Burton Mack

Burton Mack (1931-2022) was an American New Testament scholar who revolutionized the study of Christian origins through his application of social theory and rhetorical criticism. Professor emeritus at Claremont School of Theology, Mack challenged traditional theological narratives by portraying Jesus as a Cynic-like sage rather than an apocalyptic prophet or divine figure. His influential works, including "A Myth of Innocence" (1988) and "The Lost Gospel: The Book of Q and Christian Origins" (1993), argued that early Christianity emerged through mythmaking processes that transformed a Jewish wisdom teacher into a divine savior. Mack's reconstruction of Q source materials and his thesis that the Christ myth was a later Hellenistic addition to the Jesus movement profoundly impacted religious studies methodology, encouraging scholars to approach Christian texts as products of social formation rather than revealed truth, thereby contributing significantly to naturalistic explanations of religious development.