than Paul’s (Hebrews and James), and that oppression and
persecution occurred in other communities than Paul’s
(Hebrews, 1 Peter, Revelation).o In terms of political
posture, they reveal a
spectrum of attitudes
toward the Roman
Empire, from positive
accommodation (1 Peter)
to passive resistance
(Revelation).o In terms of religious
inspiration, the narratives
of the Gospels, the
poetry of Revelation,
the powerful rhetoric
of Hebrews, and the
prophetic voice of James
alert the historian to
the fact that the earliest
decades of Christianity
had more vibrant and
creative minds than
only Paul’s.The Gospel Narratives
• Pride of place in the New Testament collection is undoubtedly
held by the four Gospels, not so much because they are historically
accurate in their accounts of Jesus as because they represent
irreplaceable witnesses and interpretations of the church’s faith in
Jesus, for both ancient and present-day Christians.
• The Gospel narratives appeared some 40 to 50 years after the death
of Jesus and represent crystallizations of earlier traditions handed
down in assemblies.The canonical writings reveal
a range of attitudes about the
Roman Empire, from positive
accommodation and praise in 1
Peter to passive resistance to
imperial oppression in Revelation.© iStockphoto/Thinkstock.