Peter Kirby wrote:There is no need to imagine "them" knee-deep in the water (or, worse, gliding on top of it) without so much of a hint of this in the text other than the use of an equivocal Greek preposition.
Funny you should mention that...:
Matthew 14: 28 - 30 (RSV):
[28] And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."
[29] He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;
[30] but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."
PK, I know you don't accept just about anything I write but here is a good example of seeing what I've been riffing on lately. The Gospel Stories are about "Jesus". The Source(s) for these Stories are about something else. "WE don't have to imagine "them" knee-deep in the water..." but
we do have to imagine Peter knee-deep in the water and there is a reason. Both Stories are from the same location and the events they describe are probably no more than 12 hours apart.
A ditch surrounds Antonia and Antonia's magnificence of appearance lends itself to being Symbolized as a "Boat". You don't have to accept this except insofar as you want to examine the Thesis for consistency. I sure you won't accept the Symbolic Assignment made. You say, however that there is no need to assume the populace surrounding "Jesus" as either knee-deep in the water or walking on the water. The worshipers at this Passover were doing just that (giving a small bit of Poetic License for walking on the water...).
Such is the Measure of the Transvaluation that this idea cannot even be considered.
Best...
CW