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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Bob MacDonald" <bobmacdonald AT home.com>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Luke/Paul Chronology
  • Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 14:52:11 -0800


Frank Hughes wrote:
I would also suggest that what de Vos seems to propose here is consistent
with the Knox approach to chronology: giving absolute priority to Pauline
letter evidence over Acts evidence.

Without playing the fundamentalist card that demands 'harmonization' (I am
all in favour of discord in the music - it is much more interesting than
pure harmonies anyway - it gives something for the music to resolve), I
still think that the clues in Acts must not be thrown out but at least given
a plausible explanation. So, plodding on ...

I have sequenced about 225 incidents from CP and Acts in the period 30 to 63
CE. They are in a table (mariginally slow to load since it is so long) at
http://members.home.net/bobmacdonald/chron1.htm. This was done with the
computer aid to sequencing source verses that I wrote about a few weeks ago.
(I may be totally out to lunch with my dates, but the program aid is really
helpful - my thanks to encouragement from a lurker.)

Many questions arise of course some of which are undoubtedly already well
known: Here are just a few that have occurred to me so far. Please respond
if you know of an answer or of further information related.

1. How many times did Paul visit Jerusalem after his Damascus road
experience up to the council of Jerusalem? Luke implies three visits, Paul
in Galatians only writes of two. Is the visit in Acts 11:30 misplaced by
Luke? should be = visit in 48? Or did Paul in Galatians just not mention
that visit? This is the visit where Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch with
John Mark - ie it has to be (much) earlier than 48 to accept the first
missionary journey with John Mark.

2. When was Agabus's propecy of the famine? early in Claudius's reign or
later. Is Luke hopelessly confused here and just postulating a collection
coming out of Antioch that should be from the whole set of churches in the
Eastern Mediterranean? Ie years later.

3. Did Paul rebuke Peter at Antioch before or after the Council of
Jerusalem? I expect before and the sequencing shows this to be plausible at
first glance. It also explains why Paul didn't quote the authority of the
Council directly to Peter.

4. Is Titus = Timothy? - this question would never have occurred to me
without the prodding of the list. It seems very doubtful from my first
sequencing. Paul would have no need to boast of the Corinthians to Timothy
since Timothy knew them personally already (from the second journey).
Timothy was circumcised, Titus not; etc. These are two people about whom we
have much information (ie more than just a name). I see nothing to be gained
from eliminating information when what little we have is already limited by
the nature of text.

5. How did Paul know about goings on in Corinth? He was briefed in Ephesus
by Apollos. (I'm still hoping to get a copy of the Origins of 1 Cor by John
Hurd from Harold Munn, my current Rector and a former pupil of the author.
I'm sure that book will give me more to think about on these issues.) A
related question - when was the short painful visit?

6. Was Paul released from Roman house arrest? There are clues in the person
and movements of Tychicus - but I haven't worked the data much yet in the
years post 62. If (or even if not) Titus 3 is from Paul's hand - would Paul
have ever got to Nicopolis for winter ? 63/64/65?

7. Why did Luke not write about Paul's death? because he hadn't died yet.

Some post-soltice, pre-millennial thoughts (there - chronological
information in the text)

Bob
BobMacDonald AT home.com
+ + + Victoria, B.C., Canada + + +
Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that make havoc of the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in flower. (Song 2.15)

http://members.home.net/bobmacdonald/homepage.htm




  • Luke/Paul Chronology, Bob MacDonald, 12/28/1999

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