Title: Can We Trust Luke as a Reliable Historian (cont
1Can We Trust Luke as a Reliable Historian (contd)
- We will explore this question focusing on the
names/titles of Jesus - Jesus
- Christ
- Lord Jesus Christ
- Application
-
2Methods to Validate Historicity
- Criterion of Consistency consistency of the
account under study with known culture,
geography, customs, agriculture, architecture,
Botany, economics, language, law, personal
names, politics, religion, society, topography,
weather, etc. - Criterion of dissimilarity powerful tool when
applied to Jesus distinctive teachings (next
week) - Criterion of Multiple Attestation (next Week)
3Onomastic Research Results
- There were a few extremely popular names so that
almost 50 of the individuals bore these names. - The list of high frequency names in Palestine is
different from the list from Diaspora. - High frequency names are often disambiguated.
- About 15 of individuals bore Greek first name
(male 12, female 18). - Double names in Palestine are of the form
ltJewish namegt ltGreek namegt, rarely and perhaps
never ltJewish namegtltJewish namegt. - David, Moses, Elijah not used. These are
eschatological figures.
4Names Statistics NT vs Palestine
5So Many Simons
Mt Mk Lk Jn
Simon Peter Apostle mentioned mentioned mentioned mentioned
Simon the zealot /the canaanite 102-4 115
Jesus' brother 1355 603
Simon the leper 26 6-11 143-9 121-8
Simon the Cyrenean cross bearing 332
Simon the Pharisee 740-44
Father of Judas Iscariot 671124132,26
Sorcerer (Acts 89-24)
6Disambiguation of the Twelve (Mat 102-4)
7Jesus Family (Mk 63, Mt 1355-56)(n) indicates
rank of popularity in Elans list of 3000
- Mother Mary (1 )
- Father Joseph (2 )
- Jesus (6)
- James (11)
- Joseph (2)
- Simon (1)
- Judas (4)
- Sisters unnamed
- Mt 121 2She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins.
8Apocryphal Gospel of Thomas
- Starting line These are the secret words
which the living Jesus spoke, and Didymus Judas
Thomas wrote them down. - The Hebraic name Judas should be first.
- 3 names not heard of or very very rare
- Thomas is Aramiac for Twin. John 1116,
2024, 213 - Didymus means twin in Greek
- Early Church has a tradition that Thomas
Hebraic name is Judas.
9Heretical contents Of Apoc. Gospel of Thomas
- Saying 114 (last line) Simon Peter said to
him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy
of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her
in order to make her male, so that she too may
become a living spirit resembling you males. For
every woman who will make herself male will enter
the kingdom of heaven." - Saying 71 Jesus said, "I shall destroy this
house, and no one will be able to build it
...." (rejects resurrection) - Saying 3 When you come to know yourselves, then
you will become known, and you will realize that
it is you who are the sons of the living father.
(salvation by knowledge)
10Apocryphal Gospel of Philip Showed Ignorance
- The apostles who were before us had these names
for him "Jesus, the Nazorean, Messiah", that is,
"Jesus, the Nazorean, the Christ". The last name
is "Christ", the first is "Jesus", that in the
middle is "the Nazarene". "Messiah" has two
meanings, both "the Christ" and "the measured".
"Jesus" in Hebrew is "the redemption". "Nazara"
is "the Truth". "The Nazarene" then, is "the
Truth". - Scholars cannot find etymological reasons for
Nazara to mean truth .
11Jesus in Quoted Speech in Crowd situation
Disambiguated in 4 Gospels
- The Gospel Writers called the main character
Jesus, without qualification, because it is clear
which Jesus the 4 writers referred to. - However, Peter Williams of Tyndale House in
England notice that in quoted speech in a crowd
situation, the name Jesus was properly
disambiguated as expected!! - This shows that all 4 Gospel writers did not
allow their own usage to be put of the mouths of
the characters being portrayed.
12Jesus IN Quoted Speech
- Mt 216 They did just as Jesus had told them
- The crowds say This is the prophet Jesus from
Nazareth in Galilee (2111) - And Jesus went into the temple. (2112)
13Jesus in Quoted Speech
- Mt 2664 You have said so, Jesus replied
- 2669 Now Peter was sitting out in the
courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. You
also were with Jesus of Galilee, she said. - 2671 Then he went out to the gateway, where
another servant girl saw him and said to the
people there, This fellow was with Jesus of
Nazareth. - 2675 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had
spoken
14Jesus in Quoted Speech in Matthew
- 2717 Whom do you want me to release for you
Barabbas or Jesus whop is called Christ? - 2722 What shall I do with Jesus who is called
Christ? - 2737 This is Jesus the king of the Jews
- 285 I know that you seek Jesus who was
crucified.
