RM Price 2009 review of David Trobisch's "First Edition...

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Peter Kirby
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Re: RM Price 2009 review of David Trobisch's "First Edition.

Post by Peter Kirby »

Stephan Huller wrote:I think the parallels between the two texts go back to one and the same historical account which agrees with neither account perfectly. If you'd like me to provide a list of parallels I can (there is also an article I published at Hermann Detering's site which I wrote while anxiously waiting for the birth of my son). But basically the similarities come down

1. Herod = Herodes Atticus in either narrative
2. the Christian martyr dies by fire
3. the fact that most of Irenaeus's references to Polycarp are anonymous ('presbyter') especially in material where he combats Florinus (Book 4)
4. the bird that comes out of the flames of the martyr's death
5. the association of both men with Ignatius's letters (see Lightfoot)
6. the reference to 'games' in either death
7. they operate in Asia Minor
8. they die in the same age (I think the death of Polycarp and Peregrinus are attributed with in a few years of one another)

There's more but I wrote this up on the fly
Here is that article:

http://radikalkritik.de/Huller_Peregrin.htm

I don't know, though. "Parallelomania" comes to mind. Without a coherent theory of transmission, along with substantial evidence of the connection, it's only so much whistling in the dark. What social setting or what literary purpose would recast Polycarp as Peregrinus or vice-versa? i.e., Why?
"... almost every critical biblical position was earlier advanced by skeptics." - Raymond Brown
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