HOME | Introduction | 1: Ps.2.7 | 2: Ps.8.4-6 | 3: Ps.110.1 | 4: Ps.118.22-23 | 5: Is.6.9-10 | 6: Is.53.1 | 7: Is.40.3-5 | 8: Is.28.16 & Is.8.14 | 9: Gen.12.3 & Gen.22.18 | 10: Jer.31.31-34 | 11: Joel 2.28-32 | 12: Zech.9.9 | 13: Hab.2.3-4 | 14: Is.61.1-3 | 15: Dt.18.15, 19 | Conclusion
SINCE
the revival of interest in the Old Testament among New Testament scholars—
a most salutary revival—
we have had many learned essays upon the old theme, "Novum testamentum
in vetere latet, vetus in novo patet";
but some of them, I think
have not altogether avoided the dangerous ground of speculation and fancy,
where associations of ideas arising in the critic's own mind have been treated
as evidence for original connections.
We need a study which shall be based upon verifiable evidence
that this New Testament writer did in fact refer his readers
to that passage of the Old Testament
in connection with this or that particular theme of the Gospel
or of Christian theology.
Such evidence is available,
if not perhaps on the scale or in the quantity we might have wished.
Upon that basis,
and by comparison of one passage with others,
and of one writer with another,
we may be able to draw inferences
regarding the general principles which underlie the use of testimonia by
these writers,
and perhaps to advance to further inferences
regarding the employment of the Old Testament
by Christian thinkers and teachers in the pre-literary period.
What we are trying to do is to get an opening into the intellectual workshop
of the early Church, and to watch its mind at work.
Our first task will be to collect passages from the Old Testament which, being cited by two or more writers of the New Testament in prima facie independence of one another, may fairly be presumed to have been current as testimonia before they wrote.
Two points should first be
cleared up with regard to method.
The first has to do with the question of the independence of writers over
against one another.
In much criticism of an earlier day the general presumption was entertained
that the writings of the New Testament formed a series which,
when arranged in correct chronological order,
would reveal a more or less orderly development,
in which each would show dependence on its predecessor,
and each would be seen to have exerted influence on its successor.
It was of course recognized that the series could not be reconstructed in
a complete form.
Some of the links have not survived.
But sometimes at least the critic found himself able to recover by probable
arguments from the data a lost source which provided a missing link.
Critical work carried out upon this hypothesis undoubtedly made important
contributions to our understanding of early Christian history.
But much of the new work done in the last half-century has gone to show that
the picture was somewhat out of focus.
The early Church was not such a bookish community.
The main current of its life and thought seems to have been carried by oral
tradition,
at least to the end of the first century,
and the surviving documents are, in large measure, the deposit of a common
tradition in its various stages,
developed in one way or another according to the idiosyncrasy of the several
authors.
In certain specific cases indeed there is definite evidence that writings
had some kind of literary connection, over and above the common tradition
underlying them all, but except where some such evidence can be adduced,
the presumption of literary dependence is precarious, since resemblances
might be so probably accounted for without it.
I shall therefore proceed
upon the hypothesis
that where two separate writers cite the same passage from the Old Testament,
unless there are definite reasons to the contrary,
they represent to that extent a common tradition.
The hypothesis must be tested in each case on its merits.
For our present purpose I shall treat the Pauline corpus (excluding Hebrews)
as representing the work of one author.
Even if certain of the writings contained in it may not be from the hand
of the apostle, they all depend largely upon him.
The two Lucan writings, again, the Third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles,
represent a single author.
In works therefore belonging to either of these two groups,
coincidence in the citation of the Old Testament
will carry, prima facie, no weight as evidence for pre-canonical tradition.
In the Synoptic Gospels we have a more complex case.
That there is some degree of literary dependence among them seems certain,
though it may sometimes be by way of a common written source no longer extant.
It would be hazardous to assume that common citations in two or more of these
gospels are made in genuine independence even though we may sometimes suspect
that this is in fact the case.
The Fourth Gospel on the other hand stands apart.
All recent criticism tends to reduce the area of its dependence on the Synoptics
to a small compass,
if it does not discount it altogether,
and citations common to the Synoptics on the one hand
and the Fourth Gospel on the other are prima facie independent.
As for the rest,
the Epistle to the Hebrews appears to stand substantially apart from all
other writings,
even though its author may have been under the influence of Paul in certain
respects,
and the First Epistle of Peter does not at any rate afford such unmistakable
evidence of derivation from the Pauline epistles that we must rule out independence
from the outset.
I shall treat it as prima facie independent, and investigate its citations
to see how far this hypothesis is justified in particular cases.
The Apocalypse stands very much alone, though it has problematic relations
of some kind with other Johannine writings.
It is deliberately moulded upon the model of earlier apocalyptic writings
and so much of it is almost a cento of passages from parts of the
Old Testament that its evidence is not for the most part of immediate relevance
for the study of testimonia, though occasionally it may be treated
as an independent witness.
The remaining writings are not of great importance for our immediate purpose.
The second point which needs
clearing up is the identification of quoted matter.
The solid nucleus of our material consists of places
where phrases, sentences or paragraphs from the Old Testament are introduced
with a formula of quotation:
"it is written",
"that which was spoken by the prophet",
or the like.
But there are many other places where the intention to quote is evident,
though no formula of quotation is employed.
Such passages show all degrees of resemblance to the text of the Old Testament—
verbal identity with the manuscript text of the LXX,
alternative translation of the Hebrew original,
paraphrase, or a similarity just sufficient to suggest an allusion.
It is sometimes a delicate matter to be sure that an allusion is intended,
but if the allusion is clear, even though there is no explicit indication
that the Old Testament is being cited, the passage must be included.
The reasons for doing so will become stronger as the argument proceeds.
With this preface I proceed
to a list of testimonia.
"Thou art my son;
this day have I begotten thee."
This passage is cited, with
the rubric, "it is written in the second psalm," in Acts i.33.
In Heb.i.5 and v.5 it is quoted as what God "said," or "spoke" (τίνι εῖπεν,
i.5; ὁ λαλήσας,
v.5).
Without a formula of quotation the same passage is probably to be recognized
in Mk.i.11,
where however the second clause is absent,
and it perhaps underlies Mk.ix.7, Mt.iii.17.
In Lk.iii.22 the "western text" has the entire passage, exactly
as in the LXX.
