Social Memory Theory and the Enigmatic Mediated Past in Historical Jesus Research

Abstract

The recent appropriation of social memory theory in Jesus studies has brought us to a fork in the road in relation to what is meant by a continuity of remembrances about Jesus. Currently, the common claim among many Jesus scholars is that the past of Jesus is knowable through or is contained within the memory process, not behind it or apart from it. Mnemonic processes and their text-products are regarded as a means to an historical end as opposed to being an end in and of themselves. The main problem presented in this article is that the pervading references to, and assumptions about, the mediated past as a potential link between the evangelists’ present and the actual past of Jesus lack the clarification and critical support that is needed for advancing historical Jesus research.