15Jesus in Quoted Speech in Mark
- 124 What do we have to do with you, Jesus of
Nazareth? - 1047 And hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth
he began to call out Son of David Jesus! - 1467 You were with the Nazarene Jesus
- 166 You seek Jesus of Nazareth
16Jesus in Quoted Speech in Luke
- 434 What do we have to do with you, Jesus of
Nazareth? - 828 What do I have to do with you, Jesus son of
the Most High God? - 1713 Jesus teacher, have mercy on us
- 1837 They told him Jesus the Nazarene was
passing by and he called out saying, Jesus son
of David, have mercy on me. - 2324 Jesus, remember me. (no need to qual.)
- 2419 the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth
17Jesus in Quoted Speech in John
- 145 We have found the one that Moses in the law
and the prophets wrote about Jesus the son of
Joseph from Nazareth - 642 Isnt this the son of Joseph, whom we know?
- 911 The man called Jesus made clay (no qual.
Because blind man didnt know much - 185,7 Whom are you seeking? They replied Jesus
of Nazareth - 1919 Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews
18Jesus and Christ in the 4 Gospels
Occurrences of "Jesus" Occurrences of "Messiah" / "Christ" applied to Jesus
Matthew 225 14
Mark 214 6
Luke 239 12
John 283 12
19(No Transcript)
20Outsiders Preferred Christ
- Acts 1126 The disciples were called Christians
first at Antioch. (AD 46 or before) - Acts 2628 Then Agrippa said to Paul, Do you
think that in such a short time you can persuade
me to be a Christian?
21Outsiders Preferred Christ
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20.200 (AD 93
or 94) - Ananus - High Priest assembled the sanhedrim
of judges, and brought before them the brother of
Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was
James, and some others - Pliny, Letters To Emperor Gtrajan (AD113-116)
- they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day
before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to
Christ as to a god - Tacitus, Annals, 15.44 (AD 109)
- Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most
exquisite tortures on a class hated for their
abominations, called Christians by the populace.
Christus, from whom the name had its origin,
suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of
Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators,
Pontius Pilatus
22Lord Jesus Christ3-word confession
- 0 time in Gospels
- 83 times in the rest of the NT
- 4 times in Acts
- 66 times in Paul
- 13 times in the rest of the NT
- Note we count similar phrases e.g. Jesus Christ
our Lord - What would explain the shift of usage from
Gospels to the rest of NT?
23What triggered the change of usage from
predominantly Jesus to Christ, Jesus
Christ, Lord Jesus Christ
- Acts 222 ff
- Jesus death and resurrection as fulfillment of
Ps 168-11 - Acts 2 33 ff
- Jesus ascension and the giving of the Holy
Spirit as fulfillment of Ps 1101
24Acts 225ff - Ps 168-11 prophesized about the
Resurrection of the Messiah
- David said about him
- I saw the Lord always before me. Because he
is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken.26 Therefore my heart is glad and my
tongue rejoices my body also will rest in
hope,27 because you will not abandon me to the
realm of the dead, you will not let your holy
one see decay.28 You have made known to me the
paths of life you will fill me with joy in
your presence.e - 29 Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently
that the patriarch David died and was buried, and
his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a
prophet and knew that God had promised him on
oath that he would place one of his descendants
on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he
spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he
was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor
did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this
Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
25Acts 233ff Ps 1101 prophesized about the
ascension of the Messiah
- 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has
received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit
and has poured out what you now see and hear.
34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he
said, - The Lord said to my Lord Sit at my right
hand35 until I make your enemies a footstool
for your feet.f - 36 Therefore let all Israel be assured of this
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Messiah.
26Philippians 25-11 Carmen Christi
- Who, being in very naturea God, did not
consider equality with God something to be used
to his own advantage7 rather, he made himself
nothing
?---- Jesus by taking the very natureb of a
servant, being made in human likeness.8 And
being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death
?-----Christ even death on a cross! - 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above
every name, ?--- Lord10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
27Hark the Herald Angels Sing Lk 211
- Today in the town of David
- a Savior has been born to you
Jesus - he is the Messiah,
Christ - the Lord.
Lord - In a nutshell the angels in advance presented the
gist of Peters sermon on Pentecost! - Carmen Christi is the liturical encapsulation of
the same!
28Application Tree for Lord Jesus Christ
- Lord Jesus Christ
- Jesus Lord Christ
- Birth/Incarnation
Death/Resurrection -
- Ascension/Pentecost/Rule/Satan Destruction
- Humility
Obedience Death to sin - Intercession Worship
New Life - Service
Missions -
Hope