Re: More than you ever wanted to know. . . .

["Van E. Neie" <ven@PHYSICS.PURDUE.EDU>]

> about biblical scholarship.    (Well, you guys started it!)
>
> Although a lot of amateur theologians have spent a great deal of effort
> trying to find astronomical events correlating to those mentioned in the NT,
> most serious scripture scholars believe that the events recounted in the
> infancy narratives of MT and LK are not historical (the census, the star of
> Bethlehem, the visit of the wise ones, the massacre of the innocents, etc.)
> but allegorical.  There is plenty written about this.
>
> As to the "eclipse" mentioned in LK 23:45--Luke is the only synoptic author
> to use the actual word "eclipse".  MT and MK say only that the sun was
> "darkened" from noon to 3 p.m. (obviously not an eclipse).  The received
> version of Luke says "tou heliou eklipontos" but according to the footnote
> in
> my Greek NT there are lots of mss of Luke which only mention "darkening" of
> the sun.
>
> Sorry if I have stepped on any literalist toes,
>
> Margaret J. Clarke, OSB
> Physics Department
> College of St. Scholastica
> Duluth MN 55811
> mclarke@css.edu

I agree.  And you may be aware of Dominic Crossan's book on this issue.  It
tries to peel away the myths and get at the real substance.  If you're not
aware of it, I can send you the reference.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Van E. Neie                                      ven@physics.purdue.edu
Dept of Physics                                 PH:  (765) 494-5511
Purdue University                          FAX: (765) 494-0706
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"[Those] who have an excessive faith in their theories or in their ideas
are not only poorly disposed to make discoveries, but they also make very
poor observations."

---Claude Bernard  1865