Ghostwriters: The Unseen Collaborators Shaping Early Christian Texts

The article by Candida Moss explores the historical accuracy of some details depicted in the traditional Easter story as portrayed in the Bible’s Gospel of John. According to Moss, a professor at Notre Dame University, Pilate was not reluctant about executing Jesus and did not order three signs with different languages on his cross, tasks that were likely beneath him given his position and educational background during ancient times when literacy was limited mainly among the wealthy elite or slaves. Instead, Moss argues that ghostwriters played a significant role in shaping Christian texts as many illiterate or aging apostles needed assistance from lower-status collaborators who expanded their ideas through translation work. These secretaries and copyists were often enslaved workers described by Roman authorities with pejorative language but actually contributed greatly to the production of these texts, sometimes making significant interventions that have shaped Christian beliefs over time. The author points out discrepancies in ancient manuscripts, suggesting some versions could be more accurate than others due to decisions made during dictation or copying processes involving different shorthand systems used by secretaries who condensed and expanded the original messages when converting spoken words into texts suitable for later translation by less educated Christians. The article suggests that rather than blaming low-status collaborators, we should acknowledge their role in authorial work and explore how they might have contributed to Christian beliefs over time as these figures were not necessarily a threat but could be recipients of divine inspiration themselves.