This is probably secondary,
but it is conceivable that Luke gave the full form here as in Acts i.33,
and that the prevailing textual tradition assimilated it to Mk.i.11.
It is thus fairly clear that three authors at least employ Ps.ii.7 as a testimonium to
the messiahship of Jesus;
that is, as documentation of one of the main themes of the kerygma.
In all probability they do so without literary dependence upon one another,
and we may reasonably infer a pre-canonical employment of the passage in
that sense.
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"What is man, that thou art mindful of him,
or the son of man that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him for a little while inferior to the angels;
thou crownedst him with glory and honour;
thou didst set him over the works of thy hands;
thou didst put all things under his feet."
(so LXX).
The whole passage is quoted
in Heb.ii. 6-8, in a form identical with the MS. text of the LXX,
except that the clause "thou didst set him over the works of thy hands" is
omitted.
The rubric is διεμαρτύρατό τού τις λέγων,
a type of quotation-formula characteristic of this author, with his addiction
to rhetorical elegance.
In I Cor.xv.27 the words "he put all things under his feet" are
clearly intended as a citation of our passage,
since Paul continues, ὃταν εἲπη
ὃτι πάντα ὑποτέτακται...
.
He is here arguing that even death will be subdued to Christ.
His authority for this is the statement in Ps.viii.6 that all things
are by divine decree subordinated to the "Son of Man."
The implication is that this scripture will be recognized as referring to Christ.
The same passage is again alluded to, without formula of quotation, in Eph.i.22,
again in the form "He put all things under his feet".
Phil.iii.21, τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῶ τὰ
τάντα is also probably to be regarded as another
allusion.
The argument here is as follows:
it is perfectly possible for God to accomplish the miracle of transforming
our bodies into the likeness of his glory, since (as we know from scripture)
He is able to subject all things to Christ.
This argument becomes perspicuous if we assume that Paul saw in the triumph
of Christ over death the pledge of glory for mankind as such, to which the
psalm refers.
The promise of Ps.viii
that man,
in the person of Him who is "Son of man" (or in Pauline terms,
the Man from heaven)
shall be crowned with glory and honour,
has been fulfilled in Christ,
and will be fulfilled for those who are "in Him."
But all this is so implicit that we should naturally conclude that Paul was
basing himself on an accepted interpretation of scripture.
That he owed this interpretation to the Epistle to the Hebrews is most improbable.
The probability is that he and the author to the Hebrews follow a common
tradition.
Again, we probably have an
allusion to the same verse in I Pet.iii.22, ὑποταγέντων αὐτῶ ἀγγέλων.
The theme of Ps.viii.4-6, as understood by Christians, is that Christ (as "Son
of Man") was temporarily reduced to a status inferior to that of the
angels, only to be raised to sovereignty over all beings, including, of course,
the angels to whom he was formerly inferior.
This understanding of the psalm would supply scriptural authority for the
statement made in I Pet.iii.22.
It seems probable, therefore, that the author of this work is following,
once again, an accepted interpretation of the psalm.
There is nothing to suggest that he took it from Paul, or from Hebrews.
There is at any rate a high degree of probability that three authors have
gone back to this particular scripture, in different contexts, because it
was already accepted as a testimonium to Christ before any of them
wrote.
It supplies scriptural documentation for the Christian affirmation that
"the Messiah must suffer and enter into his glory" (Lk.xxiv.26).
It seems just possible that we may trace the
remoter influence of this testimonium in the hymn to Christ which
appears in Rev.v.12:
"Worthy is the slain Lamb to receive power and wealth and wisdom and
strength and honour and glory and blessing."
If we reflect that the psalm (in its Christian reference) speaks of the glory
and honour which accrue to Christ after His humiliation, and that
the author to the Hebrews expressly asserts that it came to him διὰ τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου,
it will appear not impossible that the conception of δόξα καὶ τιμή as
the conspicuous prerogatives of the Crucified should have sunk so deeply
into the imagination of the Church that it came to expression alike in theological
argument and in hymns of worship—
in the latter, expanded with a series of other attributes in the manner of
the "plerophory" characteristic of liturgical language.
But upon this I lay no stress.
It serves only to keep in view the extensive area over which we must be prepared
to find the spreading effects of the Church's early preoccupation with the
language of the Old Testament.
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"The Lord said to my lord,
Sit thou at my right hand until I make thy enemies the footstool of thy feet."
This is expressly cited in Acts ii.34-35, after the MS. text
of the LXX, under the rubric, "David himself says."
In Mk..36 it is cited, with one unimportant variation from the LXX text,
under the rubric, "David himself said in the holy Spirit."
In Heb.i.13 the words κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἓως ἂν θῶ τοὺς
ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου are
cited without express formula of citation, but with the introduction, πρὸς τίνα τῶν ἀγγέλων εἲρηκέν ποτε;
which comes as near to such a formula as need be.
Thus we may claim three direct witnesses to the primitive use of this passage
as a testimonium.
But allusions to this verse are numerous throughout
the New Testament.
Thus Mk.xiv.62 speaks of the Son of Man ἐκ δεξιῶν καθήμενον τῦς δυνάμεως.
In Acts vii.55 the dying Stephen sees the Son of Man ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα.
[It is hardly likely that the substitution of
the verb ἑστάναι for
the καθῦσθαι of
the LXX is significant, for ἑστάναι,
like
"stand" in English and עמדin
Hebrew, has commonly the sense "to be situated," without any necessary
implication of an upright attitude {"se tenir
débout").]
In Rom.viii.34, where Paul is briefly enumerating the central facts of the kerygma,
we have "Christ Jesus, who died, or rather who rose again, and who is
at the right hand of God."
Similar echoes of the psalm are found in Eph.i.20 and Col.iii.1;
and in Hebrews, apart from the express citation in i.13,
the expression, "seated at the right hand of God," or the like,
is found in i.3, viii.i, x.12, .2.
In I Pet.iii.22 once again we have a reference to the resurrection of Christ,
followed immediately by the words, "who is at the right hand of God."
It seems clear, therefore, that this particular verse was one of the fundamental
texts of the kerygma,
underlying almost all the various developments of it,
and cited independently in Mark, Acts, Paul, Hebrews and I Peter.
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the top of the pediment.
