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The gospels redated via the Scrolls
From: Barbara Thiering
Category: Category 1
Date: 23 Feb 2001
Time: 15:47:30
Remote Name: 63.12.23.89
Comments
The link with Kevin King's website was interesting, in that he accepts the
pre-70 dating of the gospels while upholding a fairly orthodox Christian view
about Jesus. As he said, the redating of the gospels was first argued by
J.A.T. Robinson in the 60's. Robinson's insight was that the very late date
came from a desire to justify the incredible content of the gospels, chiefly
the miracles and the apparent contradictions. Time was needed for the growth
of legend. The dating simply ignored much of the historical evidence because
of this theological motive. Now there is a huge quantity of new information,
which Christian biblical scholars are only slowly digesting, much gored by
papal bulls. The Scrolls are capable of making an even bigger difference to
the NT than the 19th century discoveries of Creation and Flood stories made
to the OT. The Scrolls' information leading to a redating of John (for a
start) includes the fact of the zealot activities of the Qumran community in
its 1st cent CE phase, taken with the many evidences of an institutional
connection of Qumran with the early Christians. Further, the enemies of the
Teacher are said to be Samaritans in 1QpMic. From this and a great deal more
(Clementina, Acts 8, Eusebius, the stone found in the Tiber etc etc), the
pesher technique identifies Simon Magus the Samaritan as a leading figure in
the history. He was an associate of Jesus, who is called a Samaritan in Jn
8:48, and he was the zealot leader, being also Simon the Zealot of the
disciples (Lk 6:15), also Simon the leper of Bethany, and Lazarus of Bethany
(numerous pseudonyms used for political cover, as was also the case in the
Scrolls' treatment of their opponent). Simon was the leader of the
'Seekers-after-Smooth-Things', Diaspora Essenes, and was the main person
crucified for zealotry by Pilate, 'the Young Lion of Wrath' (pNah). Jesus was
only a subordinate who was crucified as an act of treachery instigated by the
zealots themselves. Since Lazarus is treated sympathetically in John's
gospel, (his 'raising from the dead' in Jn 11 being the lifting of his ban of
excommunication), this means that this gospel was written before Peter and
Paul denounced him (Acts 8, also Acts 13: 8-12 re Bar-Jesus). Acts 8 may be
dated, internally from the pesher, in 37-39 CE. A split occurred in 44 CE, in
the tolerant reign of Claudius, when pro-Roman Christians separated with a
new name, and the zealots remained in the Damascus party that produced CD.
The composition of John's gospel may, on these grounds, be placed very early
indeed, before 37 CE, only a few years after the crucifixion. Its dualistic
philosophy of light-darkness, once taken to be a sign of very late
Hellenistic influence, is now known to be thoroughly at home in the Scrolls,
as Albright saw at once. Other gospels follow. The pesher indicates that Mark
was written in c. 45 CE, Luke at about the same time, and Matthew completed
(after an earlier version, the Hebrew Logia) by 49 CE. For further on this,
see my 'Jesus of the Apocalypse' (1995) and 'The Book that Jesus Wrote -
John's Gospel' (1998). Questions, comments and criticisms that show an
understanding of what is being argued would be welcomed. B.T.
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