Rusty T
May 5th 2005, 04:04 PM
I don't know if this is the proper forum for this, but I do find it interesting and thought I'd present it to Tweb.
In Mathew 23:34-35 we read:
Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Jesus here is accusing the Jewish leadership of consistency in persecuting God's messengers. In verse 35 He says, ". . . from. . . Abel . . . to Zechariah". Now, which Zechariah is He talking about? Most commentaries give II Chronicles 24:20-21 as a cross-reference.
Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you." But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD.
Interestingly we see that this particular Zechariah is the son of Jehoiada and not Barachia as mentioned in Matthew. This, of course, can easily be explained by the fact that many people in the Bible are known by different names. We could all recite some from memory: Levi or Matthew, Simon or Cephas, etc. But there does exist other possible explanations, one of which I find particularly interesting and thought I'd bring it to your attention.
In the Protoevangelion of James (http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Protoevangelium) (Infancy Gospel of James), we read:
Chapter XXIII
Now Herod sought for John, and sent officers to Zacharias, saying: Where hast thou hidden thy son? And he answered and said unto them: I am a minister of God and attend continually upon the temple of the Lord: I know not where my son is. And the officers departed and told Herod all these things. And Herod was wroth and said: His son is to be king over Israel. And he sent unto him again, saying: Say the truth: where is thy son ? for thou knowest that thy blood is under my hand. And the officers departed and told him all these things. And Zacharias said: I am a martyr of God if thou sheddest my blood: for my spirit the Lord shall receive, because thou sheddest innocent blood in the fore-court of the temple of the Lord. And about the dawning of the day Zacharias was slain. And the children of Israel knew not that he was slain. . . .
Chapter XXIV
But the priests entered in at the hour of the salutation, and the blessing of Zacharias met them not according to the manner. And the priests stood waiting for Zacharias, to salute him with the prayer, and to glorify the Most High. But as he delayed to come, they were all afraid: and one of them took courage and entered in: and he saw beside the altar congealed blood: and a voice saying: Zacharias hath been slain, and his blood shall not be wiped out until his avenger come. And when he heard that word he was afraid, and went forth and told the priests. And they took courage and went in and saw that which was done: and the panels of the temple did wail: and they rent their clothes from the top to the bottom. And his body they found not, but his blood they found turned into stone. And they feared, and went forth and told all the people that Zacharias was slain.
Now, I am in no way advocating the canonicity of the Protoevangelion of James. I do however find it a fascinating document that gives us clues as to early traditions concerning the Holy Family - many of which, according to critics, are probably much older than the actual penning of this document in the 2nd century.
One of the factors that kind of makes me lean toward understanding the Zechariah of Matthew 23 as the father of John the Baptist is Jesus' use of 'from . . . until' in describing the sins of the Jewish leadership. From Abel until an event hundreds of years in the past? Or from Abel to an event that was fresh on everyone's minds?
Submitted just for speculation,
rusty
In Mathew 23:34-35 we read:
Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Jesus here is accusing the Jewish leadership of consistency in persecuting God's messengers. In verse 35 He says, ". . . from. . . Abel . . . to Zechariah". Now, which Zechariah is He talking about? Most commentaries give II Chronicles 24:20-21 as a cross-reference.
Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you." But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD.
Interestingly we see that this particular Zechariah is the son of Jehoiada and not Barachia as mentioned in Matthew. This, of course, can easily be explained by the fact that many people in the Bible are known by different names. We could all recite some from memory: Levi or Matthew, Simon or Cephas, etc. But there does exist other possible explanations, one of which I find particularly interesting and thought I'd bring it to your attention.
In the Protoevangelion of James (http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Protoevangelium) (Infancy Gospel of James), we read:
Chapter XXIII
Now Herod sought for John, and sent officers to Zacharias, saying: Where hast thou hidden thy son? And he answered and said unto them: I am a minister of God and attend continually upon the temple of the Lord: I know not where my son is. And the officers departed and told Herod all these things. And Herod was wroth and said: His son is to be king over Israel. And he sent unto him again, saying: Say the truth: where is thy son ? for thou knowest that thy blood is under my hand. And the officers departed and told him all these things. And Zacharias said: I am a martyr of God if thou sheddest my blood: for my spirit the Lord shall receive, because thou sheddest innocent blood in the fore-court of the temple of the Lord. And about the dawning of the day Zacharias was slain. And the children of Israel knew not that he was slain. . . .
Chapter XXIV
But the priests entered in at the hour of the salutation, and the blessing of Zacharias met them not according to the manner. And the priests stood waiting for Zacharias, to salute him with the prayer, and to glorify the Most High. But as he delayed to come, they were all afraid: and one of them took courage and entered in: and he saw beside the altar congealed blood: and a voice saying: Zacharias hath been slain, and his blood shall not be wiped out until his avenger come. And when he heard that word he was afraid, and went forth and told the priests. And they took courage and went in and saw that which was done: and the panels of the temple did wail: and they rent their clothes from the top to the bottom. And his body they found not, but his blood they found turned into stone. And they feared, and went forth and told all the people that Zacharias was slain.
Now, I am in no way advocating the canonicity of the Protoevangelion of James. I do however find it a fascinating document that gives us clues as to early traditions concerning the Holy Family - many of which, according to critics, are probably much older than the actual penning of this document in the 2nd century.
One of the factors that kind of makes me lean toward understanding the Zechariah of Matthew 23 as the father of John the Baptist is Jesus' use of 'from . . . until' in describing the sins of the Jewish leadership. From Abel until an event hundreds of years in the past? Or from Abel to an event that was fresh on everyone's minds?
Submitted just for speculation,
rusty