(Hang on a sec, I think StephenGoranson has skipped a few grooves, jumping from the fact that the use of anaphoric references is not a matter of style to the notion that talking about style in general is a no-no. That lad has focus issues. Perhaps you could hold his hand for a while.)Observations:
1) The general style of the time was to provide anecdotes that supported the presented character of the subject. Lots of examples could be shown.
2) More important is the individual style of the author. Josephus follows the style of 1) in the undisputed writings above.
3) John the Baptist story is different than the above in that the primary subject is the defeat of Herod's army. John the Baptist is secondary as the cause.
4) The Jesus story above is different in every way:
Hold on spin, my record keeps skipping "what Origen wrote Josephus should have said".
- 1. Lots of positive characteristics but none of them virtue or prophecy.
2. Lots of group anecdotes but no single ones.
3. Combination of greatest endorsement and smallest amount of words.
By Joe, I think you've got something there!The above is Intrinsic Internal evidence regarding how it was said which suggests that it is not original. More important was what was said and that is even stronger evidence against originality. spin is of course right that the style of presentation has been under covered in the related dispute and is further evidence of addition.
Joseph
Let me list the various issues with the TF:
1. quantity of non-Josephan language
2. Christian theological content
3. the breaking of the anaphoric connection between AJ 18.62 and 18.65
4. lack of real connection with context (as compared with the other holy figures mentioned)
5. stylistic differences (from the passages regarding the other holy figures mentioned)
The less serious apologetic approach has been hand waving, it's all OK with a little bit of outlandish explanation. The more serious approach has been to hack out the unpalatable bits and pretend that that's not really arbitrary nonsense at all. (On the arbitrariness I used to give the image about dropping a piece of buttered bread on the floor, so you pick it up and remove the fly-specks, then do you feel you can eat it? How can you be sure that it's not still germ riddled?)
Here's where KK's comments are useful:
I think that the TF is well-rounded, there are no stylistic breaks, everything seems to be written from one point of view in the same style. The TF seems to me to be a text that in all probability comes from the pen of a single author. imho there is not the slightest indication that this text contains an interpolation.
The whole problem only starts when you ask whether this text was written by Josephus.
Statistics: Posted by spin — Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:59 pm