The healing of a paralytic.

Matthew 9.1-8 = Mark 2.1-12 = Luke 5.17-26  (John 5.1-47).

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Notes and quotes.

§ I count the following agreements between Matthew and Luke against Mark:

  1. Matthew 9.2 and Luke 5.18 both have και ιδου (and behold). Mark 2.3 has only και (and).
  2. Matthew 9.2 and Luke 5.18 both show the paralytic επι κλινης (upon a bed). Mark 2.3 says that he was αιρομενον υπο τεσσαρων (carried by four men).
  3. Matthew 9.2 and Luke 5.20 have ειπεν (said) where Mark 2.5 has the historical present λεγει (says).
  4. Matthew 9.3 and Luke 5.21 have και (and) where Mark 2.5 has δε (but), the reverse of the usual tendency.
  5. Matthew 9.3 and Luke 5.21 both have verbs of saying (ειπαν and λεγοντες, respectively). Mark 2.5 lacks any such word.
  6. Matthew 9.4 and Luke 5.22 each use a noun phrase (τας ενθυμησεις αυτων, their thoughts, and τους διαλογισμους αυτων, their reasonings, respectively) where Mark 2.8 has a subordinate clause (οτι ουτως διαλογιζονται, that they thus reason).
  7. Matthew 9.4 and Luke 5.22 have ειπεν (said) where Mark 2.8 has the historical present λεγει (says).
  8. In Matthew 9.6 has κλινην (bed). Luke 5.24 has κλινιδιον (little bed). Mark 2.11 has κραββατον (mat).
  9. Matthew 9.7 and Luke 5.25 have απηλθεν εις τον οικον αυτου (he went away to his house). Mark 2.12 has εξηλθεν εμπροσθεν παντων (he went out before all).
  10. Matthew 9.8 and Luke 5.26 both put the verb δοξαζω (to glorify) in the past tense. In Mark 2.12 it is an infinitive.
  11. Matthew 9.8 and Luke 5.26 both mention fear (εφοβηθησαν, they feared, and φοβου, fear, respectively). Mark 2.12 has no corresponding word.

§ The phrase ειδως... τας ενθυμησεις αυτων (knowing... their thoughts) in Matthew 9.4 is repeated in Matthew 12.25. (Interestingly, the word ενθυμησις, 2-0-0+1, does not appear in the LXX.) The phrase αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου... τις εστιν ουτος... τις δυναται αμαρτιας αφειναι (your sins are forgiven you... who is this man... who can forgive sins) in Luke 5.20-21 is repeated and transposed in Mark 2.5, 7 and Luke 7.48-49.

§ John Dominic Crossan links this pericope with John 9.1-41 because of the connection made there between blindness and sin. On page 441 of The Historical Jesus Crossan annotates his complex number 127 as follows:

127+. Sickness and Sin: (1) John 5:1-9a, 14; (2) Mark 2:1-12 = Matt. 9:1-8 = Luke 5:17-26.

(The plus sign + indicates that, in the judgment of Crossan, this complex is based on an historical incident of some kind in the career of Jesus.)

§ Didache 12.1:

Πας δε ο ερχομενος προς υμας εν ονοματι κυριου δεχθητω, επειτα δε δοκιμασαντες αυτον γνωσεσθε, συνεσιν γαρ εχετε δεξιαν και αριστεραν.

And let everyone who comes toward you in the name of the Lord be accepted, but when you have tested him you will know him, for you will have understanding on the right hand and on the left.

§ Ignatius to the Magnesians 7.1a:

Ωσπερ ουν ο κυριος ανευ του πατρος ουδεν εποιησεν, ηνωμενος ων, ουτε δι εαυτου ουτε δια των αποστολων, ουτως μηδε υμεις ανευ του επισκοπου και των πρεσβυτερων μηδεν πρασσετε.

Therefore, just as the Lord did nothing without the father, being united, neither by himself nor through the apostles, so yourselves practice nothing without the bishop and the elders.

§ Polycarp to the Philippians 5.2:

Ομοιως διακονοι αμεμπτοι κατενωπιον αυτου της δικαιοσυνης, ως θεου και Χριστου διακονοι και ουκ ανθρωπων· μη διαβολοι, μη διλογοι, αφιλαργυροι, εγκρατεις περι παντα, ευσπλαγχνοι, επιμελεις, πορευομενοι κατα την αληθειαν του κυριου, ος εγενετο διακονος παντων· ω εαν ευαρεστησωμεν εν τω νυν αιωνι, αποληψομεθα και τον μελλοντα, καθως υπεσχετο ημιν εγειραι ημας εκ νεκρων και οτι, εαν πολιτευσωμεθα αξιως αυτου, και συμβασιλευσομεν αυτω, ειγε πιστευομεν.

