Pheme Perkins is professor of New Testament in the TheologyDepartment at Boston College. Among her many publishedbooks are Reading the New Testament, Gnosticism and theNew Testament, Galatians and the Politics of Faith andPeter: Apostle for the Whole Church.
John P. Meier
-- University of Notre Dame
"Pheme Perkins has dedicated her career to communicating her
professional expertise in both the New Testament and the Gnostic
Gospels to her students in the classroom and to a wider audience of
interested clergy and educated laity. Now she distills both her
vast knowledge and her teaching skills in this book on the Synoptic
Gospels. But the scope of this volume is much broader than the
standard introduction to the Synoptics. Perkins situates the
Synoptics within the wider contexts of the composition and function
of books in the ancient Greco-Roman world, the development of the
idea of a New Testament canon, and the continuation of the Gospel
genre in the Gospels of the second and third centuries. College and
university professors will welcome this volume as a valuable
teaching tool." Adela Yarbro Collins
-- Yale University
"This book not only provides a much-needed general introduction to
the Synoptic Gospels but also introduces its audience to the
apocryphal Gospels, including the Gospel of Judas. Perkins's
treatment is fair and balanced, and her analogies to contemporary
culture are inspired and illuminating." Margaret M. Mitchell
-- University of Chicago Divinity School
"Pheme Perkins provides an accessibly written, evenhanded, and
carefully reasoned guide to major issues in Gospel studies. In
economical fashion she enables the reader to gain a sure
understanding of the place of Synoptic and apocryphal Gospels in
ancient literary culture and in the development of early
Christianity. Highly recommended." Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.
-- Weston Jesuit School of Theology
"Pheme Perkins provides a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion
of each Synoptic Gospel and a balanced analysis of all the
apocryphal and Gnostic Gospels that have attracted so much
attention recently. Her knowledge of the ancient texts, long
experience as a teacher, sound judgment, and clarity of expression
make this book a reliable guide for college and seminary students
and for all who are perplexed about the Gospels and the development
of early Christianity." Church of England Newspaper
"Perkins' book is an excellent resource that deserves to be read
widely. . . It should be on the reading list for undergraduates and
ordinands, and would make an excellent (and affordable) refresher
for clergy wanting to reacquaint themselves with recent
developments in the academic study of the synoptic gospels."
Choice
"Perkins undertakes the challenge of explaining the what and why of
the methods scholars use in gospel study. Although this text is not
for scholars, it focuses on broad-scale scholarly consensus. Highly
recommended." America
"The author's long experience as a teacher, her knowledge and love
of the ancient texts, sound judgment and clarity of thought and
expression make this introduction to the Synoptic Gospels a
trustworthy guide for all who are perplexed about Christian
origins. It can serve as a fine textbook for college and seminary
courses, as well as a reliable survey for all those who want to
know where Gospel studies are today."
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