Text and Story

Did the Jesus of St. Luke's Gospel come to heal the brokenhearted (4:18)? Did Mark's Jesus call his disciples to prayer and fasting (9:29), and did he cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you persecuted me" (15:34). Did St. Paul write to the Romans that God works all things together for good for those who love him (8:28)? Did the author of Hebrews declare that Jesus died apart from God (2:9)? These statements are found in the manuscript tradition of the New Testament, but are not included in our standard printed editions or translations. Peter Rodgers argues that these and other textual variations should be reconsidered. After reviewing ten important verses using the traditional areas of text-critical inquiry (manuscript evidence, internal criteria such as style, and transcriptional probabilities), Rodgers turns our attention to important but neglected narrative features indicated by quotations, allusions, and echoes of the Old Testament. These references to the story told in the Scriptures of Israel shed new light on the passages considered, offering fresh material and greater perspective for making judgments about the original text.

Peter R. Rodgers is Pastor of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Antelope, California, and Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, Sacramento Campus.