Quieting a Storm

How to cite this article:
Joshua N. Tilton and David N. Bivin, “Quieting a Storm,” The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction (Jerusalem Perspective, 2022) [https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/25610/].

Matt. 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

(Huck 49, 50, 105; Aland 89, 90, 136;
Crook 93, 94, 158)^[229]

Updated: 28 September 2023

וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיֵּרֶד לִסְפִינָה הוּא וְתַלְמִידָיו [וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם נַעֲבֹר לְעֵבֶר הַיָּם ⟨וַיַּעַבְרוּ⟩] וְהָיוּ בָּאִים וְהִנֵּה סַעַר גָּדוֹל עָמַד עֲלֵיהֶם בַּיָּם לְטֹבְעָן וְהוּא שָׁכַב בְּיַרְכְּתֵי הַסְּפִינָה וַיֵּרָדֵם וַיִּקְרְבוּ וַיָּעִירוּ אוֹתוֹ לֵאמֹר אֲדוֹנֵנוּ אֲדוֹנֵנוּ נֹאבֵד וַיֵּעוֹר וַיִּגְעַר בָּרוּחוֹת וּבַמַּיִם וַיָּנַח [הַיָּם ⟨מִזַּעְפּוֹ⟩] וַיְהִי שָׁלוֹם גָּדוֹל וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַאֲמִינוּ בֵּאלֹהִים וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים יִרְאָה גְדוֹלָה וַיִּתְמְהוּ לֵאמֹר מָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא מְצַוֶּה אַף לָרוּחוֹת וְאַף לַמַּיִם וְהֵם שׁוֹמְעִים לוֹ

Sometime around then Yeshua boarded a boat—he and his disciples. [And Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross over to the opposite shore.” ⟨So they crossed over.⟩] Now as they were sailing, a huge storm overtook them on the lake that was liable to sink them. But Yeshua had lain down at the back of the boat and was sound asleep. So the disciples went to Yeshua and woke him up. “Lord! Lord!” they exclaimed. “We’re all about to die!”

At that, Yeshua woke up and rebuked the blowing winds and splashing waters, whereupon the lake stopped its raging and a profound calm took its place. Then Yeshua said to his disciples, “Trust God!”

Yet the disciples were very much afraid. Looking in awe at one another, they said, “How is it that Yeshua commands the elements and they obey him?”^[230]

Reconstruction

To view the reconstructed text of Quieting a Storm click on the link below:

Conclusion

Quieting a Storm is an account of a miraculous deed Jesus accomplished through his steadfast faith in God.^[231] The narrative was heavily influenced by the Jonah story, but this influence was not motivated by a theological concern to compare or contrast Jesus with Jonah. The prominent Jonah motifs in Quieting a Storm were rather a literary device intended to engage the audience, who, being familiar with the Jonah story, would be filled with curiosity to see whether and how the two stories differed. The original focus of Quieting a Storm was not on Jesus’ identity but on the power of faith. Jesus, confident in his calling as God’s anointed emissary and in God’s providence, was able to exercise authority over the hostile elements. The disciples were exhorted to deepen their trust in God. In response to the miracle they witnessed the disciples asked one another how it was that Jesus could order the elements and be obeyed. The answer, given in Faith Like a Mustard Seed, which we believe was the sequel to Quieting a Storm in the Hebrew Life of Yeshua, is that anyone who trusts God even a little can do equally extraordinary things.

