of Greek texts: Elder’s evidence to suggest how many Greek and Latin readers read silently to themselves is abundant and incontrovertible. He would suggest similar things for Hebrew, etc., but I would want to see much more evidence in regards to such claims for the Semitic languages.
The author was not interested in Greek and Roman reading and writing practices for their own sake; he applied such things specifically to the four Gospel accounts. He marshals evidence from the Greco-Roman cultural environment, patristic testimony about the Gospels, and internal evidence from the Gospels themselves to suggest how all four Gospels were composed in slightly different ways for different purposes in different contexts. He understood Mark as “orally proclaimed news,” maintaining many features of orality, as if one person recounted stories and another person wrote them down, written for utilitarian purposes rather than polished for publication. He understands Matthew according to the text itself as a biblios, “book” (Matthew 1:1), and not just a record of notes from teaching and preaching. Matthew showed evidence of polishing and cleaning up narratives preserved by Mark and aspired to Scripture. Luke likewise presents a more polished treatise and has a preface indicating he directed it toward an individual to be read by an individual with a view it would be published and read by other individuals, thus reckoning what he wrote as an account of all which had transpired. John sets forth a document, aware of the Synoptics, and presenting itself as additional information about Jesus, because the more the merrier, likely read in community before spreading further.
Although one may quibble here or there, the author has generally done well at leveraging Greco-Roman and early Christian resources to help the reader come to a better understanding of how texts were read, written, and published in the ancient world, and what that means for the Gospel accounts. His presentation of the Gospels never denies the work of the Spirit or their value while presenting evidence from their structure to suggest what the evangelists were attempting to accomplish in terms of how they structured and wrote their narratives. This will definitely become one of those textual resources which is reckoned an authority on the subject, and with which one will need to grapple when exploring reading, writing, and publishing the Gospels and early Christian texts.
Nicholas Elder thus confronts a lot of myths regarding the nature of reading, writing, and distributing literature in the ancient Greco-Roman world as it relates to the Gospel narratives in Gospel Media: Reading, Writing, and Circulating Jesus Traditions (galley received as part of early review program).
Elder identified the scholarly sources of these myths and their easy propagation and worked diligently to explore Greco-Roman reading and writing practices. He well demonstrates a variety of reading and writing practices and explores personal, quiet reading; having texts read to oneself; performances of texts; personal writing; writing by dictation via amanuensis; writing in different contexts and situations. He also considers what “publication” looked like in the Greco-Roman world and the various possibilities and trajectories which might be involved. Throughout the author provides abundant evidence from Greek and Roman authors and from papyri letters to build a very strong case.
Personal confession: I have made much regarding the need to speak out Hebrew and Greek texts in order for proper understanding and to give life to the text. I am appropriately chastened in regards to the reading of Greek texts: Elder’s evidence to suggest how many Greek and Latin readers read silently to themselves is abundant and incontrovertible. He would suggest similar things for Hebrew, etc., but I would want to see much more evidence in regards to such claims for the Semitic languages.
The author was not interested in Greek and Roman reading and writing practices for their own sake; he applied such things specifically to the four Gospel accounts. He marshals evidence from the Greco-Roman cultural environment, patristic testimony about the Gospels, and internal evidence from the Gospels themselves to suggest how all four Gospels were composed in slightly different ways for different purposes in different contexts. He understood Mark as “orally proclaimed news,” maintaining many features of orality, as if one person recounted stories and another person wrote them down, written for utilitarian purposes rather than polished for publication. He understands Matthew according to the text itself as a biblios, “book” (Matthew 1:1), and not just a record of notes from teaching and preaching. Matthew showed evidence of polishing and cleaning up narratives preserved by Mark and aspired to Scripture. Luke likewise presents a more polished treatise and has a preface indicating he directed it toward an individual to be read by an individual with a view it would be published and read by other individuals, thus reckoning what he wrote as an account of all which had transpired. John sets forth a document, aware of the Synoptics, and presenting itself as additional information about Jesus, because the more the merrier, likely read in community before spreading further.
Although one may quibble here or there, the author has generally done well at leveraging Greco-Roman and early Christian resources to help the reader come to a better understanding of how texts were read, written, and published in the ancient world, and what that means for the Gospel accounts. His presentation of the Gospels never denies the work of the Spirit or their value while presenting evidence from their structure to suggest what the evangelists were attempting to accomplish in terms of how they structured and wrote their narratives. This will definitely become one of those textual resources which is reckoned an authority on the subject, and with which one will need to grapple when exploring reading, writing, and publishing the Gospels and early Christian texts.
May 2, 2024
How did we get the Bible? That’s a huge question and the answer is way more complicated than I went to the local Christian bookstore.” But even when we try to go deeper—to talk about the ways in which the elements of Scripture were brought together, experienced, and disseminated, we can sometimes rely on bad or outdated information. In Gospel Media, Nicholas A. Elder attempts to set the record straight and cut through the myths regarding how the ancient church experienced the Word of God.
