(This is what I meant to write in a previously aborted post.)
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quote:
IMO, the author may have made these "mistakes" on purpose using ancient satire/humor to poke ”fun at the messiah craze.
I know that when trying to identify the original words of Jesus (as opposed to later additions), one of the criteria used by the Jesus Seminar was whether the statement or story could be seen as humorous. Their opinion is that Jesus himself used satire and over-the-top exaggerations in his teachings.
If Matthew was sympathetic to Jesus' teachings but was feeling annoyed with the Messianic cult developing around Jesus, then a satirical Gospel would seem to be in the proper spirit.
"Intellectually, scientifically, even artistically, fundamentalism -- biblical literalism -- is a road to nowhere, because it insists on fidelity to revealed truths that are not true." -- Katha Pollitt
™ Version 4.2
