CHAPTER III

HOMOGENEITY OF MATERIAL COMMON TO MATTHEW

AND LUKE

The nature and extent of the resemblances between parts of Luke's Perean section and of the Gospel of Matthew may be said to make it practically certain that their relationship is documentary rather than oral. That it was a single document rather than two or more that entered into the making of both Luke's Perean section and corresponding portions of the Gospel of Matthew may be regarded in advance of investigation as somewhat more probable. For the smaller the number of separate documents that we consider two independent workers both to have had, the easier is the supposition.

When we consider the matter in Luke's Perean section common to Matthew and Luke (the "first group" of the previous chapter) we do find characteristics binding it together, which thus support the idea that it was a single document rather than two or more from which it was derived. In noting these characteristics we have in mind not only this support, but also the furnishing of criteria for determining whether or not other material in this section, not found in Matthew, belonged to the same document.

One of the characteristics that appears most widely in this material common to Matthew and Luke is the presence of symbolic, enigmatical, compressed sayings, such as, "Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together," Luke 17:37, and "Leave the dead to bury their own dead," Luke 9:60. Such are to be found in Luke 9:60; 11:20, 23, 33-35, 47, 52; 12:2, 4-5, 6, 7, 10, 33b-34; 13:29, 34b, 35a, b; 14:11, 27; 16:13, 16, 17, 18; 17:1, 6, 24, 33, 37d. Similar sayings with some of the characteristics less marked are to be found also in 9:58; 10:15, 216-22, 236-24; 11:4, 9, 39; 12:25, 39, 42-46, 58-59; 13:19, 21; 14: 26; 17:34, 35. Of the twenty-six sections into which this material has been divided, only three, 7, 13, and 24, including nine verses in all, lack one or more of these sayings. It is to be noted also that in general throughout this material there are many detached or readily detachable sayings and brief incidents. As examples may be cited Luke 10:16 23-24; 11:1-4, 5-8, 9-10, 11-13, 19, 23, 24-26, 27-28, 33, 42.

I See pp. i f.

As to the tying-together of sentences moreover, in every part, with the exception of two sections, 1 and 25, there is an unusually large proportion of sentences without any particle to connect them with what precedes. In only three of the twenty-six sections, §§1, 6, and 10, is the number of such sentences more than two less than that of those connected by kai or dé with what precedes put together, and in only five is it more than one less, §§ 1, 6, 10, 12, 25.

The extensive use for connecting sentences of particles other than Kaí and dé is also a notable trait in many of the sections. In nine of them, §§ 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, and 20, their number as so used exceeds that of either of the most common conjunctions, and in four more, §§ 8, 15, 17, and 26, it equals that of either. In only four, §§ 1, 4, 6, and 25, does it fall below that of both κaí and dé.1 The facts as to each section may be noted as follows: the number of the section coming first in each case, then the number of sentences in it introduced by (1) κaí, (2) dé, (3) other particles, (4) no connective particle or device: 1, 2+3+ oto; 2, 3+5+6+7; 3, 1+o+2+2; 4, 2+1+o+2; 5, I+I+3+2; 6, 3+5+1+2; 7, 0+o+3+3; 8, 0+1+1+3; 9, 0+4+3+5; 10, 2+ 6+4+2; II, I+3+4+6; 12, 1+3+1+2; 13, o+o+2+1; 14, otot I+1; 15, I+o+1+2; 16, 1+o+o+1; 17,0+1+1+1; 18,o+o+i+o; 19, ototo+1; 20, ototı+2; 21, O+I+o+2; 22, otototı; 23, otito+1; 24, 1tototo; 25, 1+1+o+o; 26, 2+o+2+5.

