Pseudepigraphie und literarische Fälschung im frühen Christentum

Pseudepigraphic statements of authorship in antiquity were considered attempts to deceive. It cannot be proven that pseudepigrapha were understood merely as untrue statements of authorship without the intent to deceive. Rather, a statement was considered authentic if merely the wording did not come from the person to whom the statement was attributed. However, a statement was not considered to be authentic if the content did not come from the alleged author. In New Testament scholarship the thesis has become widespread that the pseudepigraphic statement of authorship of a book does not bring into question its canonicity, because pseudepigraphic writings in the early church were not considered to be forgeries. This argument is based on an historical presupposition, which cannot be supported by the sources at our disposal. The book contains an English summary.