Pseudepigraphy, Authorship, and Authority: The Historical Context of a Literary Phenomenon and its Impact on Canon Formation

Jeremy Duff

Jump to Content

Chapter 10 Pseudepigraphy, Authorship, and Authority: The Historical Context of a Literary Phenomenon and its Impact on Canon Formation

In: The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

Author:

Jeremy Duff

Jeremy Duff
Search for other papers by Jeremy Duff in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 225–246

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004751071_012

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

Pseudepigraphy is a key phenomenon in understanding the New Testament that is often understood to have impacted canon formation. Over the last two decades, scholarship has undermined previous claims that writing under a false name was an “accepted literary technique” at the time. This essay summarizes the current consensus, and outlines four areas for further work: definitions and terms; the possible impact of a Jewish frame of reference among the earliest Christians; the challenge caused by the fact that there is far more direct evidence from the third and fourth centuries, but it is the period 50–150 CE which is of prime importance for the New Testament; and issues of “complex authorship” involving the use of scribes, secretaries, and co-authors. Particular attention is given to the matter in which lecture notes and compilations of a teacher’s work might be published. Here the consensus is that the content must go back to the teacher (“what he would have said” was not sufficient), but there is a disagreement within recent scholarship as to whether the precise wording needs to be from the teacher. With regard to canon formation, it is noted that whatever complexities there might have been in the authorship and original reception of texts, a work’s author and perceived authority were seen as closely linked. It would not have been credible in that culture to assert that the authorial claim in a text was false, and that the text should be given canonical authority.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004751071/BP000014.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

Series: Texts and Editions for New Testament Study, Volume: 21

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004751071

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 10 Mar 2026

Subjects
- Biblical Studies

Front Matter

Part 1 The Formation of the Canon

Part 2 The Components of the Canon

Part 3 The Witnesses of the Canon

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	184	184	107
Full Text Views	1	1	0
PDF Views & Downloads	4	4	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 10 Pseudepigraphy, Authorship, and Authority: The Historical Context of a Literary Phenomenon and its Impact on Canon Formation

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

The New Testament Canon in Contemporary Research

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics