The Historical Jesus and the Final Judgment Sayings in Q

THE HISTORICAL JESUS AND THE FINAL JUDGMENT SAYINGS IN Q Abstract By Brian Han Gregg This dissertation explores the twelve final judgment sayings found in Q in light of the historical Jesus. The study will begin with a survey of scholarly opinions regarding the historical Jesus and the final judgment, followed by a discussion of the methodology to be employed. The next section, an analysis of the characteristics of the final judgment in late second temple Judaism, will seek to establish the cultural and conceptual contexts of Q's final judgment sayings. Finally, the bulk of the study will be devoted to an exploration of the twelve sayings and their parallels, including careful exegesis of each saying in its original gospel context, a reconstruction and consideration of the Q form of each saying, and an application of criteria of authenticity. The results of the study are three-fold: 1) It establishes the authenticity of ten of the twelve final judgment sayings in Q, thereby demonstrating that eschatology in general and the final judgment in particular were important components of the historical Jesus' message. 2) It identifies the characteristics of the final judgment propounded by the historical Jesus and compares them to the characteristics of the final judgment texts of the late second temple period. 3) It demands that the potential historicity of all of Q's source material be taken seriously, including those elements often assigned to a secondary redactional layer, Q2.