Chapter 267 of 404

Historical Tradition in the Passion Narratives

Historical Tradition in the Passion Narratives

Historical Tradition in the Passion Narratives

Before turning to the historical events surrounding Jesus’ death, we must again return to the question of sources.4 What can scholars say about the Gospels’ passion story? The basic outline of the passion story is attested earlier in Paul (cf. 1 Cor 11:23-25). The Fourth Gospel also confirms a number of points in the Synoptics, though divergences at some points underline John’s independence (though not necessarily his ignorance) of the Synoptic version.5 Most ancient believers probably heard the story multiple times; even without religious reasons, ancient Mediterranean storytellers regularly repeated the most popular or important stories. If churches celebrated the Lord’s Supper as a symbolic reenactment of the Last Supper at some level, as 1 Cor 11:24-26 in its passover context could suggest, the passion story must have been familiar indeed.

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