Luke/Acts, Josephus, and Lucius Apuleius

D.R. Edwards dedwards@bae.uky.edu
Mon, 27 Apr 1998 14:55:34 -0400 (00893721334, 9804271852.AA07122@bae.uky.edu) 


>EDWARDS

>

>I've read some material in which the author suggests that the writer of

>Luke/Acts had access to and made use of Josephus' works as well as The

>Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius.  The Luke/Acts writer is thought to

>have drawn from Josephus with regard to the parable of the minas (Luke

>19:11-27), the revolt of Judas the Galilean, and perhaps other cases.  The

>account dealing with the road to Emmaus is thought to have been patterned

>after a similar episode in The Golden Ass.


CARR
I doubt if Luke/Acts draws on Josephus, and the idea of Judas the
Galilean coming from Josephus is particulary week.. I've never heard the
idea of the parable of the minas comes from Josephus. Do you have any
references form Antiquities?

EDWARDS
I'll run down the book that lists the cases in which Luke/Acts is thought to
be related to Josephus and list the cases tomorrow.  If I'm not mistaken,
the business about the Egyptian in Acts is another such case.  The parable
of the minas is thought to be related to Archelaus, who traveled to Rome to
receive his kingdom and received it in spite of many of the Jews saying they
would not have the man rule over them.  I'll find the Josephus cite for the
Archelaus episode.

>

>Has anyone investigated this suggestion?  If so, how would one counter the

>suggestion that Josephus and Apuleius drew from the Luke/Acts writer,

rather

>than the other way around?


CARR
It is even more absurd to suggest that Josephus drew from Acts. It would
go against all his training as a Pharisee and his tendency to promote
Judaism as the most ancient system of philosophy around.

EDWARDS
Agreed with the principle of absurdity, but I'd be interested in knowing if
there's anything of a more documentary nature that could help demonstrate
that any borrowing went in the direction of Josephus/Apuleius to Luke/Acts
rather than the reverse, which would be the xian position.  The dating of
Luke/Acts is of some help, of course, but the true bibliolaters defy
normative scholarship in that regard as well.