22
under the supervision of the instructor that students effectively memorized the tradition that in
turn would be transmitted orally.93
In Gerhardsson’s model Jesus is likened to the
teacher or rabbi and his disciples (the ones that
would have heard his message over and again)
to the students committing it to memory.94
This careful preservation of the oral tradition
and teachings of Jesus is in direct opposition to
the form critical model of liberal
transmission.95 Gerhardsson’s model also gives the apostles their due importance as the
primary carriers of this tradition and who, in turn, would become teachers of this tradition to
their own disciples.96 The tradition was strictly guarded and only some were clearly identified as
“controllers of the tradition.”97
An interesting aspect of Gerhardsson’s model is its view of the relationship between
oral and written tradition. He disagrees with Dunn’s assertion, for example, that the early
Church community was primarily illiterate. Gerhardsson believes that the importance lies not in
the literacy of the total population, but rather in the ones handing on the tradition.
We can discuss what percentage of the population in Judaea or Galilee was
literate, but this is only of interest to those who believe that the Jesus material
comes broadly speaking from anonymous communities or from uneducated
93
Ibid.
Bauckham, location 4067-4070, Kindle edition.
95
Ibid, location 4062-4064; 4073-4074, Kindle edition.
96
Ibid, location 4069-4070, Kindle edition.
97
Ibid, location 4070-4073, Kindle edition.
94