Gospels over Tea

Written in an entertaining conversational style over rather an elaborate tea, this intriguing book given to me by an old friend makes a strong case based on the study of early church texts that the canonical gospels were not written in the late first century, but rather in the mid-second, specifically after the Bar Kohkba Revolt of 132-135. ‘Ewan Evriwun’ arrives unexpectedly for tea with New Testament scholar ‘Dr Walter Frostbight’ and his sister ‘Auntie Frieze.’ He is received by the butler ‘Mould’ and ushered in to the drawing room, where scones, sandwiches, tea then whisky are served in succession. This eccentric background belies the seriousness of the discussion, and as the conversation unfolds, there is an accumulation of inductive evidence for the later dating of the gospels, including the fact that they were not referred to specifically until the mid-second century, by which time a great many other texts – see chart on p. 65 – were in circulation; Papias, active between 130 and 140, refers to other gospels, but not the canonical ones, in his own extensive book about Jesus.

Frostbight points out how strange this is if the canonical gospels had in fact been in circulation for 70 years. Instead, he argues that they were written interactively by a team of scribes to promote the Roman (Peter) orthodoxy (p. 248). Subsequent chapters examine in more detail some of the texts mentioned, progressively reinforcing the basic argument. Moreover, the destruction of the temple referred to is not that of 70 A.D., but rather Hadrian’s Temple to Jupiter erected on the Temple site after the revolt. The Gospel of John also asserts the primacy of Peter in the final chapter, which is known to be a later addition. The first reference to the names of the canonical gospels comes with Irenaeus, writing about 180 and insisting that the gospels have to number four (p. 254). Intriguingly, Enoch Powell’s 1994 book on the evolution of Matthew makes the observation that the Greek word ‘chrematistheis’ is a debased usage ‘not found elsewhere before the second century.’ There is an informative scholarly bibliography at the end. The accessible book raises key theological and textual issues that deserve serious consideration and engagement.