The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus

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Giuseppe
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The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus

Post by Giuseppe »

Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John reveals a point about Heracleon's interpretation of "Capernaum" that is the best explanation I have found until now about how an angel could be easily euhemerized.

But Heracleon, dealing with the words, "After this He went down to Capernaum," declares that they indicate the introduction of another transaction, and that the word "went down" is not without significance. "Capernaum," he says, "means these farthest-out parts of the world, these districts of matter, into which He descended, and because the place was not suitable, he says, He is not reported either to have done anything or said anything in it." Now if the Lord had not been reported in the other Gospels either as having done or said anything at Capernaum, we might perhaps have hesitated whether this view ought or ought not to be received. But that is far from being the case. Matthew says our Lord left Nazareth and came and dwelt at Capernaum on the seaside, and that from that time He began to preach, saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus is to reply against an old Gnostic insistence on Jesus having visited "Capernaum" surely not the time necessary to consider Capernaum as his home.

The truth, for the Gnostics, was that Jesus had made only a short toccata and fugue in "Capernaum",
which is precisely what mythicism says: Jesus descended in the lower heavens (and/or on earthly "Capernaum") only for the few hours of the his crucifixion.
ABuddhist
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Re: The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus

Post by ABuddhist »

Giuseppe wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:33 pm Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John reveals a point about Heracleon's interpretation of "Capernaum" that is the best explanation I have found until now about how an angel could be easily euhemerized.

But Heracleon, dealing with the words, "After this He went down to Capernaum," declares that they indicate the introduction of another transaction, and that the word "went down" is not without significance. "Capernaum," he says, "means these farthest-out parts of the world, these districts of matter, into which He descended, and because the place was not suitable, he says, He is not reported either to have done anything or said anything in it." Now if the Lord had not been reported in the other Gospels either as having done or said anything at Capernaum, we might perhaps have hesitated whether this view ought or ought not to be received. But that is far from being the case. Matthew says our Lord left Nazareth and came and dwelt at Capernaum on the seaside, and that from that time He began to preach, saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus is to reply against an old Gnostic insistence on Jesus having visited "Capernaum" surely not the time necessary to consider Capernaum as his home.

The truth, for the Gnostics, was that Jesus had made only a short toccata and fugue in "Capernaum",
which is precisely what mythicism says: Jesus descended in the lower heavens (and/or on earthly "Capernaum") only for the few hours of the his crucifixion.
But the synoptics do not make Jesus's home Capernaum, but Nazareth.
Giuseppe
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Re: The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus

Post by Giuseppe »

ABuddhist wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:48 pm
But the synoptics do not make Jesus's home Capernaum, but Nazareth.
I mean, more than "home": Capernaum in Mark is the "headquarter" of Jesus during his public preaching. He is there however the time necessary and sufficient to deny the Gnostic claim that "the place was not suitable" because it was another name for the lower heavens.

Hence Origen's point:

Now if the Lord had not been reported in the other Gospels either as having done or said anything at Capernaum, we might perhaps have hesitated whether this view ought or ought not to be received.

can be translated so:

Now if the Lord had not been reported in the other Gospels either as having done or said anything on the earth, we might perhaps have hesitated whether this view ought or ought not to be received.

Giuseppe
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Re: The reason the Synoptics make Capernaum the home of Jesus

Post by Giuseppe »

What was in discussion was not the visitation by Jesus of a mere village named "Capernaum".

What was in discussion was the visitation by Jesus of an entire planet: the our planet.

Origen realized the problem put by Heracleon's equation "Capernaum" == lower heavens.
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