Important new insights into the nature of biblical literature and language call for an updated look at the method of literary criticism. For many years scholars have concentrated on the literary sources used by the author/editors of the books of the New Testament, and regarded these books as self-consciously created. William A. Beardslee turns literary criticism in a new direction by looking at the New Testament as unselfconscious popular literature and attempting to understand its aesthetic structure and force.
After a survey of literary criticism, both ancient and modem, the author examines selected literary forms found in the New Testament-gospel, proverb, history (as seen in the canonical book of Acts), and apocalypse. In each case he shows how the form reflects the faith of those who worked with it. Also included are chapters on the literary history of the Synoptic Gospels and on the relationship of literary criticism to contemporary theological concerns.