Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

FAITH AND THE HISTORICAL JESUS §4.7
Crossan follows those who see in Thomas primitive features, independent of Q,
and argues that the earlier of its two layers can be dated to about 50. 165 The second
source is Q itself, dated to the 50s, but now stratified into three layers of development:
1Q, a sapiental layer; 2Q, an apocalyptic layer; and 3Q, an introductory
layer. 166 The third new major source for the earliest layer of Jesus tradition
is the Cross Gospel, a linked narrative of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection,
which Crossan himself has constructed out of the Gospel of Peter, itself to be
dated to the mid second century CE, and postulated by Crossan as the source for
the canonical passion narratives. 167 Other sources Crossan locates within a second
stratum (60-80 CE). Of these the most important are the Secret Gospel of
Mark (the first version of Mark 10.32-46a), and what he calls the 'Dialogue Collection',
a collection of sayings independent of the Synoptic tradition, on which
the Nag Hammadi Dialogue of the Saviour was able to draw. 168
A more reliable foundation in new sources is offered by Helmut Koester,
who has dissociated himself from the work of the Jesus Seminar and who sums
up many years of work in this area with his magisterial treatment of Ancient
Christian Gospels. 169 He comes to similar conclusions regarding the Gospel of
Thomas (first century), Q (earliest stage 40-50), 170 Secret Mark ('not too far removed
from the date of... Mark'), and the 'dialogue gospel' (during the last decades
of the first century CE), 171 though he 'differs fundamentally' from
Crossan's hypothesis of a 'Cross Gospel'. 172
165. He dates a second layer possibly as early as the 60s or 70s. Other members of the
Jesus Seminar are content to settle for a date for Thomas of 70-100 (Miller, ed., Complete Gospels
303). P. Jenkins, Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way (New York: Oxford
University, 2001) cites L. M. White's observation that the early dating of Thomas is 'actually
the lynchpin for most of the arguments of the Jesus Seminar' (62); he also mounts a
scathing critique on uncritical media interest in eccentric Jesus scholarship (ch. 8).
166. Following J. S. Kloppenborg, The Formation of Q (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987),
who detects three compositional strata in extant Q — a primary sapiential layer, composed of
six 'wisdom speeches' (Q 1 ); a second apocalyptic layer, made up of five judgment speeches
(Q 2 ); and a final but not very substantial revision (Q 3 ) (see, e.g., 317, 243, 170). The argument
is refined in his Excavating Q, chs. 2-3.
167. J. D. Crossan, The Cross That Spoke: The Origins of the Passion Narrative (San
Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988).
168. Cf. Funk, Honest to Jesus 99, 117-18, 124-25.
169. H. Koester, Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development (London:
SCM/Philadelphia: Trinity, 1990); see also his Introduction to the New Testament vol. 2 (Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1982) 147-55. Cf. Funk, Honest 70-74.
170. Likewise following Kloppenborg, Formation {Ancient Christian Gospels 87, 134-
35).
171. Koester, Ancient Christian Gospels 75-128 (Thomas), 128-71 (Q), 293-303 (Secret
Mark), 'dialogue gospel' (173-87).
172. Koester, Ancient Christian Gospels 218-20, 220 n. 2, and 231 n. 3.
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