Prior to the dialogue on Easter morning that forms the major part of this work, the Epistula Apostolorum includes a sequence of seven stories of Jesus’ miracles. Since this text also includes references to his birth and his ascension, its scope is comparable to that of the Gospel of Luke, in contrast to other so-called ‘dialogue gospels’, which focus exclusively on post-Easter appearances of the risen Lord. Skilfully integrated into its context within the Epistula, the miracle sequence opens with a story from Jesus’ childhood also attested in non-canonical sources, here illustrating a Christology which differentiates the pre-existent from the incarnate Christ. This is followed by a version of the water-into-wine story that seems to preserve pre-Johannine features, challenging the assumption that Jesus traditions in non-canonical sources always postdate and depend upon their canonical versions. Other miracles recounted in this group of stories shows awareness of synoptic traditions, although substantial redactional elements are also present.

This summarizes the main conclusions of the book, highlighting that the dialogue gospels are a sub-set of gospel literature and that they can and should be brought into conversation with other early Christian literature as well as with each other. Going forward, I offer suggestions of new ways of reading dialogue gospels and what study of them can offer New Testament studies and beyond.

Each gospel, whether canonical or non-canonical, offers a new narrative of ancient Christianity and a new interpretation of its foundational figure. This book puts ‘dialogue gospels’ into conversation with texts from the New Testament, and offers an in-depth analysis of the Gospel of Mary. The introductory chapter discusses the purpose and the premises of the book and introduces the concept of examining early Christian literature through the arrangement of a rhizome. The non-linear rhizomatic arrangement allows any point to be connected to any other point, and this allows a fresh appreciation of the field of gospel literature.

Chapter 1 looks at previous scholarly work on ‘dialogue gospels’ and offers a new group of 13 early Christian texts in which Jesus engages in dialogue with his disciples, answering their questions on the eve of his departure. Earlier classifications of dialogue gospels have varied widely, resulting in divergence regarding both what to call the genre and which texts are to be included in it. To construct a genre for the purpose of comparison, I argue for an inclusive and open understanding of genre. The 13 chosen texts demonstrate that the dialogue gospel form is not intrinsically linked to ‘gnosticism’ or any specific theology; that the narrative frame of the text and the dialogue are normally not two separate entities later glued together; and that the dialogical form is a fitting vehicle for eschatological revelation. This is followed by a preliminary comparative survey of main themes found within dialogue gospels: the saviour and eschatology. Dialogue gospels are comparable in that each is attentive to eschatological revelation, yet the revelations themselves are divergent. The overlaps and connections within these revelations demonstrate how problematic it is to taxonomize these texts into particular theological groups.

Chapter 1 looks at previous scholarly work on ‘dialogue gospels’ and offers a new group of 13 early Christian texts in which Jesus engages in dialogue with his disciples, answering their questions on the eve of his departure. Earlier classifications of dialogue gospels have varied widely, resulting in divergence regarding both what to call the genre and which texts are to be included in it. To construct a genre for the purpose of comparison, I argue for an inclusive and open understanding of genre. The 13 chosen texts demonstrate that the dialogue gospel form is not intrinsically linked to ‘gnosticism’ or any specific theology; that the narrative frame of the text and the dialogue are normally not two separate entities later glued together; and that the dialogical form is a fitting vehicle for eschatological revelation. This is followed by a preliminary comparative survey of main themes found within dialogue gospels: the saviour and eschatology. Dialogue gospels are comparable in that each is attentive to eschatological revelation, yet the revelations themselves are divergent. The overlaps and connections within these revelations demonstrate how problematic it is to taxonomize these texts into particular theological groups.