Rick Sumner has posted a response to my post and the nativity stories. Although he makes general statements about Luke’s creativity and use of sources which are certainly true, it isn’t clear to me that he actually comes up with a plausible scenario for Luke’s compositional activity which involves use of Matthew’s infancy story to create his own. And although motive may be a matter of speculation, surely it raises difficulties for a case (whether about use of sources or murder) if one cannot find a plausible motive for the accused to have “committed the crime.” Also, contrary to his Wizard of Oz example, I’m not at all certain that details like the names of Jesus’ parents may not have been widely known, particularly in a cultural setting in which whose child you were often mattered more than your own personal name. But this is just a quick initial reaction, and I hope to interact with Rick’s post in more detail when I have more time.
Mike Kok also has a post on the nativity stories. Jim West has an update on blogging, the SBL and next year’s annual meeting. Daniel Manastireanu has videos on literalism as heresy which I haven’t had time to watch yet, but they sure sound promising! And Daniel Florien has more on Ray Comfort’s plagiarism. Which brings us full circle to the use of sources, doesn’t it?
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