The Gospel historians
Jan. 29th, 2010 07:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alpharaposaI post Bible verses on Twitter (been forgetting, lately, due to stress and tired, trying to remember more regularly). I started posting from Luke around Christmas, as he's the one who recorded what we think of as "the Christmas story". The shepherds, the angels, the wise men.
Every half a chapter or so could get its own post with my thoughts, going through this. Jesus in the temple sounds very strange in our modern, "child-protective" society. Going a whole day of travel without looking for your child? But they were traveling with friends and family, and they trusted their twelve year old to be where he was supposed to be.
How different from today.
But today, I went on to the next chapter, and was struck by how careful Luke is to tell us exactly when events take place. He tells us who was emperor, who was in charge of Judea, of Galilee, and who the high priests were.
It's like Matthew, outlining the whole male genealogy of Jesus, every name, back to King David. The writers of the Gospels wrote down provable, solid facts. It was important to them that they got the details right, so that others would have the truth- a truth verifiable by looking into records kept by Judea or by Rome, or by asking those who lived through it.
They didn't ask everyone to go entirely on faith. You could check their story. Over 500 people saw Jesus after His death. Paul cites this fact as evidence in 1 Corinthians.
Of course, all the facts in the world will not generate faith. Paul himself knew all the facts, but didn't believe until Jesus appeared to him personally. In our day, Truthers can be told the plain, knowable and provable facts over and over, and will still insist that we're being fooled.
But many people can't go on faith alone. Thomas had to see Jesus for himself. God asks for faith, but he doesn't ask for blind faith from those of us who can't give it.
Every half a chapter or so could get its own post with my thoughts, going through this. Jesus in the temple sounds very strange in our modern, "child-protective" society. Going a whole day of travel without looking for your child? But they were traveling with friends and family, and they trusted their twelve year old to be where he was supposed to be.
How different from today.
But today, I went on to the next chapter, and was struck by how careful Luke is to tell us exactly when events take place. He tells us who was emperor, who was in charge of Judea, of Galilee, and who the high priests were.
It's like Matthew, outlining the whole male genealogy of Jesus, every name, back to King David. The writers of the Gospels wrote down provable, solid facts. It was important to them that they got the details right, so that others would have the truth- a truth verifiable by looking into records kept by Judea or by Rome, or by asking those who lived through it.
They didn't ask everyone to go entirely on faith. You could check their story. Over 500 people saw Jesus after His death. Paul cites this fact as evidence in 1 Corinthians.
Of course, all the facts in the world will not generate faith. Paul himself knew all the facts, but didn't believe until Jesus appeared to him personally. In our day, Truthers can be told the plain, knowable and provable facts over and over, and will still insist that we're being fooled.
But many people can't go on faith alone. Thomas had to see Jesus for himself. God asks for faith, but he doesn't ask for blind faith from those of us who can't give it.
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-29 01:32 pm (UTC)It's like Matthew, outlining the whole male genealogy of Jesus, every name, back to King David.
That's not strictly true. Matthew abbreviated his genealogy by leaving out several generations of Davidic kings. Scholars generally presume that he did so mainly in the service of Hebrew numerology: 42 generations, which is 7 (number of perfection) x 2 (amplification) x 3 (divine number).
Luke's genealogy also appeals to numerology but differently: he counts 77 generations from God to Jesus, which as St. Augustine points out, is also a number of divine perfection.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-29 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-29 02:33 pm (UTC)It still gets me after all these years.
Christmas story
Date: 2010-01-29 04:00 pm (UTC)Re: Christmas story
Date: 2010-01-29 10:59 pm (UTC)ah, yes. Luke goes from the shepherds, to the circumcision, to 12-year-old Jesus at the temple.