This is from the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
This passage is cited in
Mk. . 10-11, in a form verbally identical with the MS. text of the LXX, with
the introduction, "Did you never read this scripture?"
In I Pet. ii. 7 verse 22 alone is cited, as part of a catena of passages
introduced by the formula, περιέχει ἐν γραφῆ.
There is a clear allusion to it, though without express marks of citation,
in the kerygmatic passage Acts. iv.11:
"This is the stone which was rejected by you builders and has become
the top of the pediment."
We have therefore threefold witness to the use of this passage as a testimonium.
The evidence will appear even stronger when we come to consider how it is
combined with other passages in various writers.
"You shall hear and hear, but never understand, look and look but never see.
The heart of this people has grown gross,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts, and should be converted,
and I should heal them."
This passage is quoted at
length, in a form verbally identical with the א text
of the LXX, in Matthew i.14-15, under the rubric, ἀναπληροῦται ἡ
προφητεία Ἡσαῖου ἡ λέγουσα.
It is again cited in Acts xxviii. 25-27, in identical form, but with the
addition of the words of introduction, in a form differing unimportantly
from the LXX, πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν
τοῦτον καὶ εἰπόν.
In Jn..40 part of the passage
is cited, under the rubric,
"Again Isaiah said," and with the additional note, ταῦτα εῖπεν Ἡσαῖας ὃτι ε{ιδεν τὸν δ΄πξαν αὐτοῦ.
(So א, B, Θ, etc.), which
is an implicit reference to vi. I.
[The substitution of εἰδεν τὴν δόξαν for
Isaiah's blunt εἰδεν τὸν κύριον is
in line with the general practice of
"reverential periphrasis," though in this case it is directly justified
by the reference to δόξα which
immediately follows in the latter part of the same verse.]
The reading of T.R., ὃτι εῖδεν,
would amount to an explicit indication of the context, as much as to say
"in chapter vi," where Isaiah's vision is described.
The form, however, in which the quotation is given differs widely from the
LXX text.
The two forms are as follows:
| LXX | Jn. |
|---|---|
| ἐπαχύνθηγὰρἡκαρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου |
τετύφλωκεν1 αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς |
| ... καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν |
καὶ ἐπώρωσεν2 αὐτῶν τὴν καρδὶαν |
μή ποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς |
ἲνα μὴ ἲδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς |
1. [Τυφλοῦν is
found in LXX only in Tob.vii.7 and Wisd.ii.21, in both of which places
there are variants,
and in Is.xlii.19, ἐτύφλωσαν οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ.]
2.
[Πωροῦν is
found in two passages only of the LXX, in both of which there are variants,
Job.xvii.7 (v.1, πεπήρωνται),
and Prov.x.20 (v.1, πεπυρωμένος).
It is not to be thought that either of these passages can have influenced
New Testament writers in their citation of Isaiah vi.]
In Mk.iv.12 (followed by Lk.viii.10) we have a clear citation of the same passage, though without any express formula of quotation, in a form which differs both from the LXX (Matthew and Acts) and from John:
| LXX | Mk.iv |
|---|---|
| Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε | ἵνα βλέποντες βλέπωσιν καὶ μὴ ἴδωσιν |
| καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε· | καὶ ἀκούοντες ἀκούωσιν καὶ μὺ συνιῶσιν |
| ... μή ποτε ... ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς | μύ ποτε ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἀφεθῆ αὐτοῖς |
In view of these striking
differences of translation, it is not plausible to suppose that these authors
were borrowing from one another.
We are clearly dealing with independent citations of the same passage.
The version which underlies
the Johannine form of citation,
implying a "judicial blinding" of rebellious Israel,
seems to find a clear echo in another passage of the same gospel, ix.39,
where Jesus declares, "for judgment I have come into the world, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέποντες βλέπωσιν
καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τυφλοὶ γένωται.
"The companion expression, ἐπώρωσεν αὐτῶν τὴν
καρδίαν, finds no echo elsewhere in the
Fourth Gospel,
but it seems to be implied in several passages of Mark,
viz. iii.5, ἡ πώρωσις τῦς καρδίας αὐτῶν,
vi.52, ῆν αὐτῶν ἡ καρδία πεπωρωμένη,
viii.17, πεπωρωμένην ἔχετε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν;
In the last of these places it is associated with a reminiscence of
Jer.v.21,
or the closely similar Ezek..2: ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ
βλέπετε καὶ ῶτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;
Both of these prophecies have some resemblance to Is.vi.10.
Further, in Rom.xi.7-8 the verb πωροῦν is
again associated with the idea of eyes that do not see and ears that do not
hear,
and this is, once again, probably a reminiscence either of Is.vi.10 or of
the similar passages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
This certainly suggests that some version of Isaiah vi similar to that used
by the Fourth Evangelist may have been known to Paul.
Consider again II Cor.iii.14, ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα,
with II Cor.iv.4, ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων.
Though here the blinding is attributed to "the god of this aeon,"
yet the association of πωροῦν with τυφλοῦν is
suggestive.
The πώρωσις καρδίας appears
yet again in Eph.iv.18.
In view of all this it seems
highly probable that Is.vi.10 was widely accepted at an early period as a testimonium to
the situation which arose when the Jews rejected the Gospel and were found
to be excluded from the new people of God,
and that it was employed as such in more versions than one,
the most influential being a non-Septuagintal version known to Paul and John
and possibly to Mark.
It was clearly regarded as, constructively, providing documentation for the
thesis that the Gospel is to be preached to the Gentiles,
and in that sense obviously had great importance for primitive Christian
apologetic.
"Lord, who believed our report,
and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?"
This passage is quoted, exactly
as it stands in the MS. text of the LXX, in Jn..38, under the rubric, "The
word of Isaiah the prophet, which he spoke."
The first clause alone, in the same form, is quoted by Paul in Rom.x.16,
introduced by the formula "Isaiah says."
That Paul had read the Fourth Gospel is impossible, and that the Fourth Evangelist
had read the Epistle to the Romans would be a conjecture for which no evidence
can be adduced.
It is a reasonable inference that both writers employed a testimonium already
recognized.
A voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight the paths of our God.
Every valley shall be filled in,
and every mountain and hill be made low.
All crooked places shall be made straight,
the rough shall be made level,
and the glory of the Lord shall appear
and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.
(so LXX).
