Beginnings - Keys That Open Gospels

by Morna D. Hooker

Shows how important the beginnings of the four Gospels are. If rightly read they help the reader to make sense of what follows, but because they come from such a different culture it is easy to miss some of the indications they give.

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book working through the introduction/prologue part of each Gospel, and seeing what we can find in them to help us understand and make sense of what is to be found throughout the rest of its Gospel. Very, clear, very easy to read and follow, and helpful as a preparation to any study of the individual Gospels (excepting for the occasional iffy comment).

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morna Hooker is a brilliant scholar, and this short book demonstrates her ability to communicate rich and genuine insights in a thoughtful and compelling way for all Christians.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morna Hooker's coverage of the prolouge of the four Biblical gospel narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is an absolute delight. She writes with a lightness, clarity, and brevity that is bound to impress both scholar and the average churchgoer. Without bogging down in scholarly debates or potentially cumbersome footnotes Hooker takes complex issues and presents them in a clear and engaging manner.



Hooker's main argument is that the opening chapters and verses of each of the gospel narratives serve as a unique prolouge that guides the listener both then and now in the content that is to come. As one who is much more convinced by a literary approach to the gospels (as opposed to a strictly historical-critical approach) I did not need much convincing on the manner. Even if one insists that the gospels are edited together and the prolouges are an even later addition must yields some ground to Hooker's overall conclusion: the prolouges help us read the gospels in their final form. Moving beyond that argument Hooker then helps us to see how exactly each prolouge helps us read those naratives.



At under 100 pages, this is a quick and helpful read that I highly recommend to anyone interested in a more literary approach to understanding the gospel narratives.

[Nathan Marone]

Excellent literary analysis of the opening chapters of each of the four Gospels. Hooker argues that the opening of each book sets the stage thematically and theologically for what is to come. She does a fantastic job of tracing motifs, teasing out small details, and comparing how each Gospel differs in focus and execution. I was especially impressed with her treatment of Mark.

I'm almost done reading her companion book, Endings, and so far that book is equal to this one.