The Oral Ethos of the Early Church: Speaking, Writing, and the Gospel of Mark (Biblical Performance Criticism)
Dewey's latest collection helpfully brings together key articles from a leading voice in the study of the Bible in its ancient media context. Taken together, the essays summarize and illustrate foundational problems in the study of Scripture as a product and shaper of early Christian performances of Jesus tradition. An essential reference tool for scholars interested in media, memory, and Mark. --Tom Thatcher, Cincinnati Christian UniversityIn these beautifully crafted essays, Joanna Dewey explores with clarity, rigor, and insight what it means to hear the texts of the New Testament as oral texts. I am especially pleased to see the inclusion of her essays on women and storytelling, an often neglected subject. . . . This is essential reading for anyone interested in the area of orality. --Holly Hearon, Christian Theological SeminaryJoanna Dewey's essays skillfully braid the strands of three scholarly approaches: narrative criticism, feminist interpretation, and orality studies, resulting in an engaging story of how New Testament texts, especially Mark's Gospel, came to be and an inviting reflection on how that context can enrich our interpretation today. --Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Virginia Tech