This passage is quoted in
extenso in Lk.iii.4-6, under the rubric, "It is written in the
Book of Isaiah the prophet."
Luke follows the A text of the LXX fairly closely,
reading however αὐτοῦ for τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν,
and αἱ τραχεῖαι for ἡ τραχεία,
and omitting the clause καί ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα κυρίου.
The opening clauses,φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῆ ἐρήμω, Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τριβοὺς αὐτοῦ, exactly as in Luke, are quoted in Mt.iii.3, introduced by the formula, Οῦτός ἐστιν ὁ ῥηθεὶς διὰ Ἡσαῖου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντες, and again in Mk.i.3, conflated with Mal.iii.1, the whole conflate quotation being introduced by the words, "as it is written in Isaiah the prophet."
In Jn.i.23 the opening words
are given in a slightly different form, φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῆ ἐρήμω, Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου,
with the note, "as Isaiah the prophet said."
Those who assume the older view that the Fourth Gospel is fundamentally dependent
on the Synoptics will no doubt regard the quotation as having been borrowed
from Mark or one of the others;
but they will have to explain how it is that John gives a different translation,
for he has not drawn it from the LXX.
This is in favour of John's independence at this point.
If it be granted that John accepted this passage as a testimonium,
independently of any borrowing from the Synoptics,
it will perhaps appear not entirely improbable that the same passage is echoed
in two other places of the Fourth Gospel.
The LXX of Is.xl.5 gives ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα κυρίου,
καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ.
There may be possible reminiscences of these clauses in Jn.xi.40, ὄψη τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ,
and perhaps i.14, ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ.
If so, then the evangelist was not following the Synoptics here,
since the clause ὀφθήσαται ἡ δόξα κυρίου is
the one omitted in Luke,
and neither of the others has this part of the quotation.
I lay no stress on this suggestion, though as the argument advances it will
perhaps be thought less improbable than it seems at this point.
But I should submit that the agreement of John and the Synoptics in treating
this passage as a testimonium is probable evidence of its employment
as such in the pre-canonical tradition.
Whether the agreement of
the Synoptic Gospels in citing this passage has any particular significance
is not clear.
Where the three agree, we usually assume that Matthew and Luke are following
Mark.
If this is so in the present case, we must assume that both of them independently
disentangled the two quotations which Mark has conflated, and that Luke in
addition turned to his LXX to complete a quotation of which Mark had given
only part.
This is not unlikely in itself,
yet many critics have suspected that Matthew and Luke here had a second source
in which Isaiah xl.3-5 and Mal.iii.1 appeared separately (cf. Matthew xi.10).
Some slight support for the view that Luke followed some tradition (written
or oral) besides Mark in referring to this passage of Isaiah may be found
in the clear echo of the same passage in the Nunc Dimittis, εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου.
In any case we may accept Lk.ii.30 as a third independent appearance of this testimonium.
Thus, while the argument
for this passage is perhaps not quite so strong as for the passages we have
previously considered, there appears to be a reasonably high degree of probability
that it is to be added to the list of passages recognized as testimonial in
the pre-canonical tradition.
"Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone,
a tried stone, a precious corner stone of sure foundation:
he that believeth shall not make haste."
(I give here the RV rendering, which is not a perfect translation of the Hebrew text, but will serve for reference; the LXX differs);
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.
These two passages are quoted
in I Pet.ii.6, 8, as part of a catena of citations introduced by the
formula, περιέχει ἐν γραφῦ.
They are not in immediate contiguity, being separated by the quotation of
Ps.cxviii.22-23 (No. 4 above).
Neither is quoted exactly after the LXX.
Is.xxviii.16 runs as follows in the two versions:
| LXX. אA | 1 Pet. |
|---|---|
| Ἰδοὺ ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιων | ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Ζιὼν |
| λίθον πολυτελῆ ἐκλεκτὸν | λίθον ἐκλεκτὸν |
| ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἔντιμον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς | ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἒντιμον |
| καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ | καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῆ |
Is.viii.14 runs as follows:
| LXX. | 1 Pet. |
|---|---|
| οὐχ ὡς λίθου προσκόμματι συναντήσεσθε | λίθος προσκόμματος |
| αὐτῷ οὐδὲ ὡς πέτρας πτώματι | καὶ πέτρα σκανδάλου |
In Rom.ix.33 the same two
passages are conflated:
ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Ζιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος καὶ πέτραν
σκανδάλου, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῶ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.
So far as this abbreviated form of quotation can be compared,
it agrees with the LXX and differs from it precisely as does I Peter,
except that οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται takes
the place of οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῆ.
In particular, both agree in giving the correct rendering of the Hebrew, λίθος προσκόμματος and πέτρα σκανδάλου,
for the incorrect LXX rendering.
[Moreover, while 'the LXX denies the πρόσκομμα and
the πτῶμα,
Peter and Paul seem to presuppose a text which affirmed the actuality
of both.]
This agreement can hardly be fortuitous.
Yet the hypothesis of literary interdependence is attended with difficulty.
That Paul borrowed from I Peter few would be found to maintain, even among
those who assign I Peter to the earliest date possible.
That the author of I Peter borrowed from Romans could be maintained only
on the rather unlikely assumption that he first disentangled the conflated
passages, and then supplemented them with parts of Is.xxviii.16 which Paul
had omitted, and yet that he did not supplement them out of the LXX, since
his version does not entirely agree with the LXX even where there is no Pauline
parallel.
The simpler, and surely the more probable, hypothesis is that both Paul and
the author of I Peter made use of a twofold testimonium already current
in the pre-canonical tradition in a version differing somewhat from the LXX.
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In thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed.
(I translate both these passages
after the LXX.
It does not accurately represent the meaning of the Hebrew, since נברכנ is
properly reflexive, and the meaning should apparently be, "shall bless
themselves";
i.e. shall pray to be blessed as Abraham was blessed.
But there is no trace of any apprehension of this meaning either in the LXX
or in the New Testament).
These two passages are conflated
in two places.
In Acts iii.25, following closely upon the statement that "these days" had
been foretold by all the prophets, we have a reference to the covenant which
God made with the patriarchs, "saying to Abraham, ἐν τῶ σπέρματί σου ἐνευλογηθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ
πατριαὶ τῆς γῆς."
The words underlined come from Gen.x.18 (with a change of order);
the remainder clearly represent πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς in
Gen..3.
