(January 30, 2016 at 5:33 pm)athrock Wrote: Where are these anonymous manuscripts?
This may be the most stupid question I've heard in a long time concerning ancient literature. Well, of course, every original piece of literature ever written is well preserved and cared for. What are 2000 years after all to some piece of papyrus penned down somewhere in the Middle East or Greece?
And, it's not some saying the have been attributed to these men. It's quite a few scholars holding that opinion, since Mark sounds better than Shmuel, the camel herder, telliing tall tales on some trade route. The question, why the ancient church(es) took these persons to be role models, is equally naive. Their role makes them ideal role models for conversion stories to present to followers.