GMatthew's Expanded Irony As Evidence For An Earlier, Funnier, Ironicer GMark

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JoeWallack
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GMatthew's Expanded Irony As Evidence For An Earlier, Funnier, Ironicer GMark

Post by JoeWallack »

JW:
GMark, likely the original Gospel narrative, has quite the reputation for Irony. GMatthew, likely the next Gospel written, used GMark as a base, and in general tried to make the Gospel narrative sound more historical which meant in general toning down the irony. Thus in total, GMatthew is less early, funny and ironic than GMark. A related observation though which would even make GMark's Jesus sore amazed is that in some individual parallel stories of GMark/GMatthew, it is GMatthew that is even more ironic than GMark.

The default explanation is simply that "Matthew" (author) as editor of GMark, while decreasing irony in general, increased it in a few chosen spots. Another possibility though is that to the extent GMatthew shows more irony than GMark, the explanation is that GMatthew has simply preserved original GMark while extant GMark, without this irony, had it edited out without a trace (other than GMatthew). This would help explain a few things such as:
  • 1) Hardly any extant GMark for the first few centuries compared to extant not GMark. GMark may have been so extremely ironic that it was recognized fiction or at least not wanted as supposed historical evidence.

    2) GMatthew was the favored Gospel in the early Church and the Church taught it was the first written. Maybe it was just the first Gospel accepted by the early Church.

    3) It could be that after GMatthew was written GMark was accepted by the early Church because of its similarity to GMatthew and once it was accepted it was copied and edited gradually reducing the irony.
Now on to the examples of increased irony in GMatthew:

1) 27
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
The source here looks like:

Mark 15
7 And there was one called Barabbas, [lying] bound with them that had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder.
Skeptical Textual Criticism though indicates that "Jesus Barabbas"
is likely original to GMatthew. While even just with "Barabbas" the irony is UUUGE since you have one "Barabbas" by name that is rebelling against Rome and committing murder compared to a "Bar Abbas" by title who is rebelling against The Jews and committing life. Already polemic opposites that The Jews will choose between. Since one of the two has an expanded name/title of "Jesus Bar Abbas", the irony would be even greater if the other one was also "Jesus Barabbas" by name and this is what original GMatthew appears to have. I mean what are the odds that historically both were Jesus Barabbas considering there is no evidence that anyone else in history had such a name? From a style and irony standpoint this would be just the type of thing that "Mark" would do, have the same name for people who are opposites in some way with the extreme irony being literary evidence that the point being made by the author was more important to the author than history/sounding historical. Style.

Can we find more examples?


Joseph

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Re: GMatthew's Expanded Irony As Evidence For An Earlier, Funnier, Ironicer GMark

Post by arnoldo »

Origen appears to support the hypothesis that Barabbas was origenally called "Jesus Barabbas"
Jesus Barabbas.PNG
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A new commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, Volume 2
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JoeWallack
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The Greatest Ironic Prophet Of All Time

Post by JoeWallack »

Looking For Clues At The Scene Of The Crime

JW:
I tell you the truth, my favorite irony in GMatthew:

3
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Compare to:

14
8 And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.
9 And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given;
10 and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought on a platter
, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
In comparison JtB prophecies that if "The Jews" do not improve they will be cut down and killed. Later in the narrative JtB becomes the only one in the entire Gospel who is cut down and killed. Pretty good irony but not found in GMark which lacks the JtB prophecy of "The Jews" being cut down. Interestingly, GMatthew does follow GMark by having his Jesus retreat back to the desert after hearing about JtB. So in both Jesus goes to the desert after first hearing about JtB and after last hearing about JtB. Style points.

It's commonly thought that the axe cutting down the trees part was in Q because of agreement with GMatthew/GLuke against GMark but, Q is otherwise thought to be almost all sayings and not narrative, so what if the explanation is that GMark is the original source which was subsequently edited out without a trace? Could this, evidence of extreme irony in original GMark now only extant in GMatthew, explain the exorcism (lacunae) in early textual evidence for GMark. We will now call in P45 as a witness:

Lakuna Markata. The Relationship of Lacunae to Difficult Readings

and note that in both examples in this Thread so far, Mark 15:7 & 1:9, are missing in P45. Any more examples of increased Matthean irony?

Bonus material for Solo = regarding the Herod story of "pleasing" the men, what is GMark's spiritual source?


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Passover Riot

Post by JoeWallack »

Riot

JW:
26
3 Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the elders of the people, unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas;
4 and they took counsel together that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.
5 But they said, Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among people.
The Jewish Leaders plan to dispose of Jesus Bar Abbas quietly for fear that to do so during Passover, when all the people are around, would cause a riot.

27
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 But the governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two will ye that I release unto you? And they said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them, What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? They all say, Let him be crucified.
23 And he said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him be crucified.
24 So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye [to it].
The Jewish Leaders apparently forgot what they were planning in the previous chapter and now ask for Jesus Bar Abbas to be disposed of during Passover. We've already seen the huge irony here in GMatthew of the choices for release being between Jesus Barabbas and Jesus Bar Abbas. Added to all this irony is that the above indicates the Jewish Leaders did not want Jesus disposed of during Passover for fear of it causing a riot but during Passover it is their insistence that Jesus be disposed of that would have caused a riot if Jesus was not disposed of. "Matthew" (author) is careful to use the same word (tumult) for both quotes above. Pilate's motivation to release Jesus Bar Abbas in GMark is a toned down do what was "acceptable" to the crowd. So GMark has some implication of a possible crowd problem but lacks the matching word of GMatthew.


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Re: GMatthew's Expanded Irony As Evidence For An Earlier, Funnier, Ironicer GMark

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