GOSPEL
FI~TIONS
-----. A cco rding to this provocative
(S:7Uboo k, the four Gos pels of the
New Testament a re fi ctiona l na rra–
tives, composed as the culminatio n
of an extensive literary a nd o ral
tradition- dramatic, idealistic writ–
ings produced to serve a theo logi–
ca l visio n. Ra nd el Helms ana lyzes
the most fami liar and powerful of
the Gospel na rratives: the sto ries
of Christ's birth, his ago ny in the
Garden of Gethsema ne, his be–
trayal by Jud as, his crucifi xion,
death, and res urrection. Scho l–
arly yet access ible, this book
reveals. the Gos pels as inOu–
ent ial wo rks of litera ry a rt –
creative interpretations of d oc–
trine and literary precedent that have become
the supreme ficti ons of Western culture.
Ra ndel Helms, a noted biblical a nd literary schola r, is
professor of English at Arizona State U niversity.
..
This book represents scholarship well communicated.
..
-Joe
E.
Barnhart,
University of N orth Texas
154
pages .
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