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• ^[1] See A. B. Bruce, 522. ↩
• ^[2] See the “Story Placement” discussion in Yeshua, His Mother and Brothers. ↩
• ^[3] Cf. Creed, 119; Bundy, 241 §146. ↩
• ^[4] See Günther Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” in Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew (ed. Günther Bornkamm, Gerhard Barth, and Heinz Joachim Held; trans. Percy Scott; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1927), 52-57, esp. 54. ↩
• ^[5] In Luke, for example, the Tower Builder and King Going to War similes are redactionally spliced into Demands of Discipleship. See Tower Builder and King Going to War, under the subheading “Story Placement.” Mark’s Gospel is notorious for the phenomenon of intercalated or “sandwiched” narratives. A classic example is the placement of his two-part Withered Fig Tree narrative (Mark 11:12-14, 20-21) on either side of Yeshua’s Protest in the Temple (Mark 11:15-19). For other instances of intercalation in Mark, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” The splicing of Not Everyone Can Be Yeshua’s Disciple into Quieting a Storm in the Gospel of Matthew is a rare example of intercalation unique to Matthew. See Luz, 2:16. ↩
• ^[6] Cf. Wolter, 1:347. ↩
• ^[7] Cf. Meier, Marginal, 2:926. ↩
• ^[8] Cf. Albright-Mann, 98; Nolland, Luke, 1:397; idem, Matt., 370. ↩
• ^[9] Pace Allen, 84; Taylor, 277; Beare, Earliest, 121 §105; Marshall, 332; Meier, Marginal, 2:1007 n. 179; Bovon, 1:317. Bundy (242 §146) suggested that the authors of Matthew and Luke knew another version of Mark than the one preserved in the New Testament. Cf. Luz, 2:16. ↩
• ^[10] See the “Conjectured Stages of Transmission” discussions for the Four Soils Parable, the Four Soils Interpretation and Yeshua, His Mother and Brothers. ↩
• ^[11] Cf. Bundy, 134 §57, 241 §146. ↩
• ^[12] See France, Mark, 222; Collins, 257. Actually, identifying the antecedent of αὐτοῖς (avtois, “to them”) as the disciples requires reading forward as well as backward. Mark 4:34 refers both to the crowds (as αὐτοῖς) and to the disciples (as τοῖς ἰδίοις μαθηταῖς), so αὐτοῖς in Mark 4:35 could refer to either party. It is only when they leave the crowd (τὸν ὄχλον; Mark 4:36), taking Jesus with them, that it becomes clear that Jesus had been speaking to his disciples. ↩
• ^[13] On the use of the historical present as typical of Markan redaction, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[14] Cf. B. M. F. van Iersel and A. J. M. Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” in Miscellanea Neotestamentica, Volume II (ed. T. Baarda, A. F. J. Klijn, and W. C. van Unnik; NovTSup 48; Leiden: Brill, 1978), 17-48, esp. 18. ↩
• ^[15] On the Hebraic quality of Luke’s ἐγένετο δὲ + time marker + finite verb constructions, see Randall Buth and Brian Kvasnica, “Temple Authorities and Tithe Evasion: The Linguistic Background and Impact of the Parable of the Vineyard, the Tenants and the Son” (JS1, 268-273, Critical Note 5); Randall Buth, “Distinguishing Hebrew from Aramaic in Semitized Greek Texts, with an Application for the Gospels and Pseudepigrapha” (JS2, 247-319, esp. 263-276); Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L1. ↩
• ^[16] The fact that the author of Luke employed a non-Septuagintal temporal marker (ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν) in an otherwise Hebraic ἐγένετο δὲ + time phrase + finite verb structure challenges the notion that the Hebraisms in Luke’s Gospel are really attempts to imitate LXX. ↩
• ^[17] The phrase וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם (“and it happened in those days”) opens a story in Exod. 2:11; Judg. 19:1; 1 Sam. 28:1. ↩
• ^[18] In LXX the phrase ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις occurs as the translation of בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם in Gen. 6:4; Deut. 17:9; 19:17; 26:3; Judg. 17:6; 18:1 (2xx); 19:1; 20:27, 28; 21:25; 1 Kgdms. 3:1; 28:1; 4 Kgdms. 10:32; 15:37; 20:1; 2 Chr. 32:24; 2 Esd. 16:17; 23:15, 23; Joel 3:2; 4:1; Zech. 8:6, 23; Jer. 3:16, 18; 5:18; 27[50]:4, 20; 38[31]:29; Ezek. 38:17; Dan. 10:2. ↩
• ^[19] On the imprecision of the phrase ὀψίας γενομένης, see Meier, Marginal, 2:1005. The temporal marker can mean “late in the day” or “evening.” ↩
• ^[20] See Bultmann, 215; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 37; Gundry, Mark, 1:237. Cf. Bundy, 242 §146; Meier, Marginal, 2:1005. ↩
• ^[21] Cf. LHNS, 77 §105; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 19; Meier, Marginal, 2:1004. Pace Bultmann, 215. ↩
• ^[22] The following table shows all of the instances of genitives absolute involving ὀψία in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 8:16 TT = Mark 1:32 (cf. Luke 4:40) Matt. 14:15 TT (cf. Mark 6:35; Luke 9:12) Matt. 14:23 Mk-Mt = Mark 6:47 Matt. 16:2 DT (cf. Luke 12:[--]) Matt. 20:8 U Matt. 26:20 TT = Mark 14:17 (cf. Luke 22:14) Matt. 27:57 TT = Mark 15:42 (cf. Luke 23:50) Mark 1:32 TT = Matt. 8:16 (cf. Luke 4:40) Mark 4:35 TT (cf. Matt. 8:[--]; Luke 8:[--]) Mark 6:47 Mk-Mt = Matt. 14:23 Mark 11:11 TT (cf. Matt. 21:17; Luke 19:[--]) Mark 14:17 TT = Matt. 26:20 (cf. Luke 22:14) Mark 15:42 TT = Matt. 27:57 (cf. Luke 23:50) Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; Mk-Mt = Markan-Matthean pericope; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding verse

  ↩

• ^[23] See Bundy, 239, 241 §146. Nevertheless, easterly winter storms on the Sea of Galilee do tend to take place in the early evening. See Mendel Nun, “Fish, Storms and a Boat,” under the subheading “Storms on the Lake.” ↩
• ^[24] See Guelich, 264. ↩
• ^[25] The ancient testimony to which we refer is that of an unknown critic of Christianity from the early part of the fourth century C.E. (Porphyry?) whose writings are quoted in the Apocriticus by the Christian apologist Macarius Magnes (ca. 400 C.E.) (see Stern, 2:425-426 n. 8; Theissen, Gospels, 105-106):

  οἱ γοῦν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν τόπων ἀφηγούμενοί φασι θάλασσαν μὲν ἐκεῖ μὴ εἶναι, λίμνην δὲ μικρὰν ἐκ ποταμοῦ συνεστῶσαν ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος κατὰ τὴν Γαλιλλαίαν χώραν παρὰ πόλιν Τιβεριάδα, ἣν καὶ μονοξύλοις μικροῖς διαπλεῦσαι ῥάδιον ἐν ὥραις οὐ πλεῖον δύο, μήτε δὲ κῦμα μήτε χειμῶνα χωρῆσαι δυναμήνη.

  But those who relate the truth about that locality say that there is not a sea [θάλασσαν] there, but a small lake [λίμνην] coming from a river under the hill in the country of Galilee, beside the city of Tiberias; this is easy for small boats to sail across in not more than two hours, nor can it admit of either wave or storm. (Macarius Magnes, Apocriticus 3:6)

  Text according to Adolf von Harnack, Kritik des Neuen Testaments von einem griechischen Philosophen des 3. Jahrhunderts (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1911), 42. Translation according to T. W. Crafter, The Apocriticus of Macarius Magnes (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; New York: Macmillan, 1919), 73.

