JW:
Many important, supposedly early Christian assertions appear to go through/were started by one Irenaeus (if that was his real name) of Lyons (yes, "Lyons"). However, as our own Roger Pearse points out, some alleged/self-appointed Bible scholars are guilty of obscuranticism/deconstructism in ignoring/denying the evidence that the only place one can find such original Irenaeus quotes is in "They Never Said It".
[Translation for the JoeWallack challenged = Scholar and amateur alike typically quote important Christian assertions attributed to Irenaeus without realizing or at least indicating that the evidence for Irenaeus originality is relatively weak.]
Consider that in general top Skeptical Bible Scholar Dr. Richard Carrier says that it is commonly accepted that in general transmission of Patristic writings, which includes original Greek to Latin, shows evidence of being moved towards orthodox Christian assertions.
Specifically, in Adverse Heresies, Irenaeus' most famous work, note that Irenaeus explicitly quotes from GMark relatively few times compared to the other Gospels. I see three explicit quotes:
3:10:5
[1;1]
[16:19]5. Wherefore also Mark, the interpreter and follower of Peter, does thus commence his Gospel narrative: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make the paths straight before our God."
4:6:1Also, towards the conclusion of his Gospel, Mark says: "So then, after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God; "
Strangely, the above is nowhere to be found in extant GMark. Perhaps that 1st century fragment?1. For the Lord, revealing Himself to His disciples, that He Himself is the Word, who imparts knowledge of the Father, and reproving the Jews, who imagined that they, had [the knowledge of] God, while they nevertheless rejected His Word, through whom God is made known, declared, "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whom the Son has willed to reveal [Him]." Thus hath Matthew set it down, and Luke in like manner, and Mark the very same;
For the two explicit quotes that actually can be found in extants GMark, I ask the serious student to consider them cumulatively, what textual criticism criticisms do they share and what do the two as a group lack?
We have the following reasons to doubt that either are original to Irenaeus of Lyons:
- 1) In general, Irenaeus did not explicitly quote much from GMark.
2) The two quotes just happen to be two of the most famous Textual Criticism issues of GMark.
3) For the two quotes Textual Criticism indicates that they are likely not what the original Gospels had.
4) Textual Criticism indicates that the evidence at the time of Irenaeus would not have supported the quotes.
5) Each would be the earliest known explicit quote.
6) There is no extant Greek text of Irenaeus which has either quote.
7) Patristic quotes of Irenaeus here show movement to the two quotes from the Greek to the Latin.
8) Irenaeus was considered an important early witness by the early Church so subsequent Patristics would have had motivation to move to the two quotes.
Joseph
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