sotto voce

So they are.

yalla

1.Holy men
2.Heal
3.With spittle and touch and words.
4.Blind/dumb person miraculously healed.
5.Trees
.......'walking' ...in one case.

That's several points of 'parallel', that are 'fairly close" [just to use Nineham's words].
If you want to deny that there are similarities you have to ignore all such.


Note: if they were exactly the same then they would be well ...exactly the same wouldn't they and each story would be mere verbatim repitition of the other previous?

Later authors like to add their little idiosyncratic touches just to individualise their story, otherwise they would just blend into the common theme, let's allow them some creative licence.

sotto voce

No real similarity, so far, is there. The miraculous healing of the 'holy' prophets Elijah and Elisha had established this paradigm for Israel, if not for Greece. In any case, the prophets had promised that, with the Messiah, 'Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped (Isa 35:5 NIV). John the Baptiser expected this:

'When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."' Mt 11:2-5 NIV

So who is mimicking who, here?

Only touch. Which is a bit obvious, surely.

Though for the disciples, what should have occurred to them was that Jesus applied that which came out of the mouth of God to cause them to understand.

'Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.' Dt 8:3 NIV

One could even say that the spittle is related to this:

'And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.' Ge 1:3 NIV

Now why bring in the Epidaurus inscription when Mark's pericope not only has brilliant continuity with his own local narrative, but also plenty of resonance in its pre-existing, if not illimitable context?

Blindness was very common. If there were miracles to exhibit, they would have to include making the blind see.

Not really. Seeing men as trees is not the same as seeing trees. The man in Bethsaida could not distinguish men (the disciples) from trees until they started to walk.

I think Nineham is counting more in hope than in scholarly reality. If you dig around long enough, you will find similarities. You can then allege that they are cause and effect, though in just the one direction that suits your hypothesis.

There are similarities, of course. The question is, are these similarities significant? One could argue that the only similarities are what Greece learned from Israel! One would like to apply a statistical significance test, though setting out the parameters could be a source of dispute. But I don't think it's at all necessary.

Net2004

1. Desert and wasteland shall rejoice over them, and the plain shall rejoice and shall blossom like a rose.



2. It shall blossom and rejoice, even to rejoice and to sing; the glory of the Lebanon has been given to her, the beauty of the Karmel and the Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the beauty of our God.




3. Strengthen weak hands, and make firm tottering knees.



4. Say to the hasty of heart, "Be strong, do not fear; behold our God, [with] vengeance He shall come, the recompense of God, that shall come and save you.


5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.


6. Then the lame shall skip like a hart, and the tongue of the mute shall sing, for water has broken out in the desert and streams in the plain.


7. And the dry place shall become a pool, and the thirsty place [shall become] springs of water; in the habitat of jackals, a resting place, a grassy place for reeds and rushes.


8. And there shall be a highway and a road, and it shall be called the holy way; no unclean one shall traverse it, and it shall be for them; the traveler, even fools shall not go astray therein.


9. No lion shall be there, nor shall a profligate beast ascend thereon, it shall not be found there; and the redeemed ones shall go.


10. And the redeemed of Zion shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song, with joy of days of yore shall be upon their heads; they shall achieve gladness and joy, and sadness and sighing shall flee.




wtf has this got to do with jesus?

sotto voce

It takes up unnecessary space.