Acharya S:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Massey thought "Matthew" could be traceable to the Egyptian "Matiu." Verifying such an assertion would require some further research. <b>My impression is that the gospel is highly "Indianized," using Indian source texts. Independent research by Dr. Lindtner and others tends to confirm this assessment. </b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Needless to say, you have provided fascinating data worthy of follow up. It has long been my conviction that the gospel of Matthew used Indian texts and stories, especially since it contains the Herodian slaughter of the infant. Matthew's gospel has a decidedly Indian flavor. If these late dates are correct, and I have no reason to believe they are not, Matthew would be the latest of the gospels and could easily have been cobbled together based on either the other synoptics or common source texts, plus Indian material.
Massey tended to dismiss the Indian influence on the Christian religion, saying there was no need to "crane one's neck" to look that far and emphasizing the Egyptian role. However, I do not believe at all that we can ignore what seem to me to be stories about Krishna in Matthew's gospel in particular and in other non-canonical texts such as the Gospel of the Infancy of Thomas. <b>In The Christ Conspiracy and Suns of God, I have provided some evidence of an Indian presence and influence in the Roman Empire of certain significance.</b> You have given me another important piece of the puzzle - the pieces have been sliding into place VERY beautifully. (When I was in nursery school, I was the "puzzle doer," as the teachers used to give me all the puzzles to put together at the end of the day. A very elderly teacher of mine reminded me of this fact at my mother's funeral... Very Happy )
Since Biblethumpers love to translate the Bible into every language known to mankind, it would not surprise me if there were a Sanskrit rendition - what is the name of Matthew therein? Surely there are Hindi and Punjabi translations, how is Matthew render in those? What about Pali?
Of course, the word in the Greek "Textus Receptus" (the basis of the King James version) is "Matthaios," not "Matthew," but that begs the questions as to how it became "Matthew" in English and so on. According to Strong's "Matthaios" means "gift of Jehovah," which is in reality "gift of God," what does "Madhava" mean? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Can we sure these weren't Roman legionnaires returning after a trip to India? IMHO, too much agency is being ascribed to Indians.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Massey thought "Matthew" could be traceable to the Egyptian "Matiu." Verifying such an assertion would require some further research. <b>My impression is that the gospel is highly "Indianized," using Indian source texts. Independent research by Dr. Lindtner and others tends to confirm this assessment. </b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Needless to say, you have provided fascinating data worthy of follow up. It has long been my conviction that the gospel of Matthew used Indian texts and stories, especially since it contains the Herodian slaughter of the infant. Matthew's gospel has a decidedly Indian flavor. If these late dates are correct, and I have no reason to believe they are not, Matthew would be the latest of the gospels and could easily have been cobbled together based on either the other synoptics or common source texts, plus Indian material.
Massey tended to dismiss the Indian influence on the Christian religion, saying there was no need to "crane one's neck" to look that far and emphasizing the Egyptian role. However, I do not believe at all that we can ignore what seem to me to be stories about Krishna in Matthew's gospel in particular and in other non-canonical texts such as the Gospel of the Infancy of Thomas. <b>In The Christ Conspiracy and Suns of God, I have provided some evidence of an Indian presence and influence in the Roman Empire of certain significance.</b> You have given me another important piece of the puzzle - the pieces have been sliding into place VERY beautifully. (When I was in nursery school, I was the "puzzle doer," as the teachers used to give me all the puzzles to put together at the end of the day. A very elderly teacher of mine reminded me of this fact at my mother's funeral... Very Happy )
Since Biblethumpers love to translate the Bible into every language known to mankind, it would not surprise me if there were a Sanskrit rendition - what is the name of Matthew therein? Surely there are Hindi and Punjabi translations, how is Matthew render in those? What about Pali?
Of course, the word in the Greek "Textus Receptus" (the basis of the King James version) is "Matthaios," not "Matthew," but that begs the questions as to how it became "Matthew" in English and so on. According to Strong's "Matthaios" means "gift of Jehovah," which is in reality "gift of God," what does "Madhava" mean? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Can we sure these weren't Roman legionnaires returning after a trip to India? IMHO, too much agency is being ascribed to Indians.