Jesus Tradition in the Apostolic Fathers: Their Explicit Appeals to the Words of Jesus in Light of Orality Studies

Stephen E. Young reevaluates the tradition of Jesus' sayings in the Apostolic Fathers in light of the growing recognition of the impact of orality upon early Christianity. Based upon research into oral tradition done in the wake of the pioneering work of Milman Parry and Albert Lord, he advances the thesis that an oral-traditional source best explains the form and content of the explicit appeals to Jesus tradition in the Apostolic Fathers that predate 2 Clement . He also draws attention to ways in which this tradition informs our understanding of the use of oral tradition in Christian antiquity.