The initial essay by Bauckham sets the pace. He shows that it is only assumed - yet never actually proved! - that the Matthean community, Lukan community, etc. existed, and that these communities all more or less disliked each other and viewed each other as rivals. Bauckham convincingly argues, rather, that the Gospel writers intended their works to be read by a much broader audience that their own community. (One will readily see interlocking application to Dunn's Unity and Diversity in the New Testament and recent Gospel research focusing on the evangelists as writing individuals.)

The rest of the essays supplement Bauckham's thesis by showing that, in the context of first-century Roman society, the "community" view of the critics is an absurdity of their own creation. Thompson's "Holy Internet" covers much the same ground as Glenn Miller's essays on the "feedback loop" in the early church, but adds some informative data about ancient travel that counters the idea of closed and isolated communities. Loveday Alexander then addresses more practical matters of the distribution of literature in this time; this chapter serves to summarize and supplement the findings of Gamble's Books and Readers in the Early Church.

The fourth essay by Burridge recapitulates much of what is said in his What Are the Gospels? and applies it to Bauckham's thesis - needless to say, Burridge finds no parallels to ancient biography used in the way that the critics suggest! Bauckham then returns with a persuasive argument that John was written for folks who had already read Mark: It supplements the former in ways that are almost eerie!

Stephen Barton plugs in two cents from the social anthropology circle by pointing out just how vague and conspiratorial critical "community" theories have become, with their notions of "subtle literary character assassination" being found in the slightest comment - a la Robert Price finding a slam on James in 1 Cor. 15:3ff! (Burton Mack could stand to heed well here also!) Finally, Watson wraps the production with a revisit to the man who started all this "community" nonsense in the first place: Rudolf Bultmann, and the concept of the Sitz in Leben that served, rather than actual history, to create the texts of the Gospels.

This book is a powerhouse. I took immense pleasure in reading it and I am certain that you will as well. Dig in!