Sources of the Synoptic GospelsPatton, Carl S. (Carl Safford)
Religion
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Patton, Carl S. (Carl Safford)
Bible. Gospels -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
A strong Hebraic character is observable in Luke's infancy sections, quite
absent from his other peculiar material. In the twenty-one verses in i,
5-25, καὶ is used many times where Luke's habit elsewhere would lead us to
expect the substitution of δὲ. There are also many Hebraic phrases, such
as πορευόμενοι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, προβεβηκότες ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις,
μέγας ἐνώπιον κυρίου, and the construction ἐγένετο, thrice used, as the
formula introducing a paragraph. Luke's own hand may be seen in the
introduction of δὲ three times. One of these is in connection with εἶπεν,
which is probably Luke's substitute for the historic present. The
retention of so many Hebraistic and non-Lucan features probably justifies
Jülicher's suggestion of a special (Hebraistic, Aramaic) written source
for these infancy sections. A written and not an oral source is also
indicated in Luke's table of ancestors,[119] especially in its awkward
placing after the baptism. It is quite impossible that Luke is here
drawing upon the same source as in his great interpolation. Even more
decisive in this direction than the vocabulary is the general character of
the material.
Sanday is "especially glad to see the stress that is laid [in certain
other essays in the same volume] on the homogeneity of the peculiar matter
of Luke."[120] He does not expressly say that he includes here the infancy
sections, or whether he refers merely to the great interpolation; in the
absence of such a statement, it may be fair to assume the former. He adds,
"I fully believe, myself, in its Jewish-Christian and Palestinian origin."
But when he adds further, "I can altogether go along with the view that
St. Luke probably collected this material during his two years' stay at
Caesarea (Acts xxiv compared with xxi and xxvii, 1); I could even quite
believe with Harnack, Mr. Streeter, and Dr. Bartlet that his chief
informants were Philip the evangelist and his four daughters," he is open
to the suspicion of being too much influenced by a desire to trace the
tradition back to a definite and authentic source, even where the data do
not warrant it. There is certainly no justification for referring the
infancy stories to Philip and his four daughters (and perhaps, as
suggested above, Dr. Sanday does not mean to do this).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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