Gospel Fictions
Gospel Fictions by Randel Helms, published by Globe Pequot Publishing in January 1988, is a scholarly exploration of the four canonical Gospels. This reprint edition, comprising 154 pages, delves into whether these texts are historical accounts or imaginative literature crafted by influential literary artists to convey theological visions. Helms presents the Gospels as “supreme fictions,” analyzing key narratives such as Christ’s birth, his betrayal, and his resurrection, while tracing their literary roots and cultural significance.
In this work, Helms examines the narratives with a focus on their language, sources, and the interplay between the texts and their authors’ perspectives on Jesus. He argues that the Gospels are self-reflexive, aiming to shape contemporary understanding rather than merely recounting historical events. By investigating the miracle stories and their connections to broader literary traditions, including parallels to Egyptian mythology, Helms provides insights into the Gospels’ enduring influence on religious thought and interpretation. This edition is presented in English and is suitable for readers interested in religion, biblical criticism, and the literary aspects of the New Testament.
Official synopsis Publisher
Are the four canonical Gospels actual historical accounts or are they imaginative literature produced by influential literary artists to serve a theological vision? In this study of the Gospels based upon a demonstrable literary theory, Randel Helms presents the work of the four evangelists as the “supreme fictions” of our culture, self-conscious works of art deliberately composed as the culmination of a long literary and oral tradition.Helms analyzes the best-known and the most powerful of these fictions: the stories of Christ’s birth, his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion, death and resurrection. In Helms’ exegesis of the Gospel miracle stories, he traces the greatest of these – the resurrection of Lazarus four days after his death – to the Egyptian myth of the resurrection of Osiris by the god Horus.Helms maintains that the Gospels are self-reflexive; they are not about Jesus so much as they are about the writers’ attitudes concerning Jesus. Helms examines each of the narratives – the language, the sources, the similarities and differences – and shows that their purpose was not so much to describe the past as to affect the present.This scholarly yet readable work demonstrates how the Gospels surpassed the expectations of their authors, influencing countless generations by creating a life-enhancing understanding of the nature of Jesus of Nazareth.
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