How Many Authors Wrote the First Five Books of the Old Testament?

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

Did you know the first five books of the Old Testament likely had four different authors? They are all anonymous to us, and many (most?) of the original stories were oral traditions. But the collection we call the Bible is what we’ve got. We may spend a couple of Thursdays on this. it could be interesting. Or it could be dry. We just put it out there.

Here’s the rundown of ”J”. He was likely the first writer, penning much of Genesis and Exodus. 

  • Why do they call the author “J”?. A couple of reasons. One, the name for God in early Judaism was Yahweh. The spelling in Hebrew is YHWH, with no consonants. By the time it got translated into Latin, the “Y” turned into a “J” to spell Jehovah. Plus, the first scholar to come up with the hypothesis of this author came from Germany, where Yahweh is spelled with a J. Yep, it’s that mysterious.
  • What are the characteristics of J? First, most of the stories written by “J” take place in the southern locales of Canaan. Second, and more interesting, “J” writes about Yahweh in anthropomorphic terms — God has several of the characteristics (good and bad) of humans. For example, the Garden of Eden and Flood stories were both likely written by “J.” And in both of those stories, God speaks directly to the characters as if in conversation. Also, God expresses anger in both of these stories.
  • When were the “J” stories written? Probably in the 10th century BCE, during the reign of Solomon.  

Geeez, that used up three bullets pretty quickly. We will talk about at least one of the other authors next week.

More on Mary Magdalene and Jesus

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Last week we talked about the Gospel of Philip and its reference to Jesus kissing Mary Magdalene. A scandalous post. But fun. This week we dug out some other posts from Bart Ehrman speculating on whether Jesus was married or not. 

  • Cultural standards? Some sources (and we have probably cited them here) have said that most Jewish men in the time of Jesus were married, and it would be highly unlikely for Jesus not to be married. However, it was not impossible for a Jewish man to be single in those days. The Jewish sect called the Essenes for example. Paul himself openly declares in 1 Corinthians that he is single and celibate (the text is silent on whether that was by his choice or not; Paul was a bit of a boor … and a bore … at times).
  • Mary featured after the Resurrection. Out of all four gospels, Mary Magdalene is mentioned only once as being present during Jesus’ entire public ministry. The passage is Luke 8:1-3, where we are told that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, along with a large group of other women, financially supported Jesus and his disciples.   That’s it!  That’s what it says.  She is not singled out as special in any way to Jesus.  But Mary M takes on a more prominent role after Jesus’ resurrection. Specifically,she was with the first group of women who found the empty tomb.
  • Inconsistent with other mentions of Jesus’ family. Mary M is always called “Magdalene” in order to identify which Mary she is (Magdala is a town along the Sea of Galilee).  She is not Mary the mother of Jesus, or Mary the sister of Martha of Bethany, or Mary the mother of Joses. She is never identified as Mary, the wife of Jesus. If they were married, that would be inconsistent with other parts of the gospels that talk freely about Jesus’ other family members.

So, even though it’s not as much fun to speculate about, at least according to Dr. Ehrman, Jesus and Mary M probably did not have a ‘thing’ going on. 

Was the DaVinci Code correct?

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

This one was too fun to resist. We ran across a discussion in the Ehrman blog about whether Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married or lovers. This was the major premise in the best-selling novel The DaVinci Code.

  • What’s the reference that started this debate? The passage in question comes from one of those texts found in 1945 in a place in Egypt called Nag Hammadi (it’s different from the Dead Sea scrolls). The text is called the Gospel of Philip. It’s a difficult text to read because a lot of it is mystical and poetic. Plus there are gaps in the scroll which cannot be deciphered. But here’s the verse that was cited in the Dan Brown book:  And the companion of the {{gap in the manuscript}} Mary Magdalene. {{gap in the manuscript}} her more than {{gap}} the disciples {{gap}} kiss her {{gap}} on her {{gap in the manuscript!}}.
  • A little language challenge. Also in Philip, there is another verse that says, “There were three who always walked with the lord: Mary his mother and her sister and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion.  His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary.” The DaVinci Code mistakenly says that the Aramaic word used in that text means ‘spouse.’ The problem with that logic is that Philip was written in an Egyptian language called Coptic. Oops. In Coptic it literally just means ‘companion.’ 
  • What did the author really mean? The evidence from the text is inconclusive. But at a minimum it indicates that Jesus favored Mary Magdalene more than the other disciples … married or not. Ya think that caused some consternation among those other 12 men who were already arguing about which of them would get to sit next to Jesus in heaven?

There’s more. We’ll continue next week.

Mark’s Closing Verses

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This week we discovered some fun stuff about the Gospel of Mark, which is the first gospel written around 60-70 CE.

There are some things we have talked about before:  Mark makes no mention of Joseph by name. And Mark has no virgin birth story. 

But then things get interesting.

