In the first comprehensive survey of the new literary criticism of the Gospels, Stephen D. Moore traces its emergence and development and provides a much-needed critical introduc-tion to the field. Discussing the works of secular literary critics and theoreticians such as Fish and Derrida and biblical scholars such as Tannehill and Kelber, Moore not only offers a wide-ranging commentary on the new material but also assesses the advantages and limitations of biblical literary criticism.

"Must reading for New Testament scholars interested in recent interpretive trends. It is a first-rate guide to the nascent literary-critical movement in Gospels studies. Furthermore, it constitutes the first full-scale explanation of and apologia for postmodernism in biblical studies. searched extensively and written with verve it is sure to have a powerful impact."

John A. Darr, Journal of Biblical Literature