Re: CHAT dating the Gospels (was: Languages in Gibson's Passion)

On Sunday, March 14, 2004, at 01:45 AM, John Cowan wrote:

> Ray Brown scripsit:
>
>> (I consulted an English translation that, oddly, left it out in Luke). On
>> consulting the Greek NT, I find Luke also states that the inscription
>> (epigraphe:) was written in Greek, Roman and Hebrew letters (grammasin
>> helle:nikois kai rho:maïkois kai hebraïkois) - the only language written
>> at that time in Roman letters was Latin.
>
> The Alexandrian manuscripts (and therefore most modern translations)
> omit the specification of the languages in Luke 23:28.
Right - on the assumption that's a later interpolation, possibly a
marginal gloss. But it shows that the tradition of three languages is
ancient and the gloss - if that is what it is - is not simply copied from
John, otherwise we'd get the same order.

>> It's because of possible changes that the synoptic (1st three Gospels)
>> There is no good reason to doubt the authorship of Luke's Gospel
>
> There is very good reason to think that Luke had Mark's Gospel open
> in front of him while he was writing,
Yes, I think I've said this. It does seem as tho both Luke and the
compiler of Matthew had Mark's earlier account to hand.

> and that he either had access
> to Matthew's Gospel, or vice versa, or that both had access to some
> common source now lost (the so-called "Q" or "Sayings of Jesus").
I'd have thought it more likely they had a common source ('quelle') - but
but add original material of their own.

>> Matthew's Gospel is more problematic as we do not know its author.
>
> He was surely Jewish, however, and he too was working from Mark's Gospel.
Well, yes, I don't think there's any doubt about that - but a large
proportion of the 1st generation Christians were Jewish converts so it
doesn't narrow it down so much.

If the ancient tradition that Matthew wrote his version of the Gospel in
Aramaic is true, I guess the unknown Christian Jew who put the Greek
Matthew together was working from the Aramaic Matthew, Mark & 'q' to
produce a version of the Gospel for the converts & others in the Jewish
Diaspora. The writer of Matthew makes a special point demonstrating, by
quoting from the Old Testament, his belief that the scriptures were
fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.

Ray
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