  The testimony of this critic of early Christianity must be handled with due caution. He is in error when he says that storms do not trouble the lake, so we must also take his estimate of the time it takes to cross the lake with a grain of salt. ↩

• ^[26] Cf. Guelich, 277; Collins, 265. ↩
• ^[27] The table below shows all the instances of κελεύειν in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 8:18 TT (cf. Mark 4:35; Luke 8:22) Matt. 14:9 Mk-Mt (cf. Mark 6:26) Matt. 14:19 TT (cf. Mark 6:39; Luke 9:14) Matt. 14:28 Mk-Mt (cf. Mark 6:[--]) Matt. 18:25 U Matt. 27:58 TT (cf. Mark 15:45; Luke 23:[--]) Matt. 27:64 U Luke 18:40 TT (cf. Matt. 20:32; Mark 10:49) Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; Mk-Mt = Markan-Matthean pericope; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding verse

  ↩

• ^[28] See Moulton-Geden, 543-544. ↩
• ^[29] In LXX the verb κελεύειν mainly occurs in books originally composed in Greek, and even in books translated from a Semitic language κελεύειν does not occur as the equivalent of a Hebrew term. See Hatch-Redpath, 2:758. ↩
• ^[30] See Bundy, 134 §57; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 25. ↩
• ^[31] See France, Matt., 336. ↩
• ^[32] See van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 19; Collins, 257-258. ↩
• ^[33] See Gundry, Mark, 238. ↩
• ^[34] Cf. Gundry, Mark, 238. ↩
• ^[35] Phrases in italics are Aramaic. ↩
• ^[36] It is pointless to deny (cf. McNeile, 110) or downplay (cf. Plummer, Mark, 136; Taylor, 272-273; Loos, Miracles, 646; Marshall, 333; Gundry, Mark, 246) the similarities between Quieting a Storm and the Jonah narrative, as some scholars have done. Van Iersel and Linmans (“The Storm on the Lake,” 21) were correct in their statement that the story of Jonah is “of essential importance” to the Quieting a Storm narrative. ↩
• ^[37] Cf. Bundy, 241 §146; Davies-Allison, 2:70; Nolland, Matt., 371; Collins, 259-260. ↩
• ^[38] See Guelich, 267, 271; Davies-Allison, 2:70; Marcus, 1:338; Collins, 260. ↩
• ^[39] The identification of the Gentile seafarers is suggested by the Tosefta’s reference to Canaanite gods. ↩
• ^[40] Dressing contemporary accounts in scriptural costumes was a phenomenon in first-century storytelling. Josephus modeled his story of King Agrippa I on the saga of Joseph in Egypt. See Daniel R. Schwartz, “Agrippa’s Birthday—From Joseph to Josephus,” Beit Mikra: Journal for the Study of the Bible and Its World 55.1 (2010): 123-128 (Hebrew). For an English translation of this article, click here. Compare, too, the use of scriptural story lines and motifs in Yohanan the Immerser’s Execution, where we find echoes of Joseph and Pharaoh, Saul’s burial, and Esther’s banquets, and Widow’s Son in Nain, which echoes the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman. ↩
• ^[41] Cf. Taylor, 273. ↩
• ^[42] See Swete, 88; Bultmann, 215; Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 53; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 19; Marshall, 333. ↩
• ^[43] Scholars have noted, however, that Mark’s continuity is marred somewhat by the private conversation between Jesus and the disciples reported in Mark 4:10-20. See Gould, 84; Creed, 119; Bundy, 241 §146; Jeremias, Parables, 13. When and where did the author of Mark think this conversation had taken place? ↩
• ^[44] See Warning About Leavened Bread, Comment to L7-9. ↩
• ^[45] Lindsey, HTGM, 101. ↩
• ^[46] Jastrow (987) does not list “boat” as a meaning of סִירָה. Cf. Ernest Klein, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English (Jerusalem: Carta, 1987), 445. ↩
• ^[47] See Lindsey, JRL, 13. ↩
• ^[48] Three times in Jonah πλοῖον occurs as the translation of אֳנִיָּה (Jonah 1:3, 4, 5), but πλοῖον also occurs once as the translation of סְפִינָה (Jonah 1:5). Is the presence of an otherwise exclusively Mishnaic Hebrew word in the book of Jonah an indication of late composition? Cf. Jack M. Sasson, Jonah: A New Translation with Introduction, Commentary, and Interpretation (AB 24b; New York: Doubleday, 1990), 22-23. ↩
• ^[49] See Nun, “Fish, Storms and a Boat,” under the subheading “Boat from Magdala.” ↩
• ^[50] See Shelley Wachsmann, The Sea of Galilee Boat: An Extraordinary 2000 Year Old Discovery (New York: Plenum Press, 1995), 314-317. ↩
• ^[51] Nun, “Fish, Storms and a Boat,” under the subheading “Boat from Magdala”; Wachsmann, The Sea of Galilee Boat, 326. ↩
• ^[52] See Lindsey, JRL, 14. ↩
• ^[53] See Plummer, Mark, 135; Taylor, 274; France, Mark, 223. ↩
• ^[54] See Bultmann, 215-216; Bundy, 241 §146; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 36; Meier, Marginal, 2:925-926, 929. ↩
• ^[55] See A. B. Bruce, 370. ↩
• ^[56] See Gould, 84; Gundry, Mark, 238. ↩
• ^[57] Marcus (1:333) suggested that the “other boats” in Mark’s version of Quieting a Storm alludes to the midrashic tradition found in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 10:6-7 that there were other boats at sea along with Jonah’s and that these other boats were unaffected by the storm. However, Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer is a late midrash, and in Mark we are not informed that the other boats were unaffected by the storm. ↩
• ^[58] We have determined καὶ ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων (“and he was with the animals”) in Mark 1:13 to be redactional (see Yeshua’s Testing, Comment to L113). Likewise, we found ἵνα ὦσιν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ (“in order that they might be with him”) in Mark 3:14 to be redactional (see Choosing the Twelve, Comment to L12-15). Marcus (1:336) noted the similarity of the boats that were with Jesus in Mark 4:36 and the apostles who were called to be with Jesus in Mark 3:14. In Possessed Man in Girgashite Territory Mark states that the man Jesus freed from the demons asked, ἵνα μετ̓ αὐτοῦ ᾖ (“that he might be with him”; Mark 5:18), whereas Luke reads, εἶναι σὺν αὐτῷ (“to be with him”; Luke 8:38). Matthew’s version of Possessed Man in Girgashite Territory has no parallel to this statement. It seems likely, therefore, that εἶναι μετά in Mark 5:18 is redactional too. ↩
• ^[59] See Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 54-55; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 25; Davies-Allison, 2:68. ↩
• ^[60] Scholars have noted that according to Luke 8:2 Jesus and the Twelve were accompanied by several women who itinerated with them. Thus, the Lukan context of Quieting a Storm implies that there were also women on board the boat with Jesus and the disciples. See Bovon, 1:320; pace J. Green, 332. Did the greater context of Quieting a Storm in the Hebrew Life of Yeshua likewise imply that women were with Jesus and the disciples during the storm on the Sea of Galilee? ↩
• ^[61] See Streeter, 302. ↩
• ^[62] This is presumably Rabban Gamliel the younger, who lived after the destruction of the Temple and was grandson of Rabban Gamliel the elder, Paul’s teacher. ↩
• ^[63] The reference to the storm as a סַעַר גָּדוֹל (sa‘ar gādōl, “great storm”) may be an echo of Jonah 1:4, or it may be that סַעַר גָּדוֹל remained a current expression in Mishnaic Hebrew. ↩
• ^[64] It might also be pointed out that whereas Jesus rebuked the storm on his own authority, Rabban Gamliel appealed to God for deliverance. However, Blackburn has cautioned against placing too much weight on this distinction, since “Jewish...miracle stories (or at least some of them) apparently do not presuppose that ‘prayer’ miracles are of a completely different order than those performed by decree or command of the miracle worker.” In effect, the command the miracle worker addresses to the terrestrial entity doubles as a prayer addressed to God. See Barry L. Blackburn, “‘Miracle Working Θεοι Ανδρες’ in Hellenism (And Hellenistic Judaism),” in Gospel Perspectives (6 vols.; ed. R. T. France and David Wenham; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980-1986), 6:185-218, esp. 215 n. 93. ↩
• ^[65] The following table shows all the instances of διέρχεσθαι in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 12:43 DT = Luke 11:24 Matt. 19:24 TT = Mark 10:25 (cf. Luke 18:25) Mark 4:35 TT = Luke 8:22 (cf. Matt. 8:18) Mark 10:25 TT = Matt. 19:24 (cf. Luke 18:25) Luke 2:15 U Luke 2:35 U Luke 4:30 TT (cf. Matt. 13:[--]; Mark 6:[--]) Luke 5:15 TT (cf. Matt. 8:[--]; Mark 1:45) Luke 8:22 TT = Mark 4:35 (cf. Matt. 8:18) Luke 9:6 TT (cf. Matt. 10:[--]; Mark 6:12) Luke 11:24 DT = Matt. 12:43 Luke 17:11 U Luke 19:1 U Luke 19:4 U Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; DT = Lukan-Matthean pericope; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding word and/or verse

