Examines the reception of the canonical gospels and of their ‘effects’ in particular times and places. Here, the first part gives an account of reception history as a relatively new discipline in gospel studies, while the second part offers as a case study some of the ways in which the synoptic stories of the women who visit the tomb of Jesus have been represented in the visual arts.

Dialogue gospels are part of the wider network of texts and traditions that shaped early Christianity. This chapter offers examples of thematic and linguistic connections between the dialogue gospels and texts that came to be incorporated in the New Testament. These examples include the Johannine Farewell Discourse as a possible inspiration for the genre as well as specific links between John 13.31-17.1 and its non-canonical counterparts; links between the canonical resurrection appearances and dialogue gospels; and the Pauline influence, specifically the emphasis on the risen Jesus and the construal of the makeup of the cosmos. Common concerns include Jesus’ departure and its consequences, the nature of his resurrection, and how to overcome hostile cosmic beings that inhabit the space between heaven and earth. The chapter then looks at the shared themes of parables, mysteries and the question of who is worthy of receiving Jesus’ teachings. This wide-ranging demonstration of intertextual connections draws attention to the proximity of dialogue gospels and certain New Testament texts.

Chapter 1 looks at previous scholarly work on ‘dialogue gospels’ and offers a new group of 13 early Christian texts in which Jesus engages in dialogue with his disciples, answering their questions on the eve of his departure. Earlier classifications of dialogue gospels have varied widely, resulting in divergence regarding both what to call the genre and which texts are to be included in it. To construct a genre for the purpose of comparison, I argue for an inclusive and open understanding of genre. The 13 chosen texts demonstrate that the dialogue gospel form is not intrinsically linked to ‘gnosticism’ or any specific theology; that the narrative frame of the text and the dialogue are normally not two separate entities later glued together; and that the dialogical form is a fitting vehicle for eschatological revelation. This is followed by a preliminary comparative survey of main themes found within dialogue gospels: the saviour and eschatology. Dialogue gospels are comparable in that each is attentive to eschatological revelation, yet the revelations themselves are divergent. The overlaps and connections within these revelations demonstrate how problematic it is to taxonomize these texts into particular theological groups.