Re: The Real Testimonium
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:11 pm
I appreciate the reply, Andrew. As usual, you identify some important points.
It's quite possible that the action of Claudius was enforced by expelling those who didn't comply with the mandate against meetings (as Dio Cassius described it), which would make both Suetonius and Acts half-right and obviate the need to say that one depended on the other.
I would say possibly. There are many elements in Revelation that are different from Zechariah, so pointing out the interpretation of Zechariah does not prove the interpretation in Revelation. While I don't prefer this interpretation, it is consistent with either location of the two witnesses.andrewcriddle wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:26 am i.e. Lord of the earth in Revelation is God (definitely)
Even if it were God meant, that alone wouldn't establish where God was "dwelling" or where the witnesses serving God were. If the reference is to God, then it's not clear to me that the "standing before" is even meant to be literal, instead of representing who the witnesses testify for.
I'm not sure how to evaluate whether Acts used Suetonius, but I agree it's unlikely a priori (assuming that Suetonius wrote in Latin and for a limited audience that didn't have a large overlap with early Christians).IMO unlikely that Acts is influenced by Suetonius
It's quite possible that the action of Claudius was enforced by expelling those who didn't comply with the mandate against meetings (as Dio Cassius described it), which would make both Suetonius and Acts half-right and obviate the need to say that one depended on the other.
As for the Jews, who had again increased so greatly that by reason of their multitude it would have been hard without raising a tumult to bar them from the city, he [Claudius] did not drive them out, but ordered them, while continuing their traditional mode of life, not to hold meetings.