Robyn Walsh

The “Miracle-Mongers”: the Gospels at the Edges of Empire

Introduction

The “miracle-mongers”: the gospels at the edges of empire. Explore the canonical Gospels as paradoxographical texts, presenting Jesus as a "wonder" for Roman audiences. Understand the "Messianic Secret" as a literary device.

Abstract

This contribution proposes that the canonical gospels of the New Testament should be placed in direct conversation with paradoxographical writing. With their accounts of Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth, healings, and depictions of the peoples and traditions of Judea—a conceptually “foreign” territory in the imperial imagination—the gospel writers engage in the same ethnographic, aetiological, and paradoxographical project as their literarycontemporaries. This brand of literary engagement is evident in the Gospel of Mark’s presentation of Jesus as a literary thauma or “wonder” in the tradition of paradoxography and epic, demonstrating that theological concepts like the “Messianic Secret” are better understood as a topos designed to be both didactic and tantalizing to Roman audiences.

Review

The proposed article, "The 'Miracle-Mongers': the Gospels at the Edges of Empire," introduces a highly original and compelling interpretive framework for understanding the New Testament gospels. By positioning these canonical texts in direct conversation with paradoxographical writing, the author challenges conventional theological and historical readings, advocating for a significant re-evaluation of the gospel writers' literary intentions and cultural contexts. This fresh perspective promises to illuminate hitherto unexplored dimensions of gospel composition, particularly concerning their engagement with the broader intellectual and literary landscape of the Roman Empire, offering a valuable contribution to both New Testament studies and the history of ancient literature. A key strength of this approach lies in its ability to recontextualize seemingly theological concepts within a wider imperial imagination. The abstract effectively argues that the miraculous elements—Jesus' conception, birth, and healings—along with the ethnographic descriptions of Judea, situate the gospels squarely within a paradoxographical, ethnographic, and aetiological project. The specific example of Mark's presentation of Jesus as a *thauma* or "wonder" is particularly intriguing, offering a powerful lens through which to understand narrative strategies. Furthermore, the reinterpretation of the "Messianic Secret" as a *topos* designed to be both didactic and tantalizing for Roman audiences presents a sophisticated and plausible alternative to traditional theological explanations, significantly enriching our understanding of the gospels' persuasive aims. While the abstract lays out a robust and provocative thesis, the full article would undoubtedly need to meticulously delineate the precise literary conventions and audience expectations associated with paradoxography and epic during the period. A critical aspect of the forthcoming piece would be demonstrating how this proposed dialogue with paradoxography offers more compelling explanatory power than existing frameworks for interpreting the gospels' miraculous content and narrative structures. Further exploration into the specific textual parallels and divergences, alongside a nuanced discussion of how such literary engagement would have been received by diverse audiences at the "edges of empire," would significantly strengthen this innovative contribution to New Testament studies.

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