  From the table above we see that διέρχεσθαι did occur at least once in Anth. (Matt. 12:43 ∥ Luke 11:24), but the high frequency of διέρχεσθαι in Lukan pericopae makes its use in Quieting a Storm suspect. ↩

• ^[66] In fact, the LXX translators never rendered יָם as λίμνη, even when the referent was the lake in Galilee (cf., e.g., Num. 34:11; Josh. 12:3; 13:27; 15:5). ↩
• ^[67] Theissen, Gospels, 106; Bovon, 1:318. ↩
• ^[68] Text according to von Harnack, Kritik des Neuen Testaments von einem griechischen Philosophen des 3. Jahrhunderts, 42. Translation according to Crafter, The Apocriticus of Macarius Magnes, 73. ↩
• ^[69] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1119-1120. ↩
• ^[70] See Dos Santos, 148. ↩
• ^[71] See Hatch-Redpath, 1:621-623. ↩
• ^[72] See Dos Santos, 81. ↩
• ^[73] See Plummer, Luke, 225; Hawkins, 28; Marshall, 333; Fitzmyer, 1:729; Nolland, Luke, 1:399. ↩
• ^[74] See Moulton-Geden, 814. ↩
• ^[75] See Plummer, Luke, 225. ↩
• ^[76] Cf. Marshall, 332; Nolland, Luke, 1:399. ↩
• ^[77] On the historical present as typical of Markan redaction, see above, Comment to L1. ↩
• ^[78] Whereas Codex Vaticanus, which we use as the base text for our reconstructions, reads, καὶ κατέβη λαῖλαψ εἰς τὴν λίμνην ἀνέμου (“and / came down / a storm / into / the / lake / of wind”) in Luke 8:23, the original text of Luke 8:23 probably read, καὶ κατέβη λαῖλαψ ἀνέμου εἰς τὴν λίμνην (“and / came down / a storm / of wind / into / the / lake”), as critical NT editions indicate. ↩
• ^[79] See LSJ, 1589; Muraoka, Lexicon, 619. ↩
• ^[80] See Hagner, Matt., 1:222; cf. Gundry, Matt., 155; Witherington, 190-191. Matthean interest in earthquakes is perhaps overstated. Aside from a reference to earthquakes in the eschatological discourse common to all three Gospels, the only earthquakes Matthew mentions take place at Jesus’ death (Matt. 27:54) and resurrection (Matt. 28:2). While it is true that the Gospels of Mark and Luke make no reference to these earthquakes, it is not clear from these two unique references that the author of Matthew had a general interest in earthquakes. It seems rather that the author of Matthew believed the death and resurrection of Jesus were of cosmic significance, shaking the earth to its core. The storm on the Sea of Galilee, on the other hand, may have been an important event in the life of Jesus and the disciples, but it was certainly not on a par with Jesus’ death and resurrection. ↩
• ^[81] See Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 56; Schweizer, 221; Davies-Allison, 2:69; Luz, 2:20; Nolland, Matt., 370; Witherington, 189-191. ↩
• ^[82] Cf. Collins, 259. ↩
• ^[83] The term for “storm” in the story of Nicanor is נַחְשׁוֹל in t. Yom. 2:4 and b. Yom. 38a, but סַעַר גָּדוֹל in y. Yom. 3:6 (19a-b). Similarly, the term for “storm” in the story of the precocious youth is נַחְשׁוֹל in t. Nid. 5:17, but סַעַר גָּדוֹל in y. Ber. 9:1 (63b). There are two stories about Rabban Gamliel in a storm. The details vary significantly, so it is not clear whether they are different versions of the same story or are meant to describe separate occasions. In any case, נַחְשׁוֹל occurs in b. Bab. Metz. 59b, while סַעַר גָּדוֹל occurs in Midrash Tannaim 25:3. ↩
• ^[84] See Tumultuous Times, Comment to L10. ↩
• ^[85] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1262. ↩
• ^[86] Gustaf Dalman, Sacred Sites and Ways: Studies in the Topography of the Gospels (trans. Paul P. Levertoff; New York: Macmillan, 1935). ↩
• ^[87] Klausner (269) mentioned having witnessed such a storm on the lake in 1912, but he did not describe his experience in detail. ↩
• ^[88] Delitzsch rendered καὶ συνεπληροῦντο καὶ ἐκινδύνευον (“and they were being filled and they were in danger”) in Luke 8:23 as וַיִּשְׁטְפוּ עֲלֵיהֶם הַמַּיִם וַיִּהְיוּ בְסַכָּנָה (“and the water washed over them, and they were in danger”). Note how many words Delitzsch found it necessary to supply in Hebrew in order to convey the sense of the Greek and how different is the mode of expression (two conjunctions and two verbs in Greek vs. two complete sentences in Hebrew). ↩