  • Mark has no appearances of Jesus after the women discover the empty tomb. Upon arriving at the tomb on the third day, they find the stone at the entrance of the tomb removed and a young man (not an angel) tells them:

 “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing (Mark 16:6-8)

And there the gospel simply ends! Or that was how it originally ended. Here’s what James Tabor and other Biblical historians have discovered:  The last 11 verses of Mark (Mark 16:9-19) were likely pencilled in centuries later. 

  • Why did they do that? Well, the other three gospels all contained accounts of Jesus appearances after the resurrection. And over the years, the appearances had become an integral part of the Christian theology. So church leaders decided to made some additions to Mark. Pretty much all the Christian Bibles in use today contain those … how should we say it … enhancements.
  • How do the scholars know this? First, this ending is not found in the earliestGreek copies of Mark. None of the third century manuscripts contain these last verses.  And in the latter Greek versions that begin to contain these verses, the language and style of the Greek is clearly not from the same author as the original Mark. 

Here is the ending of Mark as we generally see it. The high-lighted words are lifted directly from Matthew, Luke, and John:

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

This is so bizarre. 

Who was the Most Beloved Disciple?

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Let’s talk conspiracy theory this week. In the Gospel of John (written 70 years after Jesus’ death) there are four references to an unnamed disciple. This disciple was at the Last Supper, the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and on the Sea of Galilee in one of Jesus’ appearances after the resurrection. The gospel writer calls him “the most Beloved Disciple.” Who was this?

  • Mary Magdalene? This one is the most fun to talk about. Certain novelists sell a lot of books based on this theory. And DaVinci’s Last Supper painting does show a very feminine-looking disciple at the table. But most Biblical scholars think the use of the male pronoun in the text limits the gender to male. Plus Mary Magdalene is mentioned separately as being present at the tomb along with the Beloved Disciple.
  • One of Jesus’ brothers? The Beloved Disciple is also likely someone not named elsewhere in the Gospel of John. The only disciples not named in the Gospel of John are the “other” James, the “other” Jude, and the “other” Simon, and Matthew. These four (some scholars think even Matthew was a brother) were all part of the Jesus family.
  • Brother James. According to arguments presented by scholar James Tabor, Jesus’ brother James is the most likely candidate for the Beloved Disciple. He may have been one of the original 12 (i.e. the “other James”), and therefore was likely a part of Jesus’ inner circle. Plus, at the scene of the cross, Jesus gives the care of his mother Mary over to this Most Beloved disciple. Jewish tradition would have logically made that the next oldest brother.

There’s lots more, but we’ve only got three bullets per week.

Where did Joseph go?

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

This week we ran across a new Biblical scholar named James Tabor. He writes some good stuff. This week we are going to take up some of the things he says regarding Joseph.

  • Where did Joseph go after the birth of Jesus? Joseph is never mentioned again after the birth narratives in any of the Gospels. Maybe he died early? All the references to family in the Gospels mention Jesus’ ‘mother and brothers’. Even at the crucifixion. But no Joseph. This makes it seem likely that Joseph died early, whether because he was substantially older than Mary or for some other unknown cause.
  • Conspiracy theory.  If Joseph died soon after Jesus’ birth without having other male children, Jewish law would have Joseph’s brother marry Mary so as to carry on the lineage. Far-fetched? Maybe not. It comes up in a discussion in the Gospels where Jesus is asked about a woman who is widowed seven times and each time successively marries a brother of her first husband (Mark 12:19-22). Why would that come up randomly in a Gospel account?
  • Sure, then where is this brother mentioned? Though seldom recognized he is mentioned in the New Testament (John 19:25). His name is Clophas. You know what Clophas means in Greek — the Replacer. 

Well, this presents a conundrum. Putting theological debates aside, we have always assumed Joseph was the father of Jesus. But if Joseph died childless, then Mary the widow would have been required to marry Joseph’s brother. Does that mean Clophas was the father of Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Is it too far-fetched to think that Clophas might have been the father of Jesus? 

I think I’m going to like reading this Tabor guy.

Early Christianity and Paul

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  • Before Paul, early ‘Christianity’ was pretty much an offshoot of traditional Jewish practices, complete with circumcision requirements and dietary laws. These small groups added an apocalyptic twist by insisting that a man named Yeshua (i.e. Jesus) had died and come back to life. And then came Paul, a tent-maker from Syria who began telling people (very insistently at times) that he had seen the risen Jesus in a vision.
  • Paul expanded the appeal by reinventing Christianity around a theology based on faith rather than through good Jewish works. This was excellent marketing, because it expanded Christianity into an international religion. Paul probably already had a bias toward mixing of various religious sects, because he came from Syria, which was much more cosmopolitan in allowing both Jews and Gentiles to worship under the same roof.
  • The key event that sealed the deal for Paul’s version of Christianity was when the Temple was destroyed around 70 CE. At that point the identity of the Jewish Christian churches disappeared. This left only Paul’s churches outside of Jerusalem to carry on the Christian religion. And since the winners write the history, this explains why we don’t hear much about the non-Paul leaders in the early Christian development.

