Notes about Style
Notes about Style
In capitalizing the titles of “Gospels,” I am following current literary convention, not asserting a theological position. My use of “C.E.” refers to the “common era,” a phrase many scholars use for the same period popularly designated as “A.D.,” but without thereby implying a theological position (“Anno domini,” “in the year of the Lord”). In using “Palestine,” I am following the standard literary convention of most works in biblical studies for Judea, Galilee, and Samaria; I am not, as a reviewer once complained, making any political statement about modern Middle Eastern affairs. (This is also the case when in some contexts I employ the biblical designation “Israel” for the Jewish people.) Although some now use “Judean” for all first-century Jews (including those in the Diaspora), I simply follow the common usage here that is current at the moment without entering that debate.
Nonspecialist readers should also take note of some essential terms that will recur repeatedly in this book: “Synoptics” refers to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (called “synoptic” because they overlap so much). “Eschatology” usually refers to what pertains to the “end time,” or to a future era distinct from the present one. “Tradition” refers to information passed on over time, typically orally. When historians speak of “prophets” and “healers,” they normally are using categories from the movements they describe, rather than offering statements of their own belief.