For a hundred years, the million dollar question has been, What was the nature and state of the tradition between Jesus and the gospels? Eve surveys the major proposals, offers critical and constructive commentary, and makes appropriately nuanced suggestions of his own. On this topic, his work is now the place to start.' Dale C. Allison, Jr., Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary 'This book shows that there has been real progress in biblical studies since form criticism started to investigate the oral prehistory of the Gospels. After a century of research we know much more about the prehistory of the Gospels - and, just as important, what we do not know and perhaps will never know. Eric Eve gives a balanced and lucid account of all attempts to reconstruct the oral tradition behind the written Gospels. Was it controlled by some authorities? Was it stabilized by an informal control of the audience? Is there a break between oral and written media? Were the texts formed by the laws of tradition or rather by the "laws" of collective and personal memory? Can we grasp traces of eyewitnesses in the Gospels? Eve's judgements on these questions are fair, his arguments convincing. This is a foundational book both for Jesus research and for our understanding of the literary history of the New Testament.' Gerd Theissen, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, University of Heidelberg