In Gal.iii.8 Paul cites from "scripture" (ἡ γραφή)
the promise of God to Abraham, ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τα
ἔθνη.
Here the words underlined come from Gen..3, and the rest from Gen.x.18.
Since Paul and the author of Acts have conflated the passages differently,
we cannot suppose that the one borrowed from the other;
but all would be intelligible if we assumed that the two passages were already
accepted as testimonia in the pre-canonical tradition, and that our
authors quoted somewhat carelessly what was extremely familiar.
The importance of the prophecy is obvious, as documentation of the theme
that the Gospel is to be preached to the Gentiles, and we can well believe
that it was seized upon from the first by apologists for the Gentile mission.
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Behold the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant,
not like the covenant which I made with their fathers,
in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they did not abide by my covenant,
and so I cared for them no longer, says the Lord.
For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
putting my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart;
and I will be a God to them, and they shall be a people to me.
And they shall not teach everyone his fellow-citizen and everyone his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord';
because they will all know me, from little to great among them,
because I will be gracious to their injustices and will no more remember their sins.
(so LXX).
This passage is quoted in
extenso in Heb.viii.8-12, with the introduction, μεμφόμενος αὐτοὺς λέγει,
which amounts to a formula of quotation.
Hebrews follows the A text of the LXX with very little variation.
This is the only place where the prophecy of the New Covenant is thus expressly
quoted, but there are numerous places where there are more or less clear
allusions to it.
The prophecy sets forth the main features of the promised covenant as follows:
the law written on the heart;
the intimate relation of God and His people;
knowledge of God; and
forgiveness of sins.
These features crop up in various combinations in New Testament writers.
In II Cor.iii it is clear
that Paul, although he does not expressly cite Jeremiah, has the prophecy
in mind.
It is echoed, not only in the διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης of
verse 6,
and by implication in τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης of
verse 14,
but also in the ἐγγεγραμμένη ἐν ταῖς καρδίας of
verse 2,
which refers to clause (a) of the covenant,
though the expansion of this in verse 3 owes something to Ezek.xi.19;
which contrasts καρδία λιθίνη with καρδία σαρκίνη.
Again, I Cor.xi.25 clearly
alludes to the same prophecy in describing the Cup of the Eucharist as διαθήκη καινὴ ἐν
τῶ αἵματι μου.
The epithet καινή does
not occur in other accounts of the Words of Institution, apart from the longer
text of Luke x.20, which may be dependent on Paul.
But in the Matthaean account, although the adjective καινή is
not present,
the clause εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῳν (Mt.xxvi.28)
recalls one of the main features of the New Covenant in Jeremiah (d), and
corresponds closely enough with the meaning of the Hebrew אםלח לעונם,
although the LXX translates ἵλεως ἕσομαι.
It seems, therefore, that the association of the Jeremianic New Covenant
with the Eucharist is not peculiar to Paul, and since he himself professes
to be repeating a tradition which he had received, we may with much probability
conclude that Jer.xxxi.31 sqq. had affected the liturgical tradition at a
date earlier than the writing of I Corinthians.
The clause of the New Covenant, ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς θεὸν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονται μοι
εἰς λαόν (b) is included in a catena of
Old Testament passages in II Cor.vi.17-18, which also echoes Jer.xxxi.9 (LXX,
xxxviii.9), ἐγενόμην τῶ Ἰσραὺλ εἰς πατέρα.
The clause of the covenant
(c) which promises knowledge of God does not seem to be directly referred
to in the New Testament, but it is perhaps hardly accidental that in I Jn.ii.12-14,
which sets forth the features of a state of existence when
"the darkness is passing away and the light of reality is shining," couples
closely the knowledge of God (c) and the forgiveness of sins (d);
while we might find a remote echo of Jer.xxxi.34 in the words of Jn.iv.42:
We believe no longer on the strength of what you say,
because we have heard for ourselves, and we know;
among the Samaritans it is no longer necessary for a man to teach his fellow-citizens,
saying "Know the Lord."
Although, therefore, there
is only one place where the prophecy of the New Covenant is expressly cited
as from scripture, it seems clear that it was widely influential in the Church
from an early date, since it has not only influenced Paul, Hebrews and the
Synoptic tradition, and possibly the Johannine tradition too, but probably
had a place in primitive liturgical forms.
After that it shall be that I pour out some of my spirit on all flesh;
and your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your elders will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions;
and upon my slaves and bondmaids in those days I will pour some of my spirit.
And I will give prodigies in heaven and upon the earth blood and fire and vapour of smoke.
The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes.
And it shall be that everyone who invokes the name of the Lord shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a saved man,
and there shall be men who preach the Gospel to those whom the Lord has called.
(so LXX).
The first four-and-a-half verses of this
passage (down to "shall be saved,"32a) are quoted in extenso in
Acts ii.17-21, under the rubric,
"This is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel."
The citation is completed by the clear allusion to verse 320 in Acts ii.
39.
[This should be noted as a clear indication that the scripture
which a writer has in mind is not necessarily limited to the amount which
he quotes.
The quotation of Joel ends at Acts ii. 21 in the middle of verse 32,
but the latter part of verse 32, "those whom the Lord has called"
crops up at Acts ii. 39 in a way which shows that the whole passage was in
mind.
It is perhaps the clearest of many examples of the kind.]
The author of Acts has followed the text of the LXX as we have it in the
MSS., with a few not very important variations.
The citation forms the opening of the speech attributed to Peter on the Day
of Pentecost—
the first rendering of the apostolic kerygma in the Acts, presented
as a kind of programme of the Christian mission.
It seems clear, therefore, that this prophecy of Joel was an important testimonium; yet
there is not very much direct evidence of its use outside Acts.
In Rom.x.13 Paul cites the
words,
"Everyone who invokes the name of the Lord shall be saved,"
exactly as they stand in the LXX of Joel ii.32a.
[The expression οἱ ἐπικαλούμενοι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου has
become for Paul a synonym for "Christians", the κυρίος being,
of course, "our Lord Jesus Christ," I Cor.i.2.]
The citation occurs in a passage which is essentially a commentary
(a kind of "Midrash") on certain passages of the Old Testament,
most of which are introduced by such formulae as Μωυσῦς
γράφει (5), λέγει ἡ γραφή (11), γέγραπται (15), Ἡσαῖας λέγει (16).
