Istvan CzaChesz Cultural Evolution and BiBliCal StudiES this contribution reviews the theory of cultural evolution and ex- plores possibilities of using it in Biblical Studies, with special attention to the research of the history of the gospel tradition. although evolutionary theory is seldom considered as a natural ally of Biblical Studies, earlier at- tempts at explaining early Christian history with the help of evolutionary theorizing 1 yielded some intriguing insights and demonstrated the value of the approach. recent contributions to the topic 2 extended the scope of investigation, taking into consideration new developments both in evo- lutionary theory and biblical studies. in the first part of this essay, i will take a fresh look at the connection between genetic and cultural evolution, addressing criticism raised against the latter concept. in the second part, i will consider how form criticism can be understood in terms of cultural evolution. the third part deals with redaction criticism and the composi- tion of larger textual units. in the fourth part of the essay, i develop an evolutionary approach to the history of reception, developing analogies between cultural practices of interpretation, on the one hand, and epigen- etic mechanisms, on the other 3 . 1. What is cultural evolution? When Charles darwin formulated his theory of evolution, his main interest was the history of biological species. darwin did not know how traits are inherited and was unaware of the existence of genes. in the neo- darwinian theory of evolution 4 , in contrast, genes are the protagonists. 1 theissen 1985; Wilson 2003; Stark 2004. 2 Czachesz 2014; luomanen in press. 3 Ever since meeting Professor destro at the 1997 conference of the Context Group, it has been a great pleasure to discuss with her about early Christian society, religious experience, and history. i am honored to contribute an essay on cultural theory and biblical history, topics on which adriana has published extensively, to the present volume celebrating her scholarship. 4 Mayr 2001. In: Tra pratiche e credenze. Traiettorie antropologiche e storiche. Un omaggio ad Adriana Destro, edited by Claudio Gianotto and Francesca Sbardella, pp. 239–55. Brescia: Morcelliana, 2017.