Another Objection to my Theory About P52 Removed

As I said earlier I love belonging to that Textual Criticism Yahoo Group because its members are quite frankly more knowledgeable than may on a number of important issues. One objection that was raised about my postulation of a Johannine pro-Diatessaron was whether or not I could prove that Polycarp knew material from the canonical gospel of John (!). Of course my shorthand answer was 'what the hell kind of a gospel did you think Polycarp would say that he was using?' Yeah, Polycarp walked around all over the world claiming that he was the only true disciple of John and that John passed on the font of the Holy Spirit over to him but somehow we have to wonder whether Polycarp's text was named 'Gospel according to Hershel' or some other exotic name!

Well in any event, I have learned that it doesn't pay to go for comic effect on these Yahoo groups. I save all my vitriol for my blog. That's why I am so thankful to be acquainted Arie Dirkzwager of the Free University, Amsterdam, Holland who takes the time to demonstrate the obvious to the group namely that:

The edition of the Apostolic Fathers von K. Bihlmeyer and W. Schneemelcher (Die apostolischen Väter, I, Tübingen 1956, p.161) has the following quotations/allusion s from/to the gospel of John in the epistle
of Polycarp:
- John 5: 21 in Pol. 2. 3
- John 8: 44 in Pol. 12. 3
- John 13: 34 and 15: 12, 17 in Pol. 10. 1
- John 15: 16 in Pol. 12. 3

I am always indebted to people more knowledgeable than myself and give credit where credit is due. I don't have the patience of a saint because quite frankly I am nor have have ever claimed that I am a saint. What's next? Am I going to have to disprove Irenaeus' explanation that it was the Devil that was behind the abundance of evidence that contradicted his claims regarding the foundation of the Church from four winds? Sheesh. I wouldn't be surprised if that came up one day during a Q and A at a conference. We are all writing in the twilight of the only real conspiracy in history - the effort of Europe to impose its imprint on the Semitic religious revelation that came to Jesus.

I feel terribly annoyed at times that people can't see what time it is or how all that they take for granted about Christianity is built on the flimsiest (and slimiest) of foundations.

In any event thanks Arie for removing another brick from the wall that divides us from the truth that was the pre-Irenaean single, long gospel tradition ...