Monday, November 26, 2012

William Schoedel Traces Identical Phrasing in Ignatius to Polycarp and the Writings of Irenaeus

According to W. R. Schoedel, Ignatius of Antioch: of Antioch: A Commentary on the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch, Hermeneia (1985), Matthew's non-Septuagintal wording καὶ τὰς νόσους [ἡμῶν] ἐβάστασεν "and bore our diseases" (LXX = καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται καὶ ἡμεῖς "and suffers pain for us") has exerted a direct verbal influence on Ignatius, Polycarp 1:3 πάντων τὰς νόσους βάσταζε ὡς τέλειος ἀθλητής "and bear the diseases of all as a perfect athlete" Moreover, we find the same words τὰς νόσους ἐβάστασεν later in the Greek fragments of Irenaeus. Schoedel therefore traces a line of development from Matthew's version of Isa. 53:4 through Ignatius to Irenaeus, Demonstration 67-68 and AH 4.33:11,12. But why isn't the obvious answer that the same person had a hand in all three? There are other examples of 'strange' parallels between Ignatius and Luke.


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