Jesus Tradition in the Apostolic Fathers

Stephen E. Young reevaluates the tradition of Jesus' sayings in the Apostolic Fathers in light of the growing recognition of the impact of orality upon early Christianity. Based upon research into oral tradition done in the wake of the pioneering work of Milman Parry and Albert Lord, he advances the thesis that an oral-traditional source best explains the form and content of the explicit appeals to Jesus tradition in the Apostolic Fathers that predate 2 Clement. He also draws attention to ways in which this tradition informs our understanding of the use of oral tradition in Christian antiquity.Orality and the Study of Early Christianity - A Brief History of Scholarship on the Sources of the Jesus Tradition in the Apostolic Fathers - Method: Orality and Oral Tradition - Identifying Markers and Ways of Orality: The Explicit Appeal to Jesus Tradition in 1 Clement 13.1c-2 - The Explicit Appeal to Jesus Tradition in Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians 2.3 - Seeking Consistency: Looking for Indicators of Orality in 1 Clement 46.7b-8 - Liturgical Tradition in the Didache: The Lord's Prayer in Did. 8.2 - Three Isolated Sayings from the Jesus Tradition - »Another Scripture Says …«: Jesus Tradition in 2 Clement