Brice C. Jones presents a comprehensive analysis of Greek amulets from late antique Egypt which contain New Testament citations. He evaluates the words they contain in terms of their text-critical value. The use of New Testament texts on amulets was common in late antiquity. These citations were extracted from their larger Biblical contexts and used for ritual purposes that have traditionally been understood in terms of the ambiguous category of 'magic'. Often, these citations were used to invoke the divine for some favour, healing or protection. For various reasons, however, these citations have not played a significant role in the study of the text of the Greek New Testament. As such, this is the first systematic treatment of Greek New Testament citations on amulets from late antique Egypt. Jones' work has real implications for how amulets and other such witnesses from this era should be treated in the future of the discipline of New Testament textual criticism.

Description: For the first time, the Gospel material unique to both Matthew and Luke is brought together into one volume--in both Greek and English. For more than a century, New Testament scholars have asserted that Matthew and Luke drew on sources in addition to Q and Mark during the composition of their Gospels. For convenience, the non-paralleled material in Matthew has traditionally been labeled M, and the non-paralleled material in Luke has traditionally been labeled L. We learn only from Matthew, for example, particular stories like Joseph and Mary's escape to Egypt and the Great Commission; from Luke stories like the Prodigal Son and Jesus' appearance on the Emmaus road. Studying the material unique to each Gospel in isolation from their narrative contexts will allow students and scholars alike to engage these stories on their own. In this book, the individual special pericopae from Matthew and Luke are collected and arranged in Greek and English in the order in which they appear in the Greek New Testament. An introductory essay is provided to introduce readers to the Synoptic Problem, the notions of M and L and where they come from, what the parameters are for selection, and the critical debate, so that readers know how the selections were made and what is being asserted by their inclusion. This book will be a wonderful teaching tool for seminary and university professors, and will facilitate student engagement with distinctive Matthean and Lukan stories. It will also be a valuable resource for New Testament scholars doing research on this special material, since having it all in one place will no longer require them to search for the distinctive passages among the larger Gospel narratives. Endorsements: Matthean and Lukan Special Material provides students and scholars with a concise introduction to the Synoptic Problem, a convenient presentation of the texts (in Greek and in English translation) that may represent the so-called M and L sources, and a succinct and helpful bibliography. Brice Jones has greatly facilitated study of this material, for which all who investigate the Synoptic Gospels will be grateful. --Craig A. Evans Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament Acadia Divinity College Wolfville, Nova Scotia Here students and scholars will find a concise and convenient presentation of the material unique to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke--the so-called Sondergut traditions. Thus Jones enables readers to reconsider traditions that might have belonged to the M and L sources . . . This is a critical scholarly tool, presenting Greek texts with facing English translations in a highly accessible format. --Paul Foster Senior Lecturer in New Testament Languages, Literature & Theology University of Edinburgh Brice Jones has compiled a highly useful tool--one of those tools that we all wish that we had had a long time ago Surprisingly enough, no one had bothered since B. H. Streeter first proposed the existence of unique Matthean and Lukan material to compile it] in one handy volume. Jones has not only done that, but he has provided a very helpful introduction to the Synoptic Problem and the role that M and L play within it. --Stanley E. Porter President and Dean McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario I warmly welcome this useful and unique tool from Brice Jones: here students and scholars will be able to access conveniently the Greek and English texts of the distinctive material in Matthew and Luke. Study of these texts will be much easier with this book. Combined with an excellent, lucid introduction to the study of the Synoptic Problem, this is a fine resource. I look forward to using it and to recommending it to others. --Steve Walton Professor of New Testament London School of Theology About the Contributor(s): Brice C. Jones is a PhD candidate in the Department of Religion at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. He is the author of several academic articles on topics r

Brice C. Jones presents a comprehensive analysis of Greek amulets from late antique Egypt which contain New Testament citations. He evaluates the words they contain in terms of their text-critical value. The use of New Testament texts on amulets was common in late antiquity. These citations were extracted from their larger Biblical contexts and used for ritual purposes that have traditionally been understood in terms of the ambiguous category of 'magic'. Often, these citations were used to invoke the divine for some favour, healing or protection. For various reasons, however, these citations have not played a significant role in the study of the text of the Greek New Testament. As such, this is the first systematic treatment of Greek New Testament citations on amulets from late antique Egypt. Jones' work has real implications for how amulets and other such witnesses from this era should be treated in the future of the discipline of New Testament textual criticism.