• ^[89] The verb συνπληροῦν (sūnplēroun, “to fill with”) occurs in Luke 8:23 and Luke 9:51 but never in Mark or Matthew. See Moulton-Geden, 925. Likewise, κινδυνεύειν (kindūnevein, “to be in danger”) occurs in Luke 8:23 but nowhere else in the Synoptic Gospels. See Moulton-Geden, 548. ↩
• ^[90] Cf. Cadbury, Style, 183. ↩
• ^[91] Are the two references to “the boat” in Mark 4:37 (L24, L25) a reaction to Luke’s unusual “they [i.e., the passengers] were being filled”? On Luke’s unusual phrasing, see Bovon, 1:318 n. 6. ↩
• ^[92] See Beare, Matt., 215; Gundry, Matt., 155. ↩
• ^[93] We have adopted the Mishnaic-style ן- suffix for HR, since the idiom comes from Mishnaic Hebrew. Once more in HR we have the mixed style of Mishnaic and biblicizing Hebrew attested in the baraita from b. Kid. 66a. ↩
• ^[94] Gundry (Matt., 155) regarded Matthew’s δέ as a stylistic improvement over Mark’s καί. ↩
• ^[95] Cf. Lindsey’s translation of ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ in Mark 4:38 as בְּיַרְכְּתֵי הַסִּירָה (HTGM, 101). ↩
• ^[96] See Gundry, Mark, 239. ↩
• ^[97] See Wachsmann, The Sea of Galilee Boat, 326-327. ↩
• ^[98] Thus, Jesus’ sleep on the boat is not as great a challenge to the historicity of Quieting a Storm as some scholars (cf. Marcus, 1:337) suggest. ↩
• ^[99] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:773-774. ↩
• ^[100] See Dos Santos, 208. ↩
• ^[101] See Taylor, 275; Albright-Mann, 98. ↩
• ^[102] See Bundy, 241 §146. Cf. France, Mark, 224. ↩
• ^[103] Presumably the author of Matthew understood ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (ho huios tou anthrōpou, “the son of the person”) in Not Everyone Can Be Yeshua’s Disciple as a reference to Jesus. On whether “son of man” in this context was originally intended to be self-referential or whether “son of man” originally had a broader meaning (i.e., human beings in general), see Not Everyone Can Be Yeshua’s Disciple, under the subheading “Results of This Research.” ↩
• ^[104] See van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 25; Gundry, Matt., 155; Davies-Allison, 2:72 n. 9; Nolland, Matt., 370. ↩
• ^[105] On the stacking up of prepositional phrases as typical of Markan redaction, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[106] See Muraoka, Lexicon, 349. ↩
• ^[107] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:700. ↩
• ^[108] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1248. ↩
• ^[109] See Allen, 82; Beare, Matt., 215; Davies-Allison, 2:72; Nolland, Luke, 1:400. ↩
• ^[110] It is possible, however, that the author of Matthew was influenced by Mark’s use of καί in L31 and that Luke’s προσελθόντες δέ reflects the wording of Anth. In either case HR would remain unchanged. ↩
• ^[111] The only instances of διεγείρειν in the Synoptic Gospels are found in Mark 4:39 (Quieting a Storm, L40) and Luke 8:24 (Quieting a Storm, L32, L40). See Moulton-Geden, 215. ↩
• ^[112] See Hatch-Redpath, 1:364. On reconstructing ἐγείρειν with הֵקִים, see Yohanan the Immerser Demands Repentance, Comment to L15. ↩
• ^[113] See Dos Santos, 152. ↩
• ^[114] Additional examples of ἐγείρειν as the translation of הֵעִיר occur in Isa. 41:25; 45:13; Jer. 27[50]:9; 28[51]:11; Dan. 11:25. ↩
• ^[115] Cf. Nolland, Luke, 1:400. ↩
• ^[116] See Marcus, 1:335. Cf. Collins, 259. ↩
• ^[117] See Withered Fig Tree, Comment to L20. ↩
• ^[118] The following table shows all of the instances of ἐπιστάτα in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Luke 5:5 TT (cf. Matt. 4:[--]; Mark 1:[--]) Luke 8:24 [ἐπιστάτα ἐπιστάτα] TT (cf. Matt. 8:25 [κύριε]; Mark 4:38 [διδάσκαλε]) Luke 8:45 TT (cf. Matt. 9:[--]; Mark 5:31 [--]) Luke 9:33 TT (cf. Matt. 17:4 [κύριε]; Mark 9:5 [ῥαββί]) Luke 9:49 Lk-Mk (cf. Mark 9:38 [διδάσκαλε]) Luke 17:13 U Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; Lk-Mk = Lukan-Markan pericope; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding word and/or verse

