Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
The oral traditions within the church formed the substance of the Gospels, the earliest book of which is Mark, written around 70 A.D., 40 years after the death of Jesus.
So basically, I told you a story and you passed it on and on and on for 40 years amongst uneducated sheep herders...and IF it was even true to begin with, the story remained accurate?
|
Should also be mentioned that the average life expectancy during this time was 35-40 years. So we are talking about an oral tradition about someone it is highly likely these people never met. Oral retellings are not exactly good at maintaining detail and many times completely reshape narratives all together over time. Just go back to playing telephone in school for an example. Now multiply that by a generation or two. Great stories, but so were the stories from the Old Testament. Both are probably as accurate.