Likewise deacons should be blameless before his justice, as deacons of God and of Christ and not of men; not dividers, not speaking double, not lovers of silver, temperate concerning all things, compassionate, diligent, journeying according to the truth of the Lord, who became a deacon of all; if we are well-pleasing to him in the present age, we shall receive also the one to come, just as he promised us to raise us from the dead and that, if we conduct ourselves worthily of him, we shall also be kings with him, if indeed we have faith.

Martyrdom of Polycarp 14.2a:

Ευλογω σε οτι κατηξιωσας με της ημερας και ωρας ταυτης, του λαβειν μερος εν αριθμω των μαρτυρων, εν τω ποτηριω του Χριστου σου, εις αναστασιν ζωης αιωνιου, ψυχης τε και σωματος, εν αφθαρσια πνευματος αγιου.

I bless you that you have deemed me worthy of this day and hour, to receive my lot in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of your Christ, unto the resurrection of the life of the age, of both the soul and the body, in the incorruptibility of the holy spirit.

§ Papyrus Egerton 2, fragment 1 verso, lines 1-24:

  1. [...]ι[...]
  2. [...] τοις νομικοις
  3. [...]ντα τον παραπρασσ[οντα]
  4. [...]μον και μη εμε· [...]α[.]
  5. [...]οποιει πως ποιε[ι·] προς
  6. [δε τους] α[ρ]χοντας του λαου [στ]ρα-
  7. [φεις ει]πεν τον λογον τουτο[ν·] Εραυ-
  8. [νατε τ]ας γραφας εν αις υμεις δο-
  9. [κειτε] ζωην εχειν· εκειναι ει[σ]ιν
  10. [αι μαρτ]υρουσαι περι εμου· μη [...]
  11. [...]τι εγω ηλθον κατηγο[ρ]ησαι
  12. [υμων] προς τον π{ατε}ρα μου· εστιν
  13. [ο κατη]γορων υμων Μω{υσης} εις ον
  14. [υμεις] ηλπικατε. α[υ]των δε λε-
  15. [γοντω]ν [οτι] οιδαμεν οτι Μω{υσει} ελα-
  16. [λησεν] ο θ{εο}ς· σε δε ουκ οιδαμεν
  17. [ποθεν ει·] αποκριθεις ο Ιη{σους} ει-
  18. [πεν αυτο]ις· Νυν κατηγορειται
  19. [υμων το α]πιστει[ν] τοις υπ αυτου
  20. [μεμαρτυρη]μενοις· ει γαρ επι-
  21. [στευσατε Μω{υσει}] επιστευσατε α[ν]
  22. [εμοι· πε]ρ[ι] εμου γαρ εκεινο[ς]
  23. [εγραψε]ν τοις πατ[ρα]σιν υμω[ν.]
  24. [...]ε[....]
  1. [...]
  2. [...] to the lawyers
  3. [...] him who doe[s more]
  4. [...] and not me. [...]
  5. [...] he does how he doe[s.] [But]
  6. to [the] r[u]lers of the peiple [having tu]rn-
  7. [ed he sa]id thi[s] word: Sear[ch]
  8. [t]he scriptures in which you
  9. th[ink] that you have life. Those a[r]e
  10. [the ones that tes]tify about me. Do not [...]
  11. [th]at I came to ac[c]use
  12. [you] to my father. The one
  13. [who ac]cuses you is Moses, in whom
  14. [you] have hoped. And when th[e]y were say-
  15. [in]g: We know that to Moses
  16. [spoke] God, but you, we do not know
  17. [whence you are,] Jesus answered and said
  18. [to th]em: Now is accused
  19. [your un]faithfulnes[s] by the things
  20. [tes]tified by him. For, if you
  21. [had faith in Moses,] you woul[d] have faith
  22. [in me.] For [ab]ou[t] me that ma[n]
  23. [wrot]e to you[r] fat[he]rs.
  24. [....]

§ Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies 5.8.14; 5.8.23, writing of the Naassenes (text from Kurt Aland, Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum, page 200, synopsis 141):

Τουτ εστι, φησι, το ειρημενον· Φωνην μεν αυτου ηκουσαμεν, ειδος δε αυτου ουχ εωρακαμεν.

That is, they say, what was spoken: We heard his voice, but we did not see his image.

Και παλιν φησιν· Εξαλουνται εκ των μνημειων οι νεκροι.

And again they say: The dead will leap out from the tombs.

§ This pericope is also available in a somewhat different format in a file supplied by a correspondent of mine named Ovadyah, who has modified certain synopses by S. C. Carlson in order to take broad text types into account.