It is thus a mere accident that no such formula happens to be used in verse
13;
the intention to quote is clear.
It is further to be observed that among the passages here cited occur two
which we have already noted as primitive testimonia.
Is.xxviii.16 (verse 11) and Is.liii.1 (verse 16);
and if we go a little further, to xi.8, which still belongs to the same argument,
we shall find one of the passages about eyes that do not see and ears that
do not hear, which we have noted as being associated with Is.vi.10 as testimonies
to the transference of the privileges of the Gospel from the Jews to the
Gentiles.
It seems clear that Paul is working largely with passages from the Old Testament
already current as testimonia, and we need not hesitate to put down
Joel ii.32 among them.
For the rest, the language
of Joel ii.31 seems to have had influence upon the apocalyptic conceptions
of early Christianity.
It is echoed in Lk.xxi.25, ἔσονται σημεῖα ἐν ἡλιῳ καὶ
σελήνῃ,
Mk.i.24, ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει
το φέγγος αὐτῆς,
Rev.ix.2, ἐσκοτίσθη ὁ ἥλιος
(cf. reference to καπνός, though
this looks back also to Exod.xix.18, and perhaps Gen.xix.28).
But all this is little to our present purpose.
The use of this prophecy
of Joel in Rom.x seems just sufficient to justify the conclusion that its
introduction as a main testimonium to the kerygma in Acts ii
is not due to the author, but rests upon primitive (pre-Pauline) usage.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy king cometh unto thee;
he is just and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass,
even upon a colt the foal of an ass.
(I give the R.V. for convenience).
This is cited in Mt.xxi.5,
in a version approximating to the LXX, under the rubric, "That which
was spoken through the prophet" and in Jn..15, in a different and much
abbreviated version, under the rubric,
"As it is written."
The differences may be exhibited as follows:
| LXX. | Mt. | Jn. |
|---|---|---|
| Χαῖρε σφόδρα θύγατερ Σιων· |
εἴπατε τῆ θυγατρὶ Ζιών |
μὴ φοβοῦ θυγάτηρ Ζιών |
| κήρυσσε, θύγατερ Ιερουσαλημ |
||
| ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι |
ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι |
ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί |
| δίκαιος καὶ σῴζων αὐτός | ||
| πραὺς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον |
πραὺς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον |
καθήμενος ἐπὶ |
| καὶ πῶλον νέον | καὶ ἐπὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου |
πῶλον ὄνου |
Coming he will come and will not delay.
If anyone draws back my soul does not approve of him,
but the righteous will live by my faith.
(so LXX, not altogether acceptable as a rendering of the Hebrew of the Massoretic text).
This passage is quoted in
Heb. x. 37-38.
There is no formula of quotation, but the intention to quote seems plain.
It clearly has the LXX, and not the Hebrew, behind it,
but the author quotes somewhat freely:
| LXX. | Heb. |
|---|---|
| ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ μὴ χρονίσῃ |
ὁ ἐρχόμενος1 ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονίσει [v.l. - ιεῖ] |
| ἐὰν ὑποστείληται οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ |
ὁ δὲ δίκαιός μου ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται |
| ὁ δὲ δίκαιος [+ μου A] ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται |
καὶ ἐὰν ὑποστείληται οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῶ |
1 [The expression, ὁ ἐρχόμενος, where LXX has ἐρχόμενος ἥξει ( = יבא בא), links itself with the use of the same phrase in Mt.xi.3 = Lk.vii.19, but whether the testimonium or the dialogue is prior we have no means of saying.]
In addition, he has prefixed
to the passage from Habakkuk the words ἔτι γὰρ μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον,
which seem to be a reminiscence of Is.xxvi.20, εἴσελθε εἰς τὰ ταμεῖά σου, ἀπόκλεισον
τὺν θύραν σου, καὶ ἀποκρύβηθι νικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργὴ κυρίου,
a passage which, curiously enough, seems to be echoed also in Mt.vi.6, but
in a context which gives it no significance for our present purpose.
This is no genuine case of conflation (like Nos. 8 and 9 above), where both
passages have relevance to the matter in hand.
It appears that the author is here quoting from memory.
One clause of the passage
from Habakkuk is quoted by Paul in Rom.i.17 and Gal.iii.11.
In the former place it is introduced by the formula, ὡς γέγραπται,
and in the latter place it forms part of a series of quotations covered by
similar formulae inserted at intervals.
Paul's version of the clause diners both from the LXX and from Hebrews:
ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται, which
he may have understood to mean "he who is righteous (i.e.
"justified") by faith will come to life" (in the sense of
Rom. viii. 2).
[If he had been writing freely, he might have given the
form ὁ ἐκ πίστεως δίκαιος, as
in Rom.x.6 he writes ἡ πίστεως δικαιοσούνη.]
That Paul borrowed from Hebrews is out of the question.
That the author of Hebrews borrowed from Paul is entirely unlikely, because
he gives the words differently;
he cites much more of the passage, and
he evidently understands the words differently;
he quotes the whole passage
for the sake of its warning against ὑποστολή,
and treats πίστις as
the opposite of the weakness of character which leads to ὑποστολή (much more nearly in agreement with
the meaning intended by the prophet for the word אמונה).
It is much more likely that he drew upon a tradition which already recognized
the passage from Habakkuk as a testimonium to the coming of Christ,
and this tradition may well have been formed even before Paul wrote to the
Galatians;
for his argument (which is very much an argumentum ad hominem) would
be far more effective with his Jewish-Christian antagonists if it was already
common ground between them that when the Coming One should come, ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.
The exact exegesis of those words would be legitimate matter for discussion.
The variation between the Hebrew (צדיק באמונחו יחיח = "the
righteous will live by his steadfastness"), the LXX (= "the just
will live by my faithfulness"), and the form known to the author to
the Hebrews ("my righteous one will live by faith"), as well as
Paul's own version without the possessive pronoun, is sufficient to show
that there were differences of view.
[Not to mention the reading of Codex Alexandrinus of Habakkuk,
which gives the sense "my righteous one will live by my faithfulness."
This is a mixed reading, almost certainly secondary.]
Hence there is reasonable probability that Hab.ii.3-4 should be added to
our list of traditional testimonial from the earliest period.
