The Layers of Matthew - III

Before reading this blog post, I suggest that you read its predecessors, The Layers of Matthew - I, published in this blog on 31 October 2018, and The Layers of Matthew - II, posted to the blog on 15 November 2018. if you have not already done so.

As mentioned in the previous blog entry, the Beatitudes, as listed in Mt. V:3-11 and Lk. VI:20-22, provide strong evidence that Luke used an earlier version of Matthew (Matthew I, in Hebrew, or Matthew II, in Greek) for the Sayings material in his gospel. The Beatitudes also provide evidence that Matthew I was written in Hebrew,

We have already spoken about Luke's omission of the "peacemakers" from his list of the Beatitudes, although it is important and clearly quite old (even containing a catchword connection that only works in Hebrew. But Luke's omissions do not stop there:

1. He omits "in spirit" from "poor in spirit." Note that in the Lukan form, the two halves of the verse rhyme in Hebrew, while the form in Matthew III (canonical Matthew), with "in spirit," prevents the rhyme.

2. He omits "Blessed are the meek," verse 5 in canonical Matthew.

3. He omits "Blessed are the merciful" (Matthew verse 7) from his list of the Beatitudes. but does include an echo of it in his verse 36.

4. He omits "Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matthew verse 8).

5. He omits "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew verse 9). This extremely important and revealing omission was discussed in the previous blog post.

6. He omits "Blessed are they which are persecuted" (Matthew verse 10).

7. He includes only a sort of paraphrase of "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you" (Matthew verse 11). The Lukan paraphrase has lost the catchword connection that should link it to earlier verses and to the succeeding verse.

The two lists are quite different. How do we even know that they are based on the same original list, or are intended to be the same list? We know this for two reasons: a) the order of the items that are present in both lists; and b) both lists finish with a version of the "rejoice" statement (Mt. V:12=Lk. VI:23). There is, clearly, a literary relationship, and it is a perplexing one.

With all of the above Lukan omissions in mind, I decided to compare them to the oldest Hebrew Matthew that we have. What I found out was shocking.

(to be continued)

The Layers of Matthew - II

Before reading this blog post, I suggest that you read its predecessor, The Layers of Matthew - I, published in this blog on 31 October 2018, if you have not already done so. Here is a link to that earlier blog post;

https://donaldtraxlerpoetry.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-layers-of-matthew-i.html


A very strong piece of evidence for my version of the Two Gospel Hypothesis (not to be confused with the Two Document Hypothesis) can be found in the Beatitudes, as listed in Mt. V:3-11 and Lk. VI:20-22.

How is it that Matthew needed nine verses to list the Beatitudes, while Luke was able to dispense with them in only three? The answer, of course, is that Matthew lists many more Beatitudes, at least in the canonical version of his gospel that has come down to us, which I call Matthew III.

Why would Luke leave out some Beatitudes, such as "peacemakers," Mt. V:9, which we would consider to be very important. This particular Beatitude, by the way is part of a catchword series that unites verse 9 with verses 10 and 11, and the occurrence of the catchword in verse 9 WORKS ONLY IN HEBREW. Catchwords (linking words), by the way, are a mnemonic device considered to be characteristic of the oral tradition that predated the written gospels.

So again, why would Luke omit this very important, and almost certainly original, Beatitude from his list? The answer is simple: he omitted it because he had never seen it.

Luke was, according to my version of the Two Gospel Hypothesis, taking the Sayings material from an early version of Matthew, either Matthew I (in Hebrew), or Matthew II (in Greek). The canonical Matthew with which we are familiar, Matthew III, was still under construction.


(to be continued)

Millennia

In me are raised up
and laid down
black, white,
red, and brown,
all clamoring
for the light,
speaking
a hundred
languages
but making
no sound,
in dream
after dream.

Neniam Plu / לעולם לא

I do not understand
how they can lift the hand
and with fingers straight
salute the cruelest fate.

Donald Jacobson Traxler

November 10 2018 was the eightieth
anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Today, November 13 2018, is the birthday of
my late friend, poet L. G. Corey, aka
Yakov Leib Ha-Kohain (Yalhak).
He would have been 84 years old today.
May his memory be a blessing.

If I Owe You Anything, My Friend (+Udugi translation)

If I owe you anything, my friend,
it is not money.
It is listening,
understanding,
and a helping
hand.
But most of all,
it is respect.


[Udugi]

iyuno aya atsidugase nigavquone
nihi didla, aqua unali,
tla gesvase adela.
gesvase hadvdasdo,
golisdo,
ale alisdelvdihi uwoyeni.
aseno nasgi-ugodidi
gesvase gohiyuhi.

ᎢᏳᏃ ᎠᏯ ᎠᏥᏚᎦᏎ ᏂᎦᎥᏉᏁ
ᏂᎯ ᏗᏜ, ᎠᏆ ᎤᎾᎵ,
Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏕᎳ.
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎭᏛᏓᏍᏙ,
ᎪᎵᏍᏙ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᎵᏍᏕᎸᏗᎯ ᎤᏬᏰᏂ.
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎾᏍᎩ-ᎤᎪᏗᏗ
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎪᎯᏳᎯ.

Staying Power

I was wondering what generalizations I could make about the blog posts that have received large numbers of visits over time. The best tool I have for this is the top-ten listing for the life of the blog (a little over two years). Here's the listing:



Prayer for the World                                                   110                   19 July 2017

Happy Birthday                                                            97                   5 Oct. 2016

Arcanum Zero, the Fool                                               94                   30 Sept. 2017

Morning Sky, Aguas Dulces                                        88                   28 May 2018

Gymniad XXIII - I Do My Best                                  87                   4 Jan. 2018

gado-usdi aya asquadisdise                                         84                   11 May 2018

Rumer                                                                         82                    8 Oct. 2017

I Will Be Guided                                                        80                    13 Oct. 2017

Gymniad XXX - Reflection                                       79                    12 Jan. 2018

Gymniad LI - Ancestral Campfires                           73                    24 Jan. 2018


Timewise, there is one from 2016, four from 2017, and five from 2018. As to genre/subject matter, there are two semi-religious poems, one piece of political doggerel, one standalone photograph, something in Udugi, two poems with general subject matter, and three poems on the subject of and illustrated by nudity (mine). The list includes a couple of my personal favorites, Prayer for the World, and Rumer. The bar of 73 visits has so far been too high for some of my other favorites. I'm happy to see that posts from the current year are holding their own although they are at a disadvantage in a two-year listing. I'm hoping that a few prose pieces will eventually make the list.

Thank you all for your continued encouragement.

Both Sources

Both sources are alike
in being sacred,
both sources are alike
in being defamed,
desecrated,
and hidden
from sight.
Both sources yearn
to spew life
and light.