Abstract
Tischendorf stands as a colossus in the arena of New Testament scholarship in the modern era. Yet, his scholarship and the conditions under which these lasting contributions to the field were accomplished are little known. This lacuna in the history of scholarship is now filled in a fascinating account that combines erudition with a crisp and accessible style. The result is a book that is not only informative but also hard to put down.
Porter modestly opines that his work is not a full critical biography. At one level that may be true and yet what he offers captures the major details of Tischendorf’s life set alongside a careful appreciation of his major scholarly to the field of New Testament and early Christianity. As such this book is deserving of the epigraph, ‘intellectual biography’. The book is arranged in three parts. In the first part, Porter provides an extremely informative biographical account (pp. 11–60), followed by an overview of Tischendorf’s seminal contributions. Part Two comprises an introduction and interpretative summary to and translation of Tischendorf’s popular apologetic work, When Were Our Gospels Written? The translation itself is not new, but is a re-issue of the 1866 translation into English. However, the introductory essay highlights the significance of this work. The final part contains the bibliography including Tischendorf’s major works.
In the first section, following the biographical overview, Porter describes the significance of Tischendorf’s major publications and his varied, though related, fields of research. The first area mentioned is palaeography, which, according to Porter, was not an area in which Tischendorf published specifically but to which he contributed through the palaeographical insights found in his major critical editions and handwritten notes (p. 61). The next field Porter identifies is that of textual criticism. Here he sees Tischendorf’s contribution as materializing most significantly in his editions of the Greek Old Testament and Greek New Testament. The last area to be identified is not so regularly listed as one Tischendorf’s major contributions—that is the area of higher criticism and theology. Porter sees this area as being exemplified in works that argue for the reliability of the gospels—such as When Were Our Gospels Written? Thus, Porter captures much of Tischendorf’s intellectual contributions and the details of his life that makes it easier to understand him as a seminal figure in the field of New Testament studies.
This is a fascinating and engaging treatment that will do much to communicate the significant and enduring contributions of Tischendorf to the study of the New Testament and early Christianity.