A “novel introduction” to NT textual criticism

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Rod Decker

I just received an email from our cataloging librarian. You can smell the skepticism in the note:

I am cataloging a book which has a note in it that it will go on reserve for you. It is: The Scribes: a Novel about the Early Church by Peter Rodgers. Is that correct? You wanted this novel on reserve for NT810? Just checking to be sure we have the right book since it’s a novel.

Here’s my reply.

As surprising as it might seem, yes, that is correct. It is “historical fiction” that is very well done (at least on the history end! The author will never be mistaken for Tolkien or Lewis! :) ) He has a PhD in NT from Oxford and it’s actually a novel with *footnotes*! [technically, "endnotes"]. A very useful tool for introducing students to a somewhat arcane subject. :)

I’ve used this the past couple of years in a master’s level class in NT textual criticism. We don’t spend a lot of time on it—they have to read it before they come to the first class. It raises all sorts of interesting questions (many of which my students have not thought of before, and a number of which they are skeptical) that make a great platform for exploring the subject. So if you have any interest in the subject, you ought to read Rodgers’ novel sometime.

ISBN: 1587217171

“First Books/Authorhouse, 2000″

Here’s a link to the publisher’s page, which includes a good summary as well as a preview page. There’s also an intriguing note that this book is “the first in a series of historical novels.” This is the only one by Rodgers listed, so I don’t know if that was only a once-upon-a-time dream, or if there’s actually a series in the works. If anyone knows anything in that regard, please post a comment.

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Added note: I just ran across this on the Evang Text Crit blog:

P J Williams said…

The second in the series will feature “a missionary journey to Gaul and Britain, undertaken by the scribes in response to a request sent to Bishop Eleutherus”. The third vol. is on the N. African church. The fourth focuses on the Syriac domain.

About Rod Decker

Professor of Greek and New Testament Baptist Bible Seminary Clarks Summit, PA 18411 USA
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One Response to A “novel introduction” to NT textual criticism

  1. Terry Gibson says:
    December 21, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    Dr. Decker,

    While this is not directly related, have you read Ben Witherington’s post on the assessment of the Archaic Mark Codex? Here is the first paragraph.

    ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2009) – A biblical expert at the University of
    Chicago, Margaret M. Mitchell, together with experts in micro-chemical
    analysis and medieval bookmaking, has concluded that one of the University
    Library’s most enigmatic possessions is a forgery. The book, a copy of the
    Gospel of Mark, will remain in the collection as a study document for
    scholars studying the authenticity of ancient books.

    Here is a link to the full article. http://bit.ly/6iRqTQ I found it interesting to have two different articles concerning NT textual criticism in my reader on the same day.