Fun fact:  Paul never quotes Jesus.

Interesting Speculation:  Was Paul’s vision some kind of epileptic seizure caused by little sleep, frequent danger, and stress? And did it result in damaged eyesight, that might be indicated by Paul himself in Galatians 6:11, “SEE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I WRITE WITH MY OWN HAND.”

Editor note:  Much of today’s post comes from Neil Carter’s blog entitled Godless in Dixie. 

Paul’s Belief System

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

This week we do a little more on Paul.

  • Major premise. One of Paul’s beliefs, which was common at the time, was that the end of times was near. This was reinforced by his epiphany that Jesus himself came back from the dead, which Paul thought must be a further sign that the end is near. So when Paul says that Jesus will return soon, he meant it literally.
  • What was Paul’s major theme? Paul focused almost solely on the death and resurrection of Jesus. His theology (written mostly in Romans) was that the Jewish God (similar to the Roman and pagan gods at the time) required some form of sacrifice. Sacrifice was a common theme, even in the Jewish temples. According to Paul, Jesus’ death was also a sacrifice, but on a much larger scale.
  • What did the traditional Jewish leaders think? They were not appreciative. James (Jesus’ brother) and Paul had several go-rounds back in the day. The traditional Jewish leaders, even if they were following Jesus’ teachings, were all about following the Law and doing the ‘right’ thing. What was the ‘right’ thing? Getting circumcised, eating Kosher, and honoring the Sabbath and other Jewish laws. Paul was having none of that. 

Fun Facts:  Paul did not found the largest early Christian church, which was in Rome. This ‘large’ church had about 26 members, six of whom Paul addressed as Jewish.

Did Paul actually write about the Road to Damascus?

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

We have not talked about the letters of Paul for awhile. 

  • Forgeries? Six of the thirteen New Testament letters that name him as the author are probably not from his pen, but were written by later followers. Why? Well, it always sounds more convincing if you say you’re the Apostle Paul than if you say you’re not Paul. Which are the authentic ones? Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.
  • Church issues. And the letters were always to some church having problems. We only know one side of the issue — Paul’s side. But because he’s trying to patch things up at these churches (which may have been only 12 people at the time), it is rare that we really see a comprehensive outline of Paul’s theological viewpoint on things.
  • The Road to Damascus. Paul says nothing in his letters about being “blinded by the light” on the road to Damascus. This account is recorded 3x in Acts, which was likely written by the same author as Luke. What Paul says is that Jesus “appeared” to him and that “God revealed his son” to him. That may or may not be more dramatic.

Whatever visionary experience Paul had, it changed everything for him — what he thought about Christ, God, salvation, the role of Jews in the plan of God, and many other things. We’ll talk about some of these next week.

Did Isaiah predict the birth of Jesus?

~ Dana Horton ~ Leave a comment

Most of us have heard the text from Matthew that was supposed to be from Isaiah saying “Behold a virgin will conceive …”  Was that what it really said? And what was the intention of Isaiah when he wrote it in the 700 BCE timeframe?

  • First, the virgin birth story was not part of the Christian tradition until the 90s CE. Paul (writing in the 50s) said nothing about it. Mark, the first gospel, was written in the 70s, and said nothing about it. Mark even portrays Jesus’ mother as thinking that her adult son might not have been so special at the time. Look at this from Mark 3:20-21. 

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (New International Version)

  • The original Hebrew in Isaiah 7 does not say, “Behold a virgin will conceive”. It says, “Behold a woman is with child”. These two statements have different connotations. The Christian Church has known of this mistake since the middle years of the 2 nd Century, when Trypho the Jew pointed it out to Justin Martyr (there’s that guy again) in a written dialogue whose contents are still available.
  • The second thing that is wrong with Matthew’s text is that the child who is anticipated by Isaiah was to be a sign to the current King Ahaz of Jerusalem, who was under siege by armies from the north and from Syria. The sign was for King Ahaz to not give up — Jerusalem would not fall. It had nothing to do with something to occur 700 years later.

These ruminations largely come from Bishop Shelby Spong’s essay on Isaiah.

Letter to the Editor re last week’s entry on Thomas the Twin. The following comprehensive observation came from one of our readers in eastern Ohio. Worth a read:  

The twinning with different sires is most prevalent in my experience of the story of Leda and the Swan. Leda, raped (or seduced) gives birth to two sets of twins: Helen and Pollux as well as Castor and Clytemnestra. Helen and  Pollux were by Zeus, yet Castor and Clytemnestra were  of her husband.  Somewhere in preparing for Mythology, I read some learned explanation that the Greeks believed children could be of combined male traits from multiple fathers.  I recently ran across a better explanation… sheep, it seems, can ovulate multiple ova. It would have been observable to the ancients that the traits of different rams might be seen in twin or triplet lambs.  A smart guy from a bronze age culture extrapolating sheep sex to higher primates would see observable, factual biology in twins by different parents.  Our modern science may confuse us when it comes to the writings of the ancients…