Gospel Fragments (review)

This volume serves as a much-needed critical edition of several manuscript fragments that appear to be from early Christian non-canonical gospel texts. What is unique about these fragments is that it is not known which specific gospels they represent, although this has not stopped many from speculating. There are three sections in the book, each of which has been composed by one of the editors. They provide the reconstructed Greek text of each manuscript and an English translation on facing pages. Substantial bibliographies and photographs of the manuscripts are included at various points throughout the book. Discussions of paleography and codicology are also given. One of the most useful features of this volume is the detailed commentary on the text of each fragment.

In the first section, Tobias Nicklas covers the fragments from Papyrus Egerton 2 and another very small fragment, Papyrus Cologne 255, believed to be from the same codex. While earlier scholarship dated this manuscript to the mid-second century, Nicklas follows more recent studies by placing it in the late second or early third century. He notes that at certain points the reconstruction of the text is "problematic" and "extremely hypothetical" (70). Portions of four or five different pericopes appear in these fragments, including a dispute between Jesus and experts in the Law, an attempt by the leaders to arrest Jesus and hand him over to the crowd, and the healing of a leper. Much of Nicklas's fine treatment of these stories centers on their possible relationship to material in the NT gospels (e.g., Mark 1.40-44; John 5.39, 5.45, 9.29). However, he vacillates in his conclusion on the matter. At one point he states that the author of P.Egerton 2 "might have known" one or more of the canonical gospels (99). In contrast, he later concludes on a much different note: "The author knows and uses the Gospel of John, and quite probably he had at least heard of or read (one or more of) the synoptic gospels, but probably did not have them at his disposal when writing down his own text." (113-14). This lack of clarity occasionally clouds what is an otherwise helpful commentary on the text.

In the second section, Michael Kruger offers a treatment of Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 840, which is essentially an abbreviated version of his outstanding 2005 monograph on this gospel. He dates the manuscript to the first half of the fourth century. It describes an exchange between Jesus and a priest over purity issues. Before offering commentary, Kruger discusses this gospel's potential historical problems, relationship to the canonical gospels, and place within early Christianity. Several ostensible historical discrepancies have led many scholars to conclude that the author was not well acquainted with first-century Judaism (e.g., the chief priest is identified as a Pharisee, the description of the Temple's holy vessels appears anachronistic). Kruger does not find these obstacles entirely insurmountable, though, and concludes that "the historical accuracy of P.Oxy. 840 remains an open-ended question" (156). Concerning the relationship of P.Oxy. 840 to the NT gospels, Kruger suggests that it is indirectly dependent on the canonical works. The author knew the NT texts but did not copy them as sources; rather, he attempted to make his story "sound like" the canonical ones (157). Kruger concludes that this gospel was written in the mid-second century, possibly in a Jewish-Christian community in Syria. His commentary section is marked by thorough and careful exegesis of the text. Apart from his previously published monograph, his contribution to the present volume is the premier study to consult for anyone interested in this gospel.

In the third and final section of the book, Thomas Kraus surveys the five smallest fragments: P. Vindob.G 2325, P.Berol. 11710, P.Cair. 10735, P.Mert. 51, and P.Oxy. 1224. Because of the very small amount of text on these manuscripts, much...