What do the accounts from Luke and Matthew look like when compared? How do they overlap, etc? I have created a table based on the account from Luke. Some common suppositions and accepted images are unsupported...
URL to PDF file of the above table in Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MNM6jgxg5XmO20pEfOqgQK5X8JOAQckY
What do you notice in the two accounts of the beginnings of Jesus of Nazareth? It seems clear enough that the accounts are quite independent. They have a little in common: Lists of ancestral names (divergent!); Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus; Joseph being Mary’s husband; Joseph being seen as Jesus’ father; Nazareth as their final address; above all, both emphasise that this was God’s action. Absent is a "miracle play" kind of approach. (More detail of the accounts is found in post, "Nativity".)
Otherwise, do you notice a strong contrast? Is Matthew 1 & 2 told from the point of view of Joseph, whilst Luke 1 & 2 are from Mary’s viewpoint? The Nazareth/Bethlehem locations seem a bit unclear. How does a brief period in Egypt fit in? Luke shows that their lives in Nazareth were a return to home territory for them. So it was, the Christ grew in a “second-rate” location, relatively remote from the esteemed setting of Jerusalem. There Jesus may well have encountered more non-Jews than otherwise. Perhaps he did carpentry jobs for them. Perhaps he did work on the rebuilding of Sepphoris.
The fact that two of the four Gospels contain no birth accounts, and apart from passing mention, the Apostle Paul says nothing about Jesus’ birth, evidently raises questions. Knotty issues include the manner of Jesus’ conception; the unexpected arrival of Magi; the use of Old Testament (OT) prophecy; the idea of a travelling star. (As far as the last is concerned, star travel is not required by the text; the sightings and their timings were central.)
As to the Magi: In that era, the people who inherited the mantle of the (Mede) Magians, were viewed with great respect. Politically, non-trade travellers from Parthia or Armenia might well be treated with suspicion, and a client-ruler such as Herod would cannily make use of, but steer clear of them.
Lost in the mists of time are the issues of silence on the part of Mark and John as to how Jesus came into being. Why "should" they? Like the others, they are clear that Jesus is the Good News; that he is God’s word (Word) to his people and to the world. (They can hardly have understood he, who was from the beginning, instantly appeared amongst us, fully formed as a carpenter from Nazareth.)
From the early days Jesus told people “time was up”: He said, “The time has come! God’s kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15, CEV) As did Mark, it is clear that Paul the Apostle also knew that Jesus had said “time is up”. Paul also clearly knew of Jesus’ birth, and made reference to it: But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law (Galatians 4:4, NLT). I suppose that is a passing mention of the birth, but it is there.
In a carefully constructed and polished exposition of his message, Paul refers to the ancestry of Jesus but does not make a lot of it: The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line (Romans 1:3, NLT). Nothing like the “Christmas” hullabaloo with which we may be familiar. Paul's business is passing on the news of salvation in the Christ.
If each of the written Gospels was part of a specific community at first, it probably follows that many early believers died without hearing these specific accounts, or at least their details. They must have had unanswered questions - but don’t we all? (Some voices out there speculate that early followers latched on to tales of the supra-normal origins of Caesar, etc, and inserted Jesus’ name in the myths. That is not how the NT sees it.)
Of course it is not possible to determine what (oral) traditions were held where. Nonetheless, it seems that Philippians 2 contains a fragment of an early hymn or creed and thus oral tradition. Perhaps those who used these words well knew about the history of Jesus assuming the form of a slave and being like us. Probably teaching about Jesus was being passed from hand to hand (voice to voice, heart to heart); teaching like this:
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 5-11, HCSB).
Basic text used for table ESV; also referenced CEV and NIRV
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked (NIRV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
I retain in the publishers' text the references () to footnotes where they occur. You can check them out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are the same in different translations.
Note: Bible text sourced through Biblegateway.com or/and BlueLetterBible.org.
 |
| better PDF |
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MNM6jgxg5XmO20pEfOqgQK5X8JOAQckY
What do you notice in the two accounts of the beginnings of Jesus of Nazareth? It seems clear enough that the accounts are quite independent. They have a little in common: Lists of ancestral names (divergent!); Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus; Joseph being Mary’s husband; Joseph being seen as Jesus’ father; Nazareth as their final address; above all, both emphasise that this was God’s action. Absent is a "miracle play" kind of approach. (More detail of the accounts is found in post, "Nativity".)
Otherwise, do you notice a strong contrast? Is Matthew 1 & 2 told from the point of view of Joseph, whilst Luke 1 & 2 are from Mary’s viewpoint? The Nazareth/Bethlehem locations seem a bit unclear. How does a brief period in Egypt fit in? Luke shows that their lives in Nazareth were a return to home territory for them. So it was, the Christ grew in a “second-rate” location, relatively remote from the esteemed setting of Jerusalem. There Jesus may well have encountered more non-Jews than otherwise. Perhaps he did carpentry jobs for them. Perhaps he did work on the rebuilding of Sepphoris.
The fact that two of the four Gospels contain no birth accounts, and apart from passing mention, the Apostle Paul says nothing about Jesus’ birth, evidently raises questions. Knotty issues include the manner of Jesus’ conception; the unexpected arrival of Magi; the use of Old Testament (OT) prophecy; the idea of a travelling star. (As far as the last is concerned, star travel is not required by the text; the sightings and their timings were central.)
As to the Magi: In that era, the people who inherited the mantle of the (Mede) Magians, were viewed with great respect. Politically, non-trade travellers from Parthia or Armenia might well be treated with suspicion, and a client-ruler such as Herod would cannily make use of, but steer clear of them.
Lost in the mists of time are the issues of silence on the part of Mark and John as to how Jesus came into being. Why "should" they? Like the others, they are clear that Jesus is the Good News; that he is God’s word (Word) to his people and to the world. (They can hardly have understood he, who was from the beginning, instantly appeared amongst us, fully formed as a carpenter from Nazareth.)
From the early days Jesus told people “time was up”: He said, “The time has come! God’s kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15, CEV) As did Mark, it is clear that Paul the Apostle also knew that Jesus had said “time is up”. Paul also clearly knew of Jesus’ birth, and made reference to it: But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law (Galatians 4:4, NLT). I suppose that is a passing mention of the birth, but it is there.
In a carefully constructed and polished exposition of his message, Paul refers to the ancestry of Jesus but does not make a lot of it: The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line (Romans 1:3, NLT). Nothing like the “Christmas” hullabaloo with which we may be familiar. Paul's business is passing on the news of salvation in the Christ.
If each of the written Gospels was part of a specific community at first, it probably follows that many early believers died without hearing these specific accounts, or at least their details. They must have had unanswered questions - but don’t we all? (Some voices out there speculate that early followers latched on to tales of the supra-normal origins of Caesar, etc, and inserted Jesus’ name in the myths. That is not how the NT sees it.)
Of course it is not possible to determine what (oral) traditions were held where. Nonetheless, it seems that Philippians 2 contains a fragment of an early hymn or creed and thus oral tradition. Perhaps those who used these words well knew about the history of Jesus assuming the form of a slave and being like us. Probably teaching about Jesus was being passed from hand to hand (voice to voice, heart to heart); teaching like this:
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 5-11, HCSB).
Basic text used for table ESV; also referenced CEV and NIRV
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked (NIRV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
I retain in the publishers' text the references () to footnotes where they occur. You can check them out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are the same in different translations.
Note: Bible text sourced through Biblegateway.com or/and BlueLetterBible.org.
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