Cultural Memory and Group Identity in Q

Abstract

The Q Document includes a significant number of references to characters and events of Israelite history. The purpose of that intense recollection of the past was to construct a new social identity. Social memory studies have made an important contribution to the understanding of this process by which groups construct their identities. In this article some basic conclusions of social memory and social identity studies are applied to the analysis of the Q references to Abraham (Q 3:8; 13:29.28), to the persecuted prophets (Q 6:23; 11:33-34, 47-48, 49-51), and to non-Judean individuals and groups (Q 10:13-14; 11:30-32).