The Gospels Behind the Gospels

by Robert M. Price

What if we have been missing a whole stage of how the canonical gospels came to be? What if there were a whole raft of prior Jesus narratives, whether written or oral, the fragmentary vestiges of which now appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? This would explain why these gospels seem over-crowded with incompatible understandings of Jesus ("Christologies")? In The Gospels Behind the Gospels, innovative biblical scholar Robert M. Price attempts to reassemble the puzzle pieces, disclosing several earlier gospels of communities who imagined Jesus as the predicted return of the prophet Elijah, the Samaritan Taheb (a second Moses), a resurrected John the Baptist, a theophany of Yahweh, a Gnostic Revealer, a Zealot revolutionary, etc. As these various sects shrank and collapsed, their remaining followers would have come together, just as modern churches and denominations seek to survive by merging and consolidating. Our canonical gospels might be the result. Similarly, Price explores the possibility that Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ (listed as if on a par in 1 Corinthians 1:12) were originally figureheads of rival sects who eventually merged in much the same way. You will never read the gospels the same way again!

Genres: Religion

208 pages, Paperback

Published February 21, 2023

About the author

Robert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, asserting the Christ myth theory.

A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.

Reviews

[Jc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best BP book since his “Holy Fables” trilogy. This is a good, detailed discussion of some of the lesser-known potential sources for the ideas and scenarios in the canonical christian “Gospel” writings. In a series of short, well-written essays, Bob talks about how the gospel Jesus was influenced, even at times directly copied from those such as Moses, Elijah/Elisha, Dionysus. How Jesus character was possibly a conflation of Elijah (again), John the Baptist, and Gnostic and other ancient lore. Also touches on the what and why of the “Apostles.” All in all, a fun, informative, and thoughtful read.
[this will likely be the last R.Price book I purchase, due to recent issues. But as this is basically a reprint of earlier articles from various journals I did not include it in my boycott]