The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q & Christian Origins [Paperback]

The great structure of Christianity rests on four books. Four men, living at different times and in different places, each implying they were present during Jesus' travels and travails, penned their accounts of his life. From these narratives, dogmas were set and an orthodoxy established that has lasted for two millennia. When closely examined, these stories proved to have been written long after Jesus had died. What happened in the ensuing years?

According to Mack, after Jesus died [or disappeared], followers of this teacher formed "study groups" centred in Galilee and southern Syria. They devised sayings attributed to the teacher, exchanged texts, debated meanings, and discussed what they felt significant about his pronouncements. Analysis of the four books revealed some of these writings buried within the larger story. Excavated from the Gospels, these "Q" writings have marginalised the "historical" role of the four books. There must have been many versions of "Q" composed by the members of what Mack calls the "Jesus groups". Whether they were ever collated into a single document will likely never be known, but it's clear the "gospel" writers were aware of them and utilised them.

Resting much of his presentation on the work of John Kloppenborg, Mack shows the likely development of the Q writings in a solid historical setting. With Hellenistic scholars setting the norms for education and intellectual discourse, it's easy to see how the "Q" sayings were formulated. A glance at the social upheavals of the period reveals the environment that caused them to be written. Mack weaves these threads together effectively to produce a vivid picture of the times and the course the writings followed as events unfolded. It's arguable that the existence of Jesus was of less importance than the destruction of the temple. Yet, both events would lead to revised views of the world. The later Q documents lay the foundations for an apocalyptic view enlarged by the quartette that followed.

Mack is an effective and concerned writer. He's disdainful of fallacies, particularly transparent ones. The "Gospels", he shows, are largely fabrications. If there was a virgin birth, why did that notion not appear until nearly a century had passed? Why are there differing accounts of those pivotal events, the crucifixion and "resurrection"? According to Mack, these are the building blocks of Christian mythology. He insists this myth be examined on the same basis as any other myth. He contends if Christians wish to know their founder, a study of the "Q" writings is the starting point. The role played by the gospels as history must be abandoned and a more realistic approach taken. Perhaps, he stresses, returning to these "beginnings" might help alleviate the dogmas and intolerances the long, sordid history of Christianity has exhibited. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A fascinating voyage of discovery into early and pre-Christianity: one of the most profoundly important periods in human history. There is a lot of detail in this book, yet it is layed out and described very clearly, easily readable for the layman. It comes from a theological historian's point of view, rather than from a purely religious one, and shows many things in a whole new light.

The people of the time of Jesus were facing various socio-political and existential struggles which are very much relevant to the world today, and this book offers a little extra insight into the events of the day, and how movements such as the Greek Cynics attempted to deal with them. It also deals bravely but sensibly with the rather contentious issue of 'who was Jesus?' and what part he played in the events of the times.

One of the main questions left open by the book, is the issue of how to preserve what is good? how to maintain a vibrant set of social values which are full of life, vitality and creativity, without leaving them open to corruption, destortion and decay?

Rather than give away the punchline to the book, I will just say that it is a very credable study which, if taken as seriously as it is due, opens up a whole new can of worms regarding the already checkered history of western religion and the Bible, and its use and abuse by various individuals and political entities for their own ends.

Theologians have observed for many decades that two of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, and Luke)dozens of similarities.
In actual fact, the writings have many dozens of phrases and sentences that are identical.
This observation led to the proposition that both gospels were based largely on an earlier document, which has been lost.
It is called "Q" meaning "Quelle," German for "source."
Various liberal theologians have therefore been able to reconstruct the gospel.
Some postulate that it was written in three stages:
Q1, written circa 50 CE, which portrayed Jesus as as a Jewish philosopher-teacher.
Q2, written during the 60's CE, which portrayed Jesus as a Jewish apocalyptic prophet.
Q3, written during the mid 70's at a time of turmoil in Palestine with Jesus portrayed as a near-deity who conversed with God and Satan.

