spamandham

I don't recall claiming Josephus was fictional with a few facts thrown in, so I really have no idea what point it is you are hoping to make.

judge

Yes well this is problem if ones wants to consider Luke as an historical work, by academic standards. However the fact that Luke does not identify sources or identify himself is no real argument for it being fiction, in and of itself.

judge

Ok perhaps I misunderstood.

You did say " In the modern world, we tend to think of history from a scientific perspective, but there's not much evidence the ancients thought the same way It didn't seem to bother them in the least to intermix fact and fiction. A few facts aided the credibility of fiction back then, rather than fiction throwing facts into question as it would today. ".

I was merely arguing that Josephus and others did write history much like we do today, albeit with the occaisional odd event reported.

spamandham

... except that in the modern world historians don't throw in the occasional odd absurdities. So I don't see how it can be claimed they were like modern historians.

Roland

I think what he means is that they wrote in a very dry, pedantic style (first this happened, then this happened, then this happened etc.). That is very different from the gospels, which are written in the form of narratives, with characters interacting with one another, dialogue, rising action, falling action, climaxes, denouments, symbolism etc.

judge

Easy. Apart from the odd instance they are similar, and even with the odd difference thrown in that would still seem to be similar.

judge

Agreed.

Except that the gospel of Luke begins quite deliberately as if it were historical, detailing facts. This is the point and inquiry of the OP, where I wrote.
"Is there a work of fiction , ideally from the ancient world, that addresses the reader in such a manner?"

Toto

There is some extensive analysis of prefaces in Hellenistic literature. I gave you one reference above; there is more commentary here and here

From the latter link:Some examples follow that should answer your question, including a novel and a parodist.

Clivedurdle

Ok , no reaction to the New Testament being like Mills and Boon, what about Doctor Who?

judge

Ok so I suppose the answer to my question is no then when I ask, "Is there a work of fiction , ideally from the ancient world, that addresses the reader in such a manner?"

Here (unless I'm mistaken) is the intro to the novel.

Not very much like to intro to Lukes gospel.

Thanks for your help Toto. :notworthy: