It is now public knowledge that there is a new Festschrift coming out for my friend and doktorvater at the University of Edinburgh, Larry W. Hurtado. It is entitled: Mark, Manuscripts, and Monotheism (T&T Clark, 2014). Originally the big announcement was going to be made at SBL this November (with all the contributors present), but the cat was accidentally let out of the bag early.
The collection of essays in this new volume, edited by my fellow Edinburghers, Chris Keith and Dieter Roth, are centered around the themes of the Gospel of Mark, ancient Manuscripts, and early Christology–three subject areas that have dominated Larry’s research. While most of the contributors are his former students, I was pleased to see contributions from other scholars in the field such as Richard Bauckham and Tommy Wasserman.
It is no surprise that Larry has had a big influence on my own research and writing. My Ph.D. thesis was on the apocryphal gospel fragment P.Oxy. 840 (see published version here), due in large part to his direction and expertise in ancient manuscripts.
My chapter in this Festschrift is entitled, “Origen’s List of New Testament Books in Hom. Josh. 7.1: A Fresh Look.” The subject of the development of the New Testament canon has been the focus of my research the last number of years, and has led to a closer look at Origen’s list in his Homilies on Joshua. I argue that this is the oldest complete list of the NT available to us (pre-dating Athanasius’ well-known list by more than a century).
Congratulations to Larry on this honorary volume! Here is the complete table of contents:
PART ONE: MARK’S GOSPEL
Chapter One
“Is It as Bad as All That?”: The Misconception of Mark as a Gospel Film Noir
Holly J. Carey, Point UniversityChapter Two
Early Christian Book Culture and the Emergence of the First Written Gospel
Chris Keith, St Mary’s University, TwickenhamChapter Three
Jesus as God’s Chief Agent in Mark’s Christology
Paul Owen, Montreat CollegePART TWO: MANUSCRIPTS AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM
Chapter Four
Mark, Manuscripts, and Paragraphs: Sense-Unit Divisions in Mark 14–16
Sean A. Adams, University of EdinburghChapter Five
From “Text-Critical Methodology” to “Manuscripts as Artefacts”: A Tribute to Larry W. Hurtado
Thomas J. Kraus, Independent ScholarChapter Six
Origen’s List of New Testament Books in Hom. Jos. 7.1: A Fresh Look
Michael J. Kruger, Reformed Theological Seminary, CharlotteChapter Seven
P45 as Early Christian Artifact: Considering the Staurogram and Punctuation in the Manuscript
Dieter T. Roth, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität MainzChapter Eight
P45 and Codex W in Mark Revisited
Tommy Wasserman, Ansgar Teologiske HøgskolePART THREE: MONOTHEISM AND EARLY JESUS-DEVOTION
Chapter Nine
Who, What, and Why?: The Worship of the Firstborn in Hebrews 1:6
David M. Allen, The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological EducationChapter Ten
Devotion to Jesus Christ in Earliest Christianity—An Appraisal and Discussion of the Work of Larry Hurtado
Richard J. Bauckham, University of St Andrews and University of CambridgeChapter Eleven
Hebrews and Wisdom
Mary Ann Beavis, University of SaskatchewanChapter Twelve
Christology, Martyrdom, and Vindication in the Gospel of Mark and the Apocalypse: Two New Testament Views
Paul Middleton, University of Chester