Minimalist Wrote:Again, I suspect this gospel crap is second century writing back-dated to the firstFor want of convincing evidence to the contrary I go with the dates assigned by the majority of NT scholars:
Mark 65-70 CE
Matthew 75-80 CE
Luke 85-90 CE
John ca 95 CE
Plenty of time for unhistorical details to creep in.
It must also be remembered that all of the gospels were directed at a predominantly gentile audience who knew diddly-squat about the temple procedures. For that matter the writers knew next to nothing about it.
So if Jesus did create a disturbance in the temple, the gospel writers present it simply as an anti-usury protest. And it may even have been just that at bottom. Jesus was a rube from the hill country, quite possibly could not read and write (Yes, yes, Drich, I know the gospels present him as reading in the synagogue, and the most doubtful passage in the NT presents him as writing in the dust, but that doesn't mean it's gospel truth) So, as I was saying, a sincere hillbilly preacher could be outraged at those moneychangers skimming 5% on each transaction or whatever they took.
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people — House
