3
11:23),3 which was a central pillar of the early Christian community. This tradition had obviously
already been in the Church for a number of years prior to Paul’s writing and was handed on to
him by someone.4
Jesus was obviously the central figure and founder of the Christian movement. It is
therefore a logical conclusion that the details of his life would have been carefully guarded and
passed on to future generations. If one subscribes to the historicity of the gospel accounts then
there is a clear indication that Jesus wanted his disciples to remember moments of his life and
share them with others. The “Great Commission” is just one example of how the apostles may
have viewed their role and responsibility in spreading the gospel of Christ.
An important question is how much of that pre-gospel tradition was transmitted orally
and how much was written. One theory is that because the apostles and other firsthand
witnesses to the Jesus tradition would have still been very much alive and teaching in the
Christian communities, early Christian authoritative texts of the tradition were unnecessary.5
Furthermore, the tradition was transmitted via concise tidbits of material that were easily
conveyed orally.6 This would be similar to remembering a loved one at his funeral.7 There
would be a service where a eulogy would be said remembering the special things that the
recently deceased did or said in life. Then at the gathering after the funeral, friends and family
3
All English translation bible passages taken from the Rev