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The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor,
to heal the broken-hearted,
to proclaim release to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind;
to cry the acceptable year of the Lord.
(so LXX).
This passage is quoted in
extenso in Lk.iv.18-19, with an introductory formula which explicitly
refers to the prophet Isaiah.
The quotation follows the MS. text of the LXX in essentials, except that
it introduces a clause which is not present in Is.Ixi:
ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει,
which clearly echoes Is.Iviii.6.
[This curious interpolation may be due to fortuitous
association;
yet it is hardly accidental that the intrusive clause is drawn from a chapter
which is echoed elsewhere in the New Testament, Is.Iviii.6, σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας,
is echoed in Acts viii.23, in combination with χολὴ πιλρίας from
Deut.xxix.18 (a passage echoed also in Heb..15). In the same chapter. Is.Iviii,
the description of the "fast" which God requires (verse 7), following
immediately upon the "bond of iniquity" and the release of the "bruised," with
its insistence on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and receiving the
homeless, is similar in purport, though not in language, to Mt.xxv.35-36;
and the interweaving of the ideas of φῶς δόξα θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη,
in 8-10, leading to the promise ὁ θεός σου μετά σου (cf
"Immanuel") is a part of the background of much that meets us in
the New Testament.]
There is no other explicit
citation of this passage, but there are unmistakable allusions to it.
In Acts x.38 the address of Peter to Cornelius, which is recognized as an
early formulation of the kerygma, includes the phrase, ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.
[See my book, The Apostolic Preaching and its Developments (second
edition) pp. 27-28.]
Like other kerygmatic passages, this address is dominated by the idea
of prophecy fulfilled, and indeed the expression,
"To him all the prophets testify," (x. 43) may, in view of the
general character of the kerygma, be extended by implication beyond
its immediate application, to cover all allusions to the Old Testament in
the context.
Again, in Mt.xi.5 = Lk.vii.22,
the statement τυφλοὶ
ἀναβλέπουσιν ... καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται is
intended to prove, by appeal to manifest facts, that Jesus is ὁ ἐρχόμενος,
which means that his activity corresponds to the affirmations of the prophets
concerning the good time coming.
Implicitly, therefore, the clause in question is an allusion to Is.Ixi.1.
In a similar spirit the concluding clause of Is.Ixi.2, which Luke has not
included, παρακαλέσαι πάντας τοὺς πενθοῦντας,
is echoed in the beatitude upon the mourners in Mt.v.4.
Although, therefore, it is
only in Lk.iv.18-19 that Is.Ixi.1-2 is expressly quoted, it seems to be treated
as a source of testimonies, in the kerygmatic passage of Acts x, which
almost certainly rests upon earlier tradition, and in the "Q" stratum
of Matthew and Luke, which, whether or not it had the character of a documentary
source, also represents an early independent tradition.
Lk.iv.18-19 may represent another independent tradition (Luke's "special
source"), or it may be that the author has intentionally cited at length
a passage which he found to be alluded to in various parts of the tradition
known to him.
In any case, although the attestation of this citation is rather more slender
than it was for some of the other passages we have investigated, there is
a reasonable probability that it should be added to our list of primitive testimonial.
A prophet from among your brethren, like me, will the Lord your God raise up for you;
him you shall hear ...
and the man who does not hear whatever that prophet says in my name,
I will exact the penalty from him.
This passage is cited in Acts
iii.22-23, under the rubric
"Moses said."
The citation, however, does not exactly follow the text of the LXX (which
I have translated) but "telescopes" it, and remoulds the conclusion
in a way which recalls Lev.xi.29.
| LXX. | Acts. |
|---|---|
| (Dt.xviii.15.) προφήτην |
προφήτην |
| ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ὡς ἐμὲ |
ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς |
| ἀναστήσει σοι κύριος ὁ θεός σου |
ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ |
| αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε | αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα |
| (19.) καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ... ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ |
ὃσἃ ἂν λαλἠση πρὸς ὑμᾶς |
| (Lv.xi.29.) πᾶσα ψυχή ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς |
ἕσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ |
The combination of Deuteronomy
and Leviticus must be regarded as due to fortuitous association.
It is no genuine conflation, since the passage in Leviticus has no bearing
on the matter in hand.
The author's intention is clearly to quote the prophecy from Deuteronomy
about the prophet like Moses whom God is to raise up.
The essential clause is quoted again in Acts vii.37, προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ, with
the introductory words, "This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel
..."
The whole of Stephen's address in which the quotation occurs is something
like a cento of passages from the Old Testament with comments upon
them.
The repeated occurrence of the same quotation within the same work has
no necessary significance for our present purpose;
but there is much to be said for the view that in the kerygmatic passages
(to which Acts iii.12-26 belongs) traditional material is being introduced,
[See The
Apostolic Preaching and its Developments (second edition), pp. 17-20]
and that Stephen's speech in Acts vii, which has a style and manner
of its own, unlike anything else in Acts, may also go back to a pre-canonical
source the nucleus of which may well have been the catena from the
Old Testament.
This is however rather more speculative than befits the present stage of
the investigation.
Outside Acts there is no
explicit quotation of the prophecy of the prophet like Moses;
but there appear to be several allusions to it.
In Lk.ix.35 the bath-qol at the Transfiguration runs, οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱος μου ὁ
ἐκελελεγμένος‧ αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε.
Having in mind the importance of the prophecy from Deuteronomy for
the author of Luke-Acts, we are led to suppose that he intended his readers
to see here a reference to it, and to infer that Jesus is to be identified
with the prophet like Moses.
So far, the repeated reference, in the same author, need not have any particular
significance;
but in fact the crucial phrase occurs also in Mark's story of the Transfiguration
(ix.7), whether or not this has been Luke's model—
and there are certain divergences, especially the substitution of ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος for ὁ ἀγαπητός,
which suggest that he may not have been entirely dependent on Mark.
If then the words ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ be thought to indicate a reference to the prophecy, we have
a genuine second attestation of its use as a testimonium.
That the prophet like Moses is in mind becomes slightly more likely when
we recall that Moses has figured in the scene of the Transfiguration,
and that as the voice is heard he disappears,
and Jesus alone is visible:
Moses has gone:
the prophet like Moses remains, and it is he whom men are to hear,
as the prophecy declared.