  ↩

• ^[119] On ἐπιστάτης in Luke and in non-Jewish Greek sources, see Albert L. A. Hogeterp, “New Testament Greek as Popular Speech: Adolf Deissmann in Retrospect,” Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 102.2 (2011): 178-200, esp. 192-193. ↩
• ^[120] The instances of κύριε κύριε in Matt. 7:22 and Matt. 25:11 are probably the product of Matthean redaction. See Houses on Rock and Sand, Comment to L10, and Waiting Maidens, Comment to L36. ↩
• ^[121] See Lindsey, HTGM, 101. ↩
• ^[122] In LXX the verb μέλειν occurs in Tob. 10:5; 1 Macc. 14:42, 43; Job 22:3; Wis. 12:13. Only in Job 22:3 does μέλειν have a Hebrew equivalent (חֵפֶץ [ḥēfetz, “pleasure”]), although the instances in Tobit and 1 Maccabees may well have stood for something in the underlying Hebrew text. ↩
• ^[123] The table below shows all of the instances of μέλειν in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 22:16 TT = Mark 12:14 (cf. Luke 20:21) Mark 4:38 TT (cf. Matt. 8:25; Luke 8:24) Mark 12:14 TT= Matt. 22:16 (cf. Luke 20:21) Luke 10:40 U Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel

  It is notable that while the author of Matthew was willing to accept μέλειν from Mark once, μέλειν does not occur at all in DT, and there is no Lukan-Markan agreement on the use of μέλειν. ↩

• ^[124] See Meier, Marginal, 2:926. Gould (85) noticed this difficulty, but attempted to explain it away. ↩
• ^[125] On the author of Mark’s redactional habit of transforming statements into questions, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[126] Cf. van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 23; Nolland, Luke, 398; Marcus, 1:337. ↩
• ^[127] On the clues Mark’s version of Jesus’ prophecy of destruction and redemption offers as to the date and circumstances of Mark’s composition, see Yerushalayim Besieged, under the “Story Placement” subheading, and LOY Excursus: The Dates of the Synoptic Gospels. ↩
• ^[128] As scholars have noted (pace Gundry, Matt., 155), the way the disciples’ question is formulated in Greek implies the expectation of a positive answer (“You do care, don’t you, that we are perishing?”). See Gundry, Mark, 239; Meier, Marginal, 2:926. Thus, the author of Mark portrays disciples who are struggling to reconcile their positive expectations with the disappointments they have encountered along the way. ↩
• ^[129] Cf. Nolland, Luke, 1:397. Guelich (266) noted this inconsistency, but attempted to explain it away. ↩
• ^[130] On the disciples’ address to Jesus as a prayer, see Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 55; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 24; Davies-Allison, 2:73; France, Mark, 224. ↩
• ^[131] Cf. Beare, Matt., 215. ↩
• ^[132] Cf. McNeile (110), who noted the dissonance, but attempted to explain it away. ↩
• ^[133] Here we distinguish the petition to save addressed to Jesus from the command for Jesus to save himself (Matt. 27:40; Mark 15:30; Luke 23:37, 39). ↩
• ^[134] See Schweizer, 221; Beare, Matt., 215; Davies-Allison, 2:73; Hagner, 1:222. ↩
• ^[135] See Meier, Marginal, 2:1008 n. 181. ↩
• ^[136] See Allen, 83; Bundy, 134 §57; Beare, Matt., 215; Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 56; Loos, Miracles, 638; Nolland, Matt., 371. ↩
• ^[137] See Gundry, Matt., 156. ↩
• ^[138] See Davies-Allison, 2:73. ↩
• ^[139] We find another example of Matthean redactional sloppiness in the author of Matthew’s joining of Boy Delivered from Demon and Faith Like a Mustard Seed. In Boy Delivered from Demon the author of Matthew has Jesus say the disciples were unable to exorcise the demon because of their ὀλιγοπιστία (oligopistia, “small faith”), but has Jesus go on to say in the very next breath that faith as small as a mustard seed is capable of producing miracles (Matt. 17:20). See Faith Like a Mustard Seed, Comment to L6. ↩
• ^[140] Cf. Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 56; van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 28. ↩
• ^[141] Likewise, the use of the cognate noun ὀλιγοπιστία (“little faith”) occurs in Matt. 17:20 but nowhere else in the Synoptic Gospels. See Faith Like a Mustard Seed, Comment to L6, where we concluded that ὀλιγοπιστία is redactional. ↩
• ^[142] On τότε as an indicator of Matthean redaction, see Jesus and a Canaanite Woman, Comment to L22. ↩
• ^[143] See Gundry, Matt., 156. ↩
• ^[144] See Bundy, 241 §146; Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 57; Guelich, 1:267; Gundry, Mark, 1:240; Meier, Marginal, 2:926; Bovon, 1:318; J. Green, 333. ↩
• ^[145] See Jan Joosten, “The Verb גער ‘to Exorcise’ in Qumran Aramaic and Beyond,” Dead Sea Discoveries 21 (2014): 347-355. ↩
• ^[146] This, despite Jastrow’s omission of גָּעַר in his dictionary (see Jastrow, 261). For examples of גָּעַר in post-Biblical Hebrew, see Shimon’s Mother-in-law, Comment to L18. The use of ἐπιτιμᾶν in the Synoptic Gospels for persons and inanimate objects as well as demons parallels the broader use of גָּעַר in Hebrew as opposed to the restricted use of ג-ע-ר verbs for exorcism in Aramaic. Cf. Blackburn, “‘Miracle Working Θεοι Ανδρες’ in Hellenism (And Hellenistic Judaism),” 215 n. 93. ↩
• ^[147] The following statement in the War Scroll comes closest to the use of גָּעַר in the context of exorcism:

  ועם כול דורותינו הפלתה חסדיכה לשאר[ית נחלתכה] בממשלת בליעל ובכול רזי שטמתו לוא הדיחונ[ו] מבריתכה ורוחי [ח]בלו גערתה ממ[נו ובהתרשע אנ]שי ממשלתו שמ^רתה נפש פדותכה