First off, this is a thoroughly academic work. Elder’s thesis is narrow and niche. He limits himself to only the four canonical gospels and very strictly discusses only the reading of the gospels, the writing of the gospels, and the circulation of the gospels. Gospel Media contextualizes the experience and dissemination of the Gospels within its cultural context and encourages pastors and other leaders to update their knowledge and scholarship. Things that once were thought to be black-and-white are now seen in a more vibrant color. Elder’s reason for writing this book is that our knowledge and understanding has changed and so, to avoid the continued circulation of bad information, so must we. Gospel Media explicitly points out where new scholarship conflicts with old scholarship to ensure that readers understand how our knowledge has progressed and changed.
Each chapter of Gospel Media confronts a “myth” about the reading/writing/circulation of the Gospels and attempts to correct it. Part one focuses on reading practices, primarily countering the myth that reading in that age was always aloud and communal. Part two focuses on writing practices, noting that both dictation and handwriting were used extensively. Part three focuses on circulation practices, countering the myth that manuscripts were copied and moved out into a standard way.
While Elder is comprehensive, clear, and compelling, my continual thought through most of the book was “Okay…is anyone really arguing otherwise?” For example, the primary theme of the first part is that, unlike what Elder says is a common myth, people read privately and silently and not just aloud in communal places. He dives into contemporary Greek literature, discusses the neuropsychology of reading, and offers biblical and extra-biblical examples of private/silent reading. It’s an overwhelming amount of information, and the comprehensiveness is appropriate for his academic context, but I keep feeling like “Okay, I get it. I believe you. You’ve convinced me.”
Gospel Media is one of those books that is answering questions that not many people are asking and those who are asking them aren’t necessarily needing quite the amount of information given to satisfy them. It’s not often in academia you get a book that you can call the definitive work on a subject, but I think Gospel Media qualifies. Elder goes above and beyond to comprehensively and exhaustively make his case and thoroughly shut down the lingering myths regarding the way Scripture was read, written, and disseminated.
First off, this is a thoroughly academic work. Elder’s thesis is narrow and niche. He limits himself to only the four canonical gospels and very strictly discusses only the reading of the gospels, the writing of the gospels, and the circulation of the gospels. Gospel Media contextualizes the experience and dissemination of the Gospels within its cultural context and encourages pastors and other leaders to update their knowledge and scholarship. Things that once were thought to be black-and-white are now seen in a more vibrant color. Elder’s reason for writing this book is that our knowledge and understanding has changed and so, to avoid the continued circulation of bad information, so must we. Gospel Media explicitly points out where new scholarship conflicts with old scholarship to ensure that readers understand how our knowledge has progressed and changed.
Each chapter of Gospel Media confronts a “myth” about the reading/writing/circulation of the Gospels and attempts to correct it. Part one focuses on reading practices, primarily countering the myth that reading in that age was always aloud and communal. Part two focuses on writing practices, noting that both dictation and handwriting were used extensively. Part three focuses on circulation practices, countering the myth that manuscripts were copied and moved out into a standard way.
While Elder is comprehensive, clear, and compelling, my continual thought through most of the book was “Okay…is anyone really arguing otherwise?” For example, the primary theme of the first part is that, unlike what Elder says is a common myth, people read privately and silently and not just aloud in communal places. He dives into contemporary Greek literature, discusses the neuropsychology of reading, and offers biblical and extra-biblical examples of private/silent reading. It’s an overwhelming amount of information, and the comprehensiveness is appropriate for his academic context, but I keep feeling like “Okay, I get it. I believe you. You’ve convinced me.”
Gospel Media is one of those books that is answering questions that not many people are asking and those who are asking them aren’t necessarily needing quite the amount of information given to satisfy them. It’s not often in academia you get a book that you can call the definitive work on a subject, but I think Gospel Media qualifies. Elder goes above and beyond to comprehensively and exhaustively make his case and thoroughly shut down the lingering myths regarding the way Scripture was read, written, and disseminated.
June 19, 2024
With this intriguing book, Elder looks at ancient practices of reading, writing and circulation to gain a sense of the ways that the gospels were connected to these practices. Some insights include: 1. Mark was something of a bridge between oral performance and written and, as such, it was likely written for oral performance rather than to be a book with the likes of Matthew and Luke; 2. Luke's prologue bears similarities to technical treatises such as Galen's; and 3. Matthew's aim was to self-consciously write a book for publication and widespread circulation. Highly recommended.
April 24, 2025
3.5 stars. Generally compelling as a set of arguments advancing important insights into the production and circulation of the Gospels. The discussion of scribes is much to be preferred to a more prominent scholar's recent contributions, who shall go unnamed. A bit exhausting to read, however, and the systematic use of singular "they" is grating. Nevertheless, there's much to learn from here.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews