Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

FROM THE GOSPELS TO JESUS §8.4
was introduced in the course of the retelling. 200 Alternatively, and if anything
more probable, it could be that in the second (Johannine) stream of tradition the
identity of the official as a Gentile was seen as a subsidiary detail to the main emphasis
on his faith, and so was neglected in the retellings. 201 Either way, the differences
are so great that the hypothesis of literary dependence becomes highly
improbable; 202 on the contrary, the two versions (Matthew/Luke and John) provide
good evidence of stories of Jesus being kept alive in oral tradition. 203 And
either way we can see something of both the retentiveness of the oral traditioning
process and its flexibility in allowing traditions to be adapted to bring out differing
emphases.
c. Markan Narratives
I have already given examples of where Synoptic analysis points to the firm conclusion
of Matthean and Lukan dependency on Mark (§7.3). But in other cases
the variation in detail is such that the straightforward hypothesis of literary dependence
on Mark becomes very strained. Consider the following narratives: the
stilling of the storm (Mark 4.35-41/Matt. 8.23-27/Luke 8.22-25); the Syrophoenician
woman (Mark 7.24-30/Matt. 15.21-28); the healing of the possessed
boy (Mark 9.14-27/Matt. 17.14-18/Luke 9.37-43); the dispute about greatness
(Mark 9.33-37/Matt. 18.1-5/Luke 9.46-48); and the widow's mite (Mark 12.41-
44/Luke 21.1-4).
200. Since Herod's army was modelled on the Roman pattern, the 'centurion' of the
Synoptic account could conceivably have been a Jew.
201. Basilikos (John 4.46) denotes a royal official, not necessarily a Jew; Herod Antipas
could have appointed some experienced foreigners (like a centurion) to his military staff.
202. Pace F. Neirynck, 'John 4.46-54: Signs Source and/or Synoptic Gospels',
Evangelica II (Leuven: Leuven University, 1991) 679-88, who assumes that only redaction of
literary sources can be invoked to explain the differences.
203. Cf. E. Haenchen, Johannesevangelium (Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1980) 260-61,
summarizing his treatment in 'Johanneische Probleme', Gott und Mensch (Tübingen: Mohr-
Siebeck, 1965) 82-90.
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