  And with all our generations you have bestowed your benevolence to the remna[nt of your inheritance], during the dominion of Belial and during all the mysteries of his enmity they did not drive u[s] from your covenant, and his spirits of [de]struction you drove away from [us] [גערתה ממנו] [and in the wickedness of the peo]ple of his dominion you guarded the soul of your redemption. (1QM XIV, 8-11)

  But in the War Scroll it is God himself, not an exorcist, who drives away the malignant spirits. ↩

• ^[148] Pace Fitzmyer, 1:730. ↩
• ^[149] See Nolland, Luke, 1:400. ↩
• ^[150] The table below shows all the instances of σιωπᾶν in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 20:31 TT = Mark 10:48 (cf. Luke 18:39) Matt. 26:63 TT = Mark 14:61 (cf. Luke 22:[--]) Mark 3:4 TT (cf. Matt. 12:12; Luke 6:9) Mark 4:39 TT (cf. Matt. 8:26; Luke 8:24) Mark 9:34 TT (cf. Matt. 18:1; Luke 9:46) Mark 10:48 TT = Matt. 20:31 (cf. Luke 18:39) Mark 14:61 TT = Matt. 26:63 (cf. Luke 22:[--]) Luke 1:20 U Luke 19:40 TT (cf. Matt. 21:[--]; Mark 11:[--]) Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding word and/or verse

  ↩

• ^[151] The table below shows all the instances of φιμοῦν in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 22:12 DT (cf. Luke 14:[--]) Matt. 22:34 TT (cf. Mark 12:28; Luke 10:25) Mark 1:25 Lk-Mk = Luke 4:35 Mark 4:39 TT (cf. Matt. 8:26; Luke 8:24) Luke 4:35 Lk-Mk = Mark 1:25 Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; DT = Lukan-Matthean pericope; Lk-Mk = Lukan-Markan pericope; U = verse unique to a particular Gospel; [--] = no corresponding word and/or verse

  ↩

• ^[152] See Plummer, Mark, 136; Guelich, 1:267; Marcus, 1:339; France, Mark, 224; Collins, 261. ↩
• ^[153] See Bundy, 241 §146; Beare, Earliest, 121 §105; Lachs, 161; Meier, Marginal, 2:926. ↩
• ^[154] See our discussion in Teaching in Kefar Nahum, Comment to L64 and Comment to L70. ↩
• ^[155] Pace A. B. Bruce, 370. ↩
• ^[156] In defense of the originality of Mark’s words of command some scholars have claimed that Mark’s syntax (a double imperative with no intervening conjunction called parataxis) is Semitic. Cf., e.g., van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 21. While it is true that parataxis is characteristic of Semitic languages, according to Black (46), “It is doubtful...if Mk....iv. 39, σιώπα πεφίμωσο...can be described as un-Greek, though more literary Greek would prefer the subordinating aorist participle or join with καί.” ↩
• ^[157] We regard Mark’s substitution of παύειν with κοπάζειν (kopazein, “to abate”) as merely a Markan paraphrase. ↩
• ^[158] The phrase מִזַּעְפּוֹ (“from its raging”) occurs only once in the Hebrew Scriptures (Jonah 1:15), and all instances of מִזַּעְפּוֹ in rabbinic sources are either direct quotations of Jonah or in storm narratives that appear to echo the Jonah story. ↩
• ^[159] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1112. ↩
• ^[160] See Moulton-Geden, 785. ↩
• ^[161] On παύειν in Luke 11:1, see Lord’s Prayer, Comment to L3. ↩
• ^[162] We must not fail to mention, however, that παύειν occurs 6xx in Acts (5:42; 6:13; 13:10; 20:1, 31; 21:32). ↩
• ^[163] We have found only two instances of παύειν→ἐκ in LXX (Deut. 32:26; 1 Chr. 21:22), whereas instances of παύειν→ἀπό occur in Num. 17:25; 25:8; Ps. 33:14; 36:8; Isa. 1:16; Jer. 32:37; 33:3, 13, 19; 38:37. ↩
• ^[164] See Delitzsch (Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24); Resch, 45; Lindsey, HTGM, 101; MHNT (Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24). ↩
• ^[165] Delitzsch’s דְּמָמָה רַבָּה (d^emāmāh rabāh, “great silence”; Matt. 8:26 ∥ Mark 4:39) and MHNT’s דְּמָמָה עֲמֻקָּה (d^emāmāh ‘^amuqāh, “deep silence”; Matt. 8:26 ∥ Mark 4:39) are also unattested in the ancient sources. ↩
• ^[166] See, e.g., Sifre Num. §42 (ed. Horovitz, 46); Sifre Deut. §199 (ed. Finkelstein, 237); Deut. Rab., Shoftim §15 (ed. Lieberman, 102). ↩
• ^[167] Pace Gundry (Mark, 244), who argued that “the interrogative form of the rebuke softens it considerably.” We would say that “Why are you cowardly?” is a loaded question that does not permit the disciples to deny that they are cowards (as “What? Are you cowards?” would have done), but demands that they explain how and why they have become cowardly. ↩
• ^[168] See Plummer, Mark, 136. ↩
• ^[169] On the three cardinal sins in Second Temple Judaism, see David Flusser and Shmuel Safrai, “The Apostolic Decree and the Noahide Commandments.” ↩
• ^[170] Cf. R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John (2 vols.; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1920), 2:216; Craig R. Koester, Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (AB 38a; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014), 800-801. ↩
• ^[171] Cf. Markus, 1:339. Thus, the “greater originality” of Mark in L48 is far from evident to us (pace Taylor, 276). ↩
• ^[172] On rapid-succession questions as a product of Markan redactional activity, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[173] Cf. Lynn Allan Losie, “The Cursing of the Fig Tree: Tradition Criticism of a Markan Pericope: Mk 11:12-14, 20-25,” Studia Biblica et Theologica 7 (1977): 3-18, esp. 10. ↩
• ^[174] See David Flusser, “The Ten Commandments and the New Testament,” in The Ten Commandments in History and Tradition (ed. Ben-Zion Segal and Gershom Levi; Jerusalem: Magnes, 1990), 219-246, esp. 232; Rich Man Declines the Kingdom of Heaven, Comment to L30-31. ↩
• ^[175] On the author of Mark’s redactional conversion of statements into questions, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[176] Scholars often remark that expressing “Have faith in God” with the genitive (ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ) rather than the dative (ἔχετε πίστιν τῷ θεῷ) is unusual. See Taylor, 466; Jeremias, Theology, 161; Gundry, Mark, 2:651. A comparable example can be found in the Shepherd of Hermas:

  ὅταν οὖν ἔλθῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἔχων τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ θεῖον εἰς συναγωγὴν ἀνδρῶν δικαίων τῶν ἐχόντων πίστιν θείου πνεύματος καὶ ἔντευξις γένηται πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τῆς συναγωγῆς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων, τότε ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ προφητικοῦ ὁ κείμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν πληροῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ πληρωθεὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ λαλεῖ εἰς τὸ πλῆθος, καθὼς ὁ κύριος βούλεται

  Therefore, when a person having the divine spirit enters a synagogue of righteous men having faith in the divine spirit [τῶν ἐχόντων πίστιν θείου πνεύματος], and petition is made to God by the synagogue of those men, then the angel of the prophetic spirit appointed for him fills the person and, being filled with the holy spirit, the person speaks to the many, just as the Lord wishes. (Herm., Mandate 11:9)

  Text according to Kirsopp Lake, trans., The Apostolic Fathers (Loeb; 2 vols.; Cambridge, Mass.; Harvard University Press, 1912-1913), 2:120. ↩

• ^[177] See Marcus, 1:335. Meier concluded on different grounds that the question in Mark 4:40 is redactional. See Meier, Marginal, 2:930. ↩
• ^[178] Cf. van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 19. The following table shows all of the instances of οὔπω in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the synoptic parallels (if any):

  Matt. 16:9 TT = Mark 8:17 (cf. Luke 12:[--]) Matt. 24:6 TT = Mark 13:7 (cf. Luke 21:9) Mark 4:40 TT (cf. Matt. 8:26; Luke 8:25) Mark 8:17 TT = Matt. 16:9 (cf. Luke 12:[--]) Mark 8:21 TT (cf. Matt. 16:11; Luke 12:[--]) Mark 11:2 TT (cf. Matt. 21:2; Luke 19:30) Mark 13:7 TT = Matt. 24:6 (cf. Luke 21:9) Luke 23:53 TT (cf. Matt. 27:60; Mark 15:46) Key: TT = pericope has parallels in all three Synoptic Gospels; [--] = no corresponding word and/or verse

  From the table above we learn that the author of Matthew only used οὔπω where Mark had it, but he did not always accept οὔπω from Mark. Luke and Mark never agree to write οὔπω, although Luke was not absolutely against using οὔπω.

  On οὔπω as a redactional term in Mark, see also F. Neirynck, “The Redactional Text of Mark,” Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 57.1 (1981): 144-162, esp. 152, 155. ↩

• ^[179] According to Blackburn, the calming of the storm is the only miracle in the Gospels performed for “those who have lost their faith.” See Barry L. Blackburn, “The Miracles of Jesus,” in The Cambridge Companion to Miracles (ed. Graham H. Twelftree; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 113-130, esp. 115. We would say that the disciples had lost their nerve rather than their faith. This comes out even more clearly if our reconstruction (“Have faith in God”) is correct. ↩
• ^[180] Cf. Conzelmann, 49. ↩
• ^[181] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1138. ↩
• ^[182] See Lindsey, HTGM, 133. ↩
• ^[183] Lindsey adopted the imperfect form תַּאֲמִינוּ as the translation of ἔχετε because in his Greek text ἔχετε was not an imperative but a future verb belonging to the conditional clause εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ (“if you have faith in God”). See Lindsey, HTGM, 132. This reading has been rejected by most text critics as an assimilation of Mark to Luke and/or Matthew. See Taylor, 466; Metzger, 109; Collins, 522. ↩
• ^[184] See Bultmann, 216; Bundy, 134 §57. ↩
• ^[185] See Albright-Mann, 99. ↩
• ^[186] See Allen, 83; Loos, Miracles, 639. ↩
• ^[187] Cf. McNeile, 111; Bornkamm, “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew,” 52; Luz, 2:21. ↩
• ^[188] See Bultmann, 216; Nolland, Luke, 1:397. ↩
• ^[189] Pace Davies and Allison, who reject the explanation that “the men” alludes to Jonah 1:16. See Davies-Allison, 2:75. ↩
• ^[190] Note that in Anth. individuals previously identified as disciples of John the Baptist are referred to as οἱ ἄνδρες (hoi andres, “the men”) in Yohanan the Immerser’s Question, L19. ↩
• ^[191] See A. B. Bruce, 144; Gundry, Matt., 156; Davies-Allison, 2:75; France, Matt., 337. ↩
• ^[192] See Moulton-Howard, 444-445; Muraoka, Syntax, 188 §22xk. ↩
• ^[193] Since the author of Luke was willing to write καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν (“and they feared a great fear”) in Luke 2:9, it seems unlikely that he would have avoided the same phrase in Quieting a Storm if it had appeared in FR, his source for this pericope. ↩
• ^[194] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1435-1436. פַּחַד (paḥad, “fear,” “terror”) is a close second. On reconstructing φόβος with פַּחַד, see Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L19. ↩
• ^[195] See Dos Santos, 85. ↩
• ^[196] Pace Creed, 120; Bovon, 1:317 n. 3. ↩
• ^[197] See Hatch-Redpath, 1:626-627. ↩
• ^[198] See Dos Santos, 221. ↩
• ^[199] Thus we find וַיִּתְמְהוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ (vayitm^ehū hā’^anāshim ’ish ’el rē‘ēhū, “and the people looked at one another in wonder”; Gen. 43:33) and אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ יִתְמָהוּ (’ish ’el rē‘ēhū yitmāhū, “they will look at one another in wonder”; Isa. 13:8). See BDB, 1069. ↩
• ^[