Flogging Jesus: all of them interpolations?

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mlinssen
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Flogging Jesus: all of them interpolations?

Post by mlinssen »

In the pursuit of Hurtado's alleged encounter of the staurogram, where there are only 8 instances instead of 13, and none in P45, I noticed a few things:

1. There is no occurrence of cross or crucify in John until chapter 19!
2. There are two different words used for flogging: the verb from the native Greek μαστιγώ, and the Latin loanword φραγελλώ - both of these words written here in their root form

Let's go through all of the NT as usual, because I don't like partial research:

Matthew 10:17 Προσέχετε (Beware) δὲ (however) ἀπὸ (of) τῶν (-) ἀνθρώπων (men); παραδώσουσιν (they will deliver) γὰρ (for) ὑμᾶς (you) εἰς (into) συνέδρια (courts), καὶ (and) ἐν (in) ταῖς (the) συναγωγαῖς (synagogues) αὐτῶν (of them), μαστιγώσουσιν (they will flog) ὑμᾶς (you);

Matthew 20:19 καὶ (and) παραδώσουσιν (they will betray) αὐτὸν (Him) τοῖς (the) ἔθνεσιν (Gentiles) εἰς (unto), τὸ (-) ἐμπαῖξαι (to mock) καὶ (and) μαστιγῶσαι (to flog) καὶ (and) σταυρῶσαι (to crucify); καὶ (and) τῇ (the) τρίτῃ (third) ἡμέρᾳ (day) ἐγερθήσεται (He will rise again).”

Matthew 23:34 Διὰ (Because of) τοῦτο (this), ἰδοὺ (behold), ἐγὼ (I) ἀποστέλλω (send) πρὸς (to) ὑμᾶς (you) προφήτας (prophets) καὶ (and) σοφοὺς (wise men) καὶ (and) γραμματεῖς (scribes). ἐξ (Some of) αὐτῶν (them) ἀποκτενεῖτε (you will kill) καὶ (and) σταυρώσετε (will crucify), καὶ (and some) ἐξ (of) αὐτῶν (them) μαστιγώσετε (you will flog) ἐν (in) ταῖς (the) συναγωγαῖς (synagogues) ὑμῶν (of you), καὶ (and) διώξετε (will persecute) ἀπὸ (from) πόλεως (town) εἰς (to) πόλιν (town);

Matthew 27:26 Τότε (Then) ἀπέλυσεν (he released) αὐτοῖς (to them) τὸν (-) Βαραββᾶν (Barabbas);
τὸν (-) δὲ (and) Ἰησοῦν (Jesus) φραγελλώσας (having flogged), παρέδωκεν (He delivered up Him), ἵνα (that) σταυρωθῇ (He might be crucified).

++++++++++

Mark 10:34 καὶ (And) ἐμπαίξουσιν (they will mock) αὐτῷ (Him), καὶ (and) ἐμπτύσουσιν (will spit upon) αὐτῷ (Him), καὶ (and) μαστιγώσουσιν (will flog) αὐτὸν (Him), καὶ (and) ἀποκτενοῦσιν (will kill), καὶ (and) μετὰ (on the) τρεῖς (third) ἡμέρας (day) ἀναστήσεται (He will rise again).”

Mark 15:15 Ὁ (-) δὲ (And) Πιλᾶτος (Pilate), βουλόμενος (desiring) τῷ (to the) ὄχλῳ (crowd) τὸ (that which was) ἱκανὸν (satisfactory) ποιῆσαι (to do), ἀπέλυσεν (released) αὐτοῖς (to them) τὸν (-) Βαραββᾶν (Barabbas), καὶ (and) παρέδωκεν (he delivered) τὸν (-) Ἰησοῦν (Jesus), φραγελλώσας (having flogged him), ἵνα (that) σταυρωθῇ (He might be crucified).

Luke, as usual, has nothing of the entire scene: no crown of thorns, no reed, no purple dress, etc. But he has the prediction!

