Whoever Hears You Hears Me: Prophets Performance and Tradition in Q

"A tour de force that recasts the basic terms dominating the current discourse on Q. Methodologically, Horsley and Draper do not focus on isolated sayings but on a sequence of discourses that are help together by a common rationale. Hermeneutically, they describe Q as an oral-derived text that functioned in repeated recitation. Historically, the authors show how Q was embedded not in itinerant radicalism, but in the Mosaic covenantal tradition that aimed at renewing the social order. The Jesus of Q if hereby restored to his rightful place in Jewish culture. A vitally important book, one that should reshape our thinking and perception of Q." --Werner H. Kelber, Rice University (Werner H. Kelber, Rice University Blurb from reviewer )"This provocative book, written from within the current discussion but challenging several of its major theses, is a welcome contribution that will move the discussion forward. It argues that Q (and Jesus) are to be understood in their Jewish matrix rather than in the context of Gentile Cynic popular philosophy, that Q and Jesus are more influenced by the prophetic tradition than the wisdom tradition, and that the books of the Hebrew prophets are more important than the Gospel of Thomas for understanding Q and Jesus. Though Q was a written document, the book contends that it derives from the oral communications situation of the earliest followers of Jesus, and that the recent ‘stratification’ of Q as a basis for reconstructing the character of Jesus and his message is a house of cards." --M. Eugene Boring, Texas Christian University (M. Eugene Boring, Texas Christian University Blurb from reviewer )"A sweeping reassessment of scholarship on Q…An important and controversial book that no NT researcher can ignore."--Fred W. Burnett, Juarez, Mexico, Religious Studies Review, Volume 27 Number 4, October 2001 (Fred W. Burnett, Juarez, Mexico Religious Studies Review )