With perhaps two or three minor exceptions (13:18-19, 20-21; 12:39?) the eleven parables of the material closely paralleled in Matthew are, as we have already noted (p. 23), in effect statements of general laws or customs of human action or of the course of nature rather than narrations of particular actions. The form in some cases is made wholly or partly that of questions. As to the exceptions, the parable of the Mustard Seed, 13:18-19, is in Luke a genuine narrative parable, though very brief. In Mark, 4:30-32, it is not narrative, but a general statement of the course of nature. Matthew's version (13:31-32) is partly narrative and partly general statement. The allied parable of the Leaven, Luke 13:20-21 (= Matthew 13:33), is exceedingly brief, and

I The number of occurrences of different forms of sentence connection in the material of the second group may be noted for comparison; see p. 21.

For a series of supposedly representative passages taken from Luke, Vogel, Zur Charakteristik des Lukas nach Sprache und Stil, 1897, p. 26, gives the number of clausebeginnings with (1) κal, (2) dé, (3) Té, (4) other particles, (5) without particles, as 50+36+1+6+7; and for a similar series in Acts as 16+51+9+16+8. The contrast with all of these of the group of sections we are considering is striking. (ré does not occur in either of our groups.)

is almost as much a simile as a parable. Luke 12:39 implies rather than presents a narrated incident. Noticeable in many of the parables of this material is a balancing of parts by the presentation of alternatives or additional examples. Cf. 12:41-46, § 12; 11:11, §5; 16:13, § 20, for various instances of this trait. With this may be connected the pairing of similar parables, seen in 13:18-21, § 15, and 12:24, 27-28, § 11. The parables are distributed as follows: §5, 11:11-13; §6, 11:17; §8, 11:33; § 10, 12:6; 11, 12:24, 27-28; § 12, 12:39, 42-46; § 15, 13:18-19, 20–21; § 20, 16:13. Thus eight of the sections are bound together by the presence of parables, and all but one of these (§ 15) by that of parables of a distinct type, different from that most common in the material of the second group. (See pp. 23 f.)

More general than any of the traits heretofore noticed, perhaps, is the parallelism in form or thought or both which, as we have already noted,' is found in every one of the sections and in almost every verse of the material of the first group.

The absence of definite geographical references is another feature that binds together all the sections of this material. Not a saying or occurrence in the whole group is assigned to a place that is named. In four verses of § 2 six cities or towns are named, three as places where Jesus has worked, and three as heathen cities with which they are compared. Jerusalem is mentioned once (13:34, § 17) as the rejecter of prophets and of Jesus. The Ninevites to whom Jonah preached are spoken of in §7. These are all the place-names that occur. In the reference to the place "between the altar and the sanctuary" (11:51, 89), Jerusalem is again indicated as a place where prophets have been slain. The scarcity of personal names is also noteworthy, and the fact that almost all that do occur are from the Old Testament. The name of Jonah the prophet appears four times in one section (7), that of Solomon three times in two sections (11:31, §7; 12:27, § 11), those of Abel and Zachariah (cf. II Chron. 24:20-21) in 11:51, those of "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," in 13:28, and that of Noah twice in 17:26-27 (§ 26). The name of Jesus appears only once, in the first section. This may be especially significant as indicating that when the name of Jesus had once been introduced at the beginning of the document, being assumed as understood it did not again appear in it. This is the only name of a living man found in the material. The only other personal name is that of Beelzebul (BeeλLeßouλ) in § 6, 11:19.

In the previous chapter a number of other characteristics have been 1 Pp. 22 f.

I

brought out that bind together many of the sections of this group and so confirm the hypothesis that they belonged to a single document. Thus references to a future world-crisis are found in six sections, §§ 2, 7, 9, 12, 16, and 26; and §§ 12 and 26 are entirely devoted to this subject. Definite references to the kingdom of God are found in eight sections, §§ 1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 15, 16, and 21. As to the strong interest in commandments of Jesus, the whole of §§ 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 19, 21, 22, and 24 is taken up with them, and so are considerable parts of §§ 1, 2, and 9. They are also to be found in §§ 8 and 26. The conception of Jesus as authoritative leader appears strongly in §§ 1 (9:59-60), 2 (10:3 and 13-15), 4 (11:2-4), 6 (11:23), 13 (12:51-53), and 19 (14:26-27). The thought of him as holding a special relation to God and bringing a new revelation such as the world had not seen appears in §§3 (10:22, 23–24), 6 (11:20 and apparently 11:16), 7 (11:31-32), and 10 (12:8 and 10). Two whole sections, 12 and 26, deal with the Son of man in the future, and, in 12: 8, § 10 contains another clear promise of his future activity.

