Timo S. Paananen on Forgery Detection

James McGrath links to a PDF by Tim S. Paananen demonstrating some problems with forgery detection via literary parallels.

I’ve kept largely silent on the issue of the authenticity of The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife, because I don’t read Coptic and I’m simply not well enough acquainted with the various methodologies that would be required to authenticate such a fragment.

Paananen’s comments are well-taken, however, and apply broadly to determining literary relationship, and also dependency. Sequences of common words don’t carry much weight.

I continue to await some sort of consensus amongst scholars who have the time, skill, and access to make a solid determination.