Luke 18:32 παραδοθήσεται (He will be betrayed) γὰρ (for) τοῖς (to the) ἔθνεσιν (Gentiles), καὶ (and) ἐμπαιχθήσεται (will be mocked), καὶ (and) ὑβρισθήσεται (will be insulted), καὶ (and) ἐμπτυσθήσεται (will be spit upon). 33 καὶ (And) μαστιγώσαντες (having flogged Him), ἀποκτενοῦσιν (they will kill) αὐτόν (Him); καὶ (and) τῇ (on the) ἡμέρᾳ (day) τῇ (-) τρίτῃ (third) ἀναστήσεται (He will rise again).”

Here's what Luke has, a mere promise of a chastisement. Does it actually happen? No. Observe the very verb itself, and its own root - this is such a joke

paideuó: to train children, to chasten, correct
Original Word: παιδεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: paideuó
Phonetic Spelling: (pahee-dyoo'-o)
Definition: to train children, to chasten, correct
Usage: (a) I discipline, educate, train, (b) more severely: I chastise.

Children. The irony is dripping off the bottom of the screen here, and this has no resemblance whatsoever with the incredibly painful punishment of flogging. At best this is some kind of spanking, but the link with the theme of children - in the NT as well as in Thomas - is blatantly obvious

22 Ὁ (-) δὲ (And) τρίτον (a third time) εἶπεν (he said) πρὸς (to) αὐτούς (them), “Τί (What) γὰρ (for) κακὸν (evil) ἐποίησεν (did commit) οὗτος (this man)? οὐδὲν (No) αἴτιον (cause) θανάτου (of death) εὗρον (found I) ἐν (in) αὐτῷ (Him).
παιδεύσας (Having chastised) οὖν (therefore) αὐτὸν (Him), ἀπολύσω (I will release Him).”

++++++++++

John 19:1 Τότε (At that time) οὖν (therefore) ἔλαβεν (took) ὁ (-) Πιλᾶτος (Pilate) τὸν (-) Ἰησοῦν (Jesus) καὶ (and) ἐμαστίγωσεν (flogged Him).

John, surprisingly, has none of the predictions, yet the flogging is part of chapter 19 - that very chapter which has the first occurrence of the words cross and crucify as well

Acts 22:23 Κραυγαζόντων (Were crying out) τε (then) αὐτῶν (they), καὶ (and) ῥιπτούντων (casting off) τὰ (the) ἱμάτια (garments), καὶ (and) κονιορτὸν (dust) βαλλόντων (throwing) εἰς (into) τὸν (the) ἀέρα (air). 24 ἐκέλευσεν (Ordered) ὁ (the) χιλίαρχος (commander) εἰσάγεσθαι (to be brought) αὐτὸν (him) εἰς (into) τὴν (the) παρεμβολήν (barracks), εἴπας (having directed) μάστιξιν (by flogging) ἀνετάζεσθαι (to be examined) αὐτὸν (him), ἵνα (so that) ἐπιγνῷ (he might know) δι’ (for) ἣν (what) αἰτίαν (cause) οὕτως (like this) ἐπεφώνουν (they were crying out) αὐτῷ (against him).

Acts 22:25 Ὡς (As) δὲ (however) προέτειναν (he stretched forward) αὐτὸν (him) τοῖς (with the) ἱμᾶσιν (straps), εἶπεν (said) πρὸς (to) τὸν (the) ἑστῶτα (standing by) ἑκατόνταρχον (centurion) ὁ (-) Παῦλος (Paul), “Εἰ (If) ἄνθρωπον (a man), Ῥωμαῖον (a Roman) καὶ (and) ἀκατάκριτον (uncondemned), ἔξεστιν (it is lawful) ὑμῖν (to you) μαστίζειν (to flog)?”

A clear story unfolds here. The actual event is most important, and comes before the predictions; so the Latin loanword is leading - and it once more is evident that these are Roman productions.
Then, at a later point, the prediction of events gets added, as so much of all of the NT is just lies made true by fulfilling predictions, as fake as they usually are - both of them. So the editors, more fluent in Greek (and Palestine in general) than the writers, add the predictions. And they do so by using the proper Greek native word

Which makes Mark and Matthew early, and Acts late. And John! And highly likely all of John chapter 19 is an interpolation, but that is something else for later.
Could it be the other way around, that the predictions were there and the actual event got added later? It could, in theory, although it would make little sense to have a prediction that isn't fulfilled

But we can see how Mark and Matthew are Roman productions, and at the core of the narrative. That is how textual criticism tells stories
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