It seems probable that we
are to find here the basis of the reference to ὁωπροφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος υἰς τὸν κόσμον in
Jn.vi.14.
Jesus has just given bread to the people, as Moses had given manna in the
wilderness (vi.31).
He is therefore hailed as the coming prophet like Moses.
Since we have evidence that the passage from Deuteronomy belonged to the
corpus of prophecies attached to the kerygma (even though proof that
it belonged to the primitive corpus of such prophecies may fall short
of being conclusive), it appears gratuitous to seek an explanation for the
Johannine idea of the "coming prophet" in the doctrine of the one
prophet who comes in age after age—
a doctrine found in Manichaean and other sources, but in no Christian source
earlier than the spurious Clementines (which are not earlier, it appears,
than the third century).
While, however, in Mark and Luke the coming prophet is clearly identified
with the Son (the Messiah), John seems to treat him as only a quasi-messianic
figure;
for John the Baptist is offered his choice of the roles of Messiah, Elijah,
or "the prophet" and rejects them all in favour of the designation φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῆ ἐρήμῳ (i.23-25).
It appears therefore as if the Fourth Evangelist were acquainted with the
employment of Deut.xviii.15 as a testimonium to the messianic dignity
of Jesus, but did not accept it as such.
It is clear that the evidence here is weaker than in the previous cases, but I think it is enough to establish some measure of probability that the scripture about the prophet like Moses is to be added to our list of primitive testimonia.
Here
then are fifteen instances where there are grounds,
and in most of them strong grounds,
for believing that New Testament writers were working upon a tradition
in which certain passages of the Old Testament were treated as
"testimonies" to the Gospel facts,
or in other words as disclosing that "determinate counsel of God" which
was fulfilled in those facts.
There is one feature of these citations which must now be brought out.
Where two or more New Testament writers agree in citing some particular text
from the Old Testament,
as they agree in the fifteen instances given in the above list,
they do not necessarily agree in the precise extent of the matter quoted.
One writer may quote a somewhat lengthy passage in extenso,
while another may quote only a single clause,
another perhaps a different clause;
and sometimes the matter quoted by different writers may overlap without
being coextensive.
We have now to observe that there are other cases, not in the list,
where adjacent or contiguous clauses are cited by different writers
but, as it happens, no one quotes the complete passage.
A striking example is Ps.Ixix.9 (LXX, Ixviii.10):
The zeal of thy house will devour me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach thee fell upon me.
(so LXX).
The first member of this
distich, ὁ
ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου καταφαγεταί με,
is quoted, exactly as it stands in the LXX, in Jn.ii.17, under the rubric
"It is written."
The second member, οἰ ὀνειδισμοὶ τὼν ὀνειδιζόντων σε
ἐπεπεσαν ἐπ' ἐμέ, again
in the septuagintal text, is quoted in Rom.xv.3, under the rubric, "As
it is written."
In both cases it is assumed without argument that the passage refers to Christ.
Are we to believe that each of these writers, neither acquainted with the
other's work, selected by accident the two halves of a single verse for use
as a "testimony"—
and that from a psalm which is not, in any obvious sense, "messianic"?
Surely it is more probable that both writers were guided by a tradition in
which this psalm was already referred to Christ.
This probability is strengthened when we observe that other verses of Ps.Ixix are cited as testimonial elsewhere in the New Testament, as follows:
| 4. οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν |
cited (with slight verbal change) in Jn.xv.25, under the rubric, ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐν τῶ νόμῳ αὐτῶν γεγραμμένος |
| 21a. ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν |
recalled in Mt.xxvii.34 (without explicit quotation). |
| 21b. εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος |
recalled in Mk.xv.36, Jn.xix.28 (with the note, ἵνα τελειωθῆ ἡ γραφή) |
| 25. γενηθήτω ἡ ἔπαυλις αὐτῶν ἠρημωμένη, καὶ ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν |
quoted, with the omission of 3 words and with a change from plural to
singular, in Acts i.20, under the rubric, γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν1. |
It can scarcely be accidental
that five separate authors have turned to this particular psalm for testimonia, although
they have selected different sentences for quotation.
1 [The
significance of these citations of scripture in the speech of Peter upon
the election to a vacancy in the apostolate is, I think, not always appreciated.
The situation brought about by Judas's defection is represented as unexpected
and unprovided for.
Upon the basis of the saying about the "twelve thrones" (Mt.xix.28
= Lk.x.30), the disciples had no doubt assumed that the chosen twelve constituted
a permanent government in the "Israel of God."
If one of the chosen twelve disappears, what is to be done?
Peter first shows that there is a real vacancy in the government.
The mere death of an apostle need not have created a vacancy: ἐν τῆ παλιγγενεσίᾳ he
would be there to take his throne;
but apostasy is a different matter.
He then shows that scripture has provided for the occurrence of a vacancy,
in Ps.Ixix.
For its relevance and cogency the citation requires that it shall be agreed
that the Psalm refers to the rejection and sufferings of Christ, in which
Judas had played his part among the enemies of God.
He then shows that scripture has also provided for the filling of the vacancy,
in Ps.cix. (LXX, cviii), 8;
τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ λάβοι ἕτερος.
This being granted, the meeting can proceed to an election, assured that
it is not acting ultra vires.
There is of course no means of proving that all this is not the work of the
author of Acts, but it appears to me that no Sitz in Leben for such
a piece of tradition is so natural or likely as the early days of perplexity.
That a recollection of the essential element of procedure on so momentous
an occasion should have been preserved in tradition is in no way improbable,
however much the author of Acts may have written it up.]
It seems then that we drew
the line unnecessarily narrowly in limiting our evidence to cases where a
New Testament writer has quoted at least some of the same words from
a passage of scripture as others have quoted.
We must also admit as evidence for a pre-canonical use of such passages of
scripture cases where two or more writers have quoted, or recalled, contiguous
or adjacent sentences within a wider context.
The investigation of such cases will be our next task.
But meanwhile our study has surely created a certain presumption that New
Testament writers were guided in their use of the Old Testament by certain
agreed principles or conventions.
It has also suggested that such guidance may not have taken the form of an
anthology of single, isolated proof-texts, as has often been supposed.
It points rather to the hypothesis that there were some parts of scripture
which were early recognized as appropriate sources from which testimonia might
be drawn.
This hypothesis has now to be tested.