Jesus and Scripture

By deftly interweaving scholarship on oral tradition, social memory theory and the use of the Old Testament in the New with careful exegesis of key passages in four major non-Pauline epistles, Parker argues that in place of the thesis of scripturalization (namely that much of the Jesus tradition developed out of early Christian appropriation of the Old Testament) we should instead trace the various ways in which Jesus' own use of the Jewish Scriptures impacted on early Christian oral tradition, social memory, and written texts. In doing so, Parker provides a valuable contribution to the debates over the development of the Jesus tradition and, potentially, the historical Jesus. Eric Eve - Emeritus Tutor in Theology, Harris Manchester College, Oxford Thomas Parker's Jesus and Scripture is a sophisticated but readable study of the use of Old Testament Scripture in the non-Pauline epistles. Parker shows how Jesus's use of the Old Testament deeply impacted the early Christian community's understanding of the Old Testament and that its subsequent reading of the Old Testament evoked memories of Jesus. In my opinion Parker has significantly advanced this important field of study. Every student of the New Testament should read this book. - Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Christian University 'Joining the increasing scholarly interest in the impact of orality and memory on the scriptures, Thomas Parker provides a comparative study of the role of the Old Testament in Hebrews, James, and 1-2 Peter. This study illuminates the intertexts and guides the reader in a methodologically sound and theologically thought-provoking journey through these non-Pauline texts. His work is carefully and insightfully written, and it is an important contribution to any discussion on intertextuality, orality, memories studies, and the New Testament epistles.' Holly J. Carey, Point University