In different sections of the material salvation is looked at from two points of view. In some salvation or rejection is viewed as affecting individuals; in others, as shared in by large groups collectively, as cities, the Pharisees, and "this generation." The former point of view is seen in §§ 3, 10, 12, 13, and 26; the latter in §§ 2 (10:8-15), 7, 9, and 17. The two are not mutually exclusive, but supplementary, and could have been taken by the same compiler.

As to the attitude toward the Old Testament shown in the material, we may first notice that its events and characters are several times mentioned, in §§ 3, 7, 9, 11, 16, 17, and 26. That the law is held to be still binding is indicated in two sections, 9 and 21: "Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (11:42); and, "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall" (16:17). But the Old Testament is considered no longer the highest revelation according to six sections. For in the verse before the statement last quoted it is said: "The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached" (16:16, §21). Jesus revealed what its prophets and kings did not see (10:23-24, §3); and he is more than they were (11:31-32, §7). And he restated and deepened some of its laws, §§ 22-24 (cf. Lev. 18:20; 19:14, 17-18).

Though no logical sequence is found running throughout this group of material, certain parts now separated do show coherence or natural

connection in thought. It is a remarkable fact that such connection seems to be traceable in nearly every case in which material of the second group comes between parts assigned to the first. Connection between §§ 3 and 4 may be found when the latter is considered an example of Jesus' revelation of the Father in words that the disciples were peculiarly blessed in hearing. The coherence of §§ 10 and 11 becomes clear when vss. II and 12 are added to the former. They were left out in the first place because of the close parallel to them in Mark, but it seems clear that in substance at least they stood in this other document used by Matthew and Luke. Thus the thought that knowledge of God's care for them should free the disciples from fear and anxiety is carried over from its application to confession in § 10 to a further application to their ordinary wants in § 11. Sections 18-24 seem to be all connected in thought as indicating various requirements of the disciple. Selfabasement in § 18 is followed by renunciation in § 19, and that by completeness of devotion in § 20. After this follows obedience to the law in § 21. A statement of offenses against the marriage bond, § 22, is naturally followed by a warning against causing others to sin, § 23.

Moreover, we find that in most cases where material not assigned to the second document separates parts of that now under consideration some coherence or connection in thought can be found between the separated parts. Section 2 is connected with §1 by the thought of the urgency of the mission; § 3 carries on from § 2 the ideas of a revelation through Jesus and the failure of some to receive it; §§ 4 and 5 are connected by the thought of petition in prayer; § 7 takes up the seeking for a sign mentioned near the beginning of § 6; §9 appears to be connected with § 8 by the thought of men's inner condition, and with § 10 by that of the revelation of things hidden; § 12 seems to be connected with II by the thought of the need of readiness for a great change in conditions, also by the mention of the coming of the thief, and § 13 with it in that they deal with two sorts of division to be brought about by Jesus. (Note μépos, vs. 46, and diaμepioμóv, diaμepigw, vss. 51-53.) Section 14 might have been considered to be instructions as to meeting hostility such as is predicted in § 13; § 16 is connected with § 15 by the thought of the future extent of the kingdom of God, and with § 17 by the thought of rejection; § 18 might be considered the statement of a general truth exemplified in § 17; and §§ 23 and 24 closely connected as presenting two phases of duty with respect to the sin of others, the former not causing it, the latter rebuking and forgiving it. Of the sections not separated by intervening material, §§ 21 and 22 are connected