From: Edward Hobbs (EHOBBS@WELLESLEY.EDU)
Date: Fri Apr 19 1996 - 14:58:08 EDT
/Edward, what's wrong with the suggestion that the PTWCOI of the original
/saying-complex--assuming that Luke's version is earlier than Matthew's, as
/I think most people are likely to concede--are the itinerant evangelists
/referred to in the Missionary Discourse(s) (which I suppose COULD have been
/early church rules for evangelistic circuits) as conducted by pairs who
/take no provisions for the road but are to beg from the villages to which
/they go?
I totally agree--as long as we stick to "original SAYING-
COMPLEX". As for Jesus' "original intention" (I'm thoroughly quasy about
that notion, but I'll go no further here than Bultmann did/would): I'm
dubious that he in his lifetime sent out any missionaries, which is a later
post-Easter activity. Hence the meaning would be: "God's favor is/is-to-be
showered on the literally destitute."
/And wouldn't this also be consistent with the petition in the
/Lord's Prayer, TON ARTON hHMIN TON EPIOUSION DIDOU hHMIN TO KAQ'
/hHMERAN--and in general with the tone of those Jesus-sayings on anxiety?
Yes, and yes. And consistent with the thrust of a proclamation to
the Destitute, earlier (i.e., in Jesus' lifetime).
/It was at one time fashionable, was it not, to suppose that this whole complex
/of sayings concerned itinerant begging evangelists (Gerd Theissen et al.)?
/Might that designation of at least one early community of believers have
/stuck as a self-designation for the Jerusalem community?
Yes, and yes.
/But of course, I think the more common assumption might be that there were
/different kinds of communities in Galilee and in Jerusalem, and that the
/itinerant begging preacher perhaps was more characteristic of Galilee.
Yes; but that assumption is wrong. The earliest reference we have
to any "Poor" in Palestine are from Paul, who designates them as in/around
Jerusalem. The theory of a major Galilean movement pre-Revolt is both
attractive and common; but our data for it is zero.
/OOPS! I just realized something: the best-known itinerant begging preachers
/in the Hellenistic world were the Cynics! Am I going to have to concede a
/point to Burton Mack after all?
You would, if you made that assumption. (Mack and Ray Hart were
two of the most arrogant students I ever had. Thank heaven, both left me to
do their doctorates with other people!)
Edward
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:37:41 EDT