The version of Luke that we first know about, Marcion's Gospel of the Lord, begins with what we now call Luke 3.1 which begins:
The fifteenth year of Tiberius being 29 AD.
It also means that none of this Elizabeth and Mary and John being born and the anunciation and the nativity and the Augustus tax plan and the journey to Egypt and the horseshit genealogy of fucking jesus was part of Marcion's gospel.
Now, there are only two possibilities here.
One, Marcion wrote the Gospel of the Lord himself and that book begins and ends where Marcion wanted it to begin and end. Or,
Two, there was an existing "Gospel of Luke" which Marcion edited to suit his needs which is what later xtian bullshitters claim. It is important to realize that we have no documentary evidence of such a text dating from before Marcion nor do we have any textual evidence of any xtian writer referring to a Gospel of Luke... or any of the other assholes.... prior to Irenaeus c 185.
So, rather than assuming that the author of Luke made a historical mistake near the end of the first century we can assume that someone wrote a beginning and an ending to Marcion's gospel and made other changes as well to make it conform to the story being put forward at that time by the proto-orthodox. Whoever it was was not writing history. He was writing propaganda. By 185 AD Judaea had not existed for 50 years. Jerusalem had not existed for more than 100. Of course no one knew what its history was. No one really cared, either. The region was not devastated by an earthquake. The Romans had kicked the ever-loving shit out it as a result of one revolt too many.
Remember the comments of the Greco-Roman writer Celsus, writing shortly before Irenaeus.
and even worse....
Such was the Roman impression of the Jews in the late 2d century.
Quote:[1] Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
The fifteenth year of Tiberius being 29 AD.
It also means that none of this Elizabeth and Mary and John being born and the anunciation and the nativity and the Augustus tax plan and the journey to Egypt and the horseshit genealogy of fucking jesus was part of Marcion's gospel.
Now, there are only two possibilities here.
One, Marcion wrote the Gospel of the Lord himself and that book begins and ends where Marcion wanted it to begin and end. Or,
Two, there was an existing "Gospel of Luke" which Marcion edited to suit his needs which is what later xtian bullshitters claim. It is important to realize that we have no documentary evidence of such a text dating from before Marcion nor do we have any textual evidence of any xtian writer referring to a Gospel of Luke... or any of the other assholes.... prior to Irenaeus c 185.
So, rather than assuming that the author of Luke made a historical mistake near the end of the first century we can assume that someone wrote a beginning and an ending to Marcion's gospel and made other changes as well to make it conform to the story being put forward at that time by the proto-orthodox. Whoever it was was not writing history. He was writing propaganda. By 185 AD Judaea had not existed for 50 years. Jerusalem had not existed for more than 100. Of course no one knew what its history was. No one really cared, either. The region was not devastated by an earthquake. The Romans had kicked the ever-loving shit out it as a result of one revolt too many.
Remember the comments of the Greco-Roman writer Celsus, writing shortly before Irenaeus.
Quote:"You are fond of saying that in the old days this same most high god made these and greater promises to those who gave heed to his commandments and worshipped him. But at the risk of appearing unkind, I ask how much good has been done by those promises have done either the Jews before you or you in your present circumstances. And would you have us put our faith in such a god? Instead of being masters of the whole world, the jews today have no home of any kind."
and even worse....
Quote:"Again, if God, like Jupiter in the comedy, should, on awaking from a lengthened slumber, desire to rescue the human race from evil, why did He send this Spirit of which you speak into one corner (of the earth)? He ought to have breathed it alike into many bodies, and have sent them out into all the world. Now the comic poet, to cause laughter in the theatre, wrote that Jupiter, after awakening, despatched Mercury to the Athenians and Lacedaemonians; but do not you think that you have made the Son of God more ridiculous in sending Him to the Jews?"
Such was the Roman impression of the Jews in the late 2d century.
