In July 2024 I published in these pages a review of Michael Licona’s recent book, Jesus, Contradicted, in which he advocates for the theory that the Gospels are instances of an ancient form of historiography which tolerated and even encouraged writers generally (that is, whether secular or sectarian) to slightly misrepresent facts when to do so would “improve” the text. I am removing that post. I am doing so with some sadness, as I have been and remain a Licona fan.
But I just finished reading Lydia McGrew’s The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices. McGrew convincingly challenges Licona’s thesis on many grounds. It may be fair to say that the controversy has to do mostly with a difference among scholars as to the lengths to which they are willing to go in order to harmonize Gospel texts which on their surface appear to contradict each other. McGrew might go to great lengths to do so; Licona, not so much.
I may or may not attempt a review of McGrew’s book. In the meantime, I do highly recommend it. If you read it, you may understand why I am withdrawing Licona: I’m not comfortable leaving the review of Licona up without some kind of disclaimer, but I’m also not comfortable writing a disclaimer that doesn’t do justice to both Licona and McGrew, and I think that could take a very long time. Indeed, I think it must be the case that this controversy will continue to be hotly contested at the highest levels of scholarship, in which case I’ll be better off on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, I do recommend McGrew – and Licona too, as long as you commit to reading McGrew soon after.
Of course there are scores of reviews of both Licona and McGrew on Amazon – almost all glowing. I believe you’ll be encouraged by McGrew’s vindication of a high view of the integrity of the Gospel accounts.
Joshualetter 