Mark Goodacre's academic blog. Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Duke University, in the Religious Studies Department. Visit my homepage, follow me on twitter, or contact me by email.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Nativity Story Review back online
I complained recently that my review of The Nativity Story had vanished from the SBL Forum in its reorganisation. I was happy to hear today that it is now back, and it is at the same URL:
For the story of the innocents I would suggest War 4.5.2, introduced in a typical style that betrays an anachronistic, garbled interpolation - "And now a fourth misfortune arose, in order to bring our nation to destruction." Seven hundred women and children who couldn't run away from Ein Gedi were killed, supposedly by Sicarii from Masada. There was a 'flight' of others who could run away from the city. The time was Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Bethlehem was the house of bread. In that Feast the Jews remembered their flight from Egypt, not to it as in the 'nativity' story. Ein Gedi was the place where Essenes or prophets lived. The 'Essenes' were persecuted severely, I suggest not by the Roman soldiery, but by the priests. (War 2.8.10). the priests tortured and killed the prophets.
Check the Daily Telegraph of 20 & 21 December for another DT problem for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the aspects of the nativity. I've posted a comment at http://firstfollowers.vision.org/public/blog/169992
So what is the adult version of the so-called 'nativity'? And who were the 'innocents'?
ReplyDeleteFor the story of the innocents I would suggest War 4.5.2, introduced in a typical style that betrays an anachronistic, garbled interpolation - "And now a fourth misfortune arose, in order to bring our nation to destruction."
ReplyDeleteSeven hundred women and children who couldn't run away from Ein Gedi were killed, supposedly by Sicarii from Masada. There was a 'flight' of others who could run away from the city. The time was Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Bethlehem was the house of bread. In that Feast the Jews remembered their flight from Egypt, not to it as in the 'nativity' story. Ein Gedi was the place where Essenes or prophets lived. The 'Essenes' were persecuted severely, I suggest not by the Roman soldiery, but by the priests. (War 2.8.10). the priests tortured and killed the prophets.
Hello Mark:
ReplyDeleteCheck the Daily Telegraph of 20 & 21 December for another DT problem for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the aspects of the nativity. I've posted a comment at http://firstfollowers.vision.org/public/blog/169992