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07-30-2012, 12:46 AM | #1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Is it Possible that the Ur-Gospel Had Both 'Kingdom of God' and 'Kingdom of Heaven'
I know the argument about the texts going back to an Aramaic source. But I just happened to be going through Clement's use of the two terms and it seems 'kingdom of God' references far outweigh 'kingdom of heaven' ones. Irenaeus mentions that the heretics distinguish between three abodes of the righteous after death linked with the numbers 30, 60 and 100. There is also this strange citation in Book Three of the Instructor "For know this well," says the apostle, "that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Here are the only examples I can find of the latter. The first in Book Three all eunuch references from Matthew 19: Quote:
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07-30-2012, 01:39 AM | #2 |
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the question is - are we sure that the kingdom of god and the kingdom of heaven refer to the same thing?
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07-30-2012, 07:44 AM | #3 |
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In the gospels, Matthew uses Kingdom of Heaven, the others Kingdom of God. Would Clement have seem a distinction?
Some Christians today see a distinction: the Kingdom of God is within you, but the Kingdom of Heaven refers to the thousand year reign when Jesus returns to rule on earth. This is not a popular interpretation. |
07-30-2012, 08:02 AM | #4 | |
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I developed the post while I was very tired but if you look at Can the Rich Man Be Saved in Matthew there is this strange double reference:
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As is well known Matthew usually mentions 'the kingdom of Matthew' and Mark never does. Yet here there is double reference and it is the source of some controversy. I wonder whether Matthew is preserving the original reading or something closer to the original |
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07-31-2012, 07:33 AM | #5 |
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well, if Goodacre were here, he'd say it was copying fatigue. Matt put Heaven in the first part, then copied word for word in his usual unthinking way....
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07-31-2012, 08:47 AM | #6 |
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... or some later scribe decided that varying the terms just sounded better, and tied the gospels together.
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07-31-2012, 10:21 AM | #7 | |||
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However, there are five references to the kingdom of god in Mt. 6:33 cf. Lk 12:31 "his kingdom" 12:28 cf. Lk 11:20 "kingdom of god" 19:24 (dealt with above) 21:31 (not paralleled) 21:43 (not paralleled) The evidence is certainly not transparent. Quote:
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07-31-2012, 01:15 PM | #8 | |
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It is interesting that the Diatessaron tradition has 'the kingdom of God' side by side with 'the kingdom of heaven.' The usual way of explaining this is that the text is simply a patchwork of material from the different gospels. Yet it isn't that simple either. Many of the sections have what appear to be a line - or part of a line - from each gospel mixed together. The Arabic Diatessaron has 40ish 'kingdom of God' references and 25ish 'kingdom of heaven references.
If the compiler had all the canonical gospels why would he have drawn from Matthew's version of Question of the Rich Man story only here: Quote:
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07-31-2012, 01:27 PM | #9 |
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Indeed look at how utterly complex that patchwork appears in the whole section (red Matthew, blue Mark, bold Luke):
And while Jesus was going in the way, there came near to him a young man of the rulers, and fell on his knees, and asked him, and said, Good Teacher, what is it that I must do that I may have eternal life? Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good, while there is none good but the one, even God? Thou knowest the commandments. If thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. The young man said unto him, Which of the commandments? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt not commit adultery [Luke adds 'thou shalt not murder] Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shall not do injury, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Love thy neighbour as thyself. That young man said unto him,All these have I kept from my youth: what then is it that I lack? And Jesus looked intently at him, and loved him, and said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, what thou lackest is one thing: go away and sell everything that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and take thy cross, and follow me. And that young man frowned at this word, and went away feeling sad; for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw his sadness, he looked towards his disciples, and said unto them, How hard it is for them that have possessions to enter the kingdom of God! SECTION XXIX. 29 1 Verily I say unto you, It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of 2 heaven. And I say unto you also, that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of 3 a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were wondering at these sayings. And Jesus answered and said unto them again, My children, how hard it is for those that rely on their possessions to enter the 4 kingdom of God! And those that were listening wondered more, and said amongst 5 themselves, being agitated, Who, thinkest thou, can be saved? And Jesus looked at them intently, and said unto them, With men this is not possible, but with God it is. 6 Arabic, it is possible for God to do everything. Simon Cephas said unto him, Lo, we have left everything, and followed thee; what is it, thinkest thou, that we 7 shall have? Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, Ye that have followed me, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also 8 shall sit on twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Verily I say unto you, No man leaveth houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or kinsfolk, or lands, because of the kingdom of God, or for my 9 sake, and the sake of my gospel, who shall not obtain many times as much in this time, and in the world to come inherit eternal life: and now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecution; 11 and in the world to come everlasting life. Many that are first shall be last, and that are last shall be first. |
07-31-2012, 01:53 PM | #10 | ||
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What is truly fascinating here is that the compiler appears to have repeated the parallel text that appears in Mark 10:23 and Matthew 19:23. Look carefully:
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FWIW Clement's text of Mark resembles the Diatessaron in terms of having 'Do not adulterate' as the first commandment listed but follows Mark here: Quote:
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