The authors of the Gospels of Matthew (circa 80 CE) and Luke (circa 90 CE) wrote their versions using text from Q, Mark and their own unique traditions.
The author of the Gospel of Thomas also used portions of Q1 and Q2 in his writing, but seems to have been unaware of Q3.
This gospel was widely circulated within the early Christian movement but did not make it into the Christian Scriptures

As with so many aspects of Christianity, religious conservatives and liberals take opposing views about Q:
Religious conservatives tend to ignore and turn a blind eye to the Gospel of Q and its surrounding controversy.
Some even believe that the book does not exist.
They believe that God might have caused Matthew, Mark, and Luke to write similar passages when he directly inspired the gospel authors.
Others say that the Gospel of Q may have existed but tell themselves that it is unimportant.
They regard the four gospels of the Bible as God's word: infallible, and totally sufficient for the needs of Christians.
They say, even if Q existed, it can be of little importance today and at most, would have been an early gospel by some unknown Christian group.
It would be merely one of the many dozens of such partially heretical documents that were rejected when, under God's guidance, Christian leaders assembled the New Testament from the many dozens of documents that circulated within the early church.

Religious liberals and even many atheists, embrace the Gospel of Q as giving insight into the very early Christian movement.
Parts of it appear to have been written circa 50 CE, making them earlier than all of the Christian Scriptures with the exception of Paul's Epistle to the Galatians and 1 Thessalonian s.
Further, Q might have been based on an earlier oral tradition.
Unlike the canonical gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, Q might have been written by actual eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry and thus might be the most accurate record of Jesus teachings.
Its earliest parts were written before many or the magical, supernatural beliefs including those taken from Mithrasism, were imported from other religions and superimposed upon pre - Christian beliefs.
Importantly, Q does not contain stories of the virgin birth, miracles, salvation, speaking in tongues, apostles, clergy, the Eucharist, heaven, hell, and dozens of other topics that later played major roles in later Christian belief.
Christian leaders assembled the New Testament from the many dozens of documents that circulated within the early church along with prevailing myths of the time. This ensured that the Church became the dominant force it remained for centuries
That the Church remains with us today, with all its different dogmas and interpretations, especially in the U S, should be no surprise because of the cult's successful marketing principally by the Christian right, at the expense of education and clear thinking within the population.
The importance of Q is huge.
The interval from the death or disappearance of a Jesus /Yeshua figure, to the writing of the first parts of Q1 was probably only about 20 years.
The next Gospel, Mark, was not written until another 20 or more years had passed.
Although Paul wrote his Epistles during the 50's and early 60's, they contained very little material on Jesus' sayings and activities.
Thus, Q1 gives us a much better understanding of an early, non-Pauline pre Christian movement: their preoccupations, beliefs, and developing theology.
Q1 implies that essentially all of present-day Christian beliefs were unknown to the immediate followers of Jesus / Yeshua.
The concept of Jesus as Lord,Christ the Messiah or anointed one, and as part of a Trinity, was completely alien to their thinking. God was very definitely a single entity - the Jehovah of the Hebrew Scriptures.

The followers of Jesus / Yeshua who wrote Q might not have been able to survive into the 2nd century CE with an almost completely undeveloped theology.
For their beliefs to survive and grow, a complete theological structure was needed.
This requirement was met by Paul and Mark A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins (Foundations & Facets Series), also by Burton L Mack,the writers of the four canon Gospels, and other Christians who provided the writings which became the official New Testament canon.
A pseudo history had to be added to the sayings which drew much of its material from the Old Testament and mythologies of the time, most notable of which was that of Mithras, complete with a December birth, twelve followers, death and resurrection.
After the gospels of Matthew and Luke were written, Q became redundant.
The contents of Q was now available in the new gospels, along with all the other material.
The original gospel would no longer have been used; but remained to be rediscovered lying dormant within the texts of Matthew Mark and Luke.

The unearthing of Q from the synoptic gospels, has led to th inevitable conclusion that today's Christian beliefs and rituals have little or nothing to do with the beliefs and teachings of the immediate followers of a cynic sage who may have been called Jesus or Yeshua.
If we could go back to the late 40's CE, we might track down the author(s) of Q1.
They would belong to a primitive pre Christian movement that regarded themselves as devout Jews, and who followed the teachings of Yeshua, a cynic sage philosopher teacher.
If we could go back even earlier, we might find the same pre Christian group who had the same beliefs and practices, passed them on orally; before they came to write them down.

For those who would wish to solve the Jesus Christ conundrum this is a must read.