Thanks maryhelena. Supposing for the moment that the literary school that was responsible for the Greek authorship of the NT books used option (3) as an historical "motif".maryhelena wrote: The connection of Simon of Cyrene to the crucifixion story, the history of that city involving an insurrection of Jews during the time of Vespasian and the Jewish War, the crucifixion of Jews after that War, indicates that the Jesus crucifixion story involves insurrection against Rome.
Options:
(1) the gospel story is reflecting events of that Jewish insurrection of 70/73 c.e. and backdating them to the time of Pilate.
(2) the gospel Jesus figure was connected to a zealot movement - as in Reza Aslan's Zealot.
(3) the connection of Simon from Cyrene to the gospel crucifixion story, is reference to an insurrection in 40 b.c.e. - an insurrection that led, 3 years later, to the execution of the last King of the Jews. Antigonus being hung on a cross and scourged.
All of these three options suggest that the gospel Jesus crucifixion story is being linked to an insurrection against Rome - and since there was no Jewish insurrection against Rome in the time of Pilate - the other two options are in play. Cyrene was involved in insurrection around the time of the Jewish War - but it was the insurrection of 40 b.c.e. that led, in 37 b.c.e., to the Roman crucifixion of the last King of the Jews.
When did they write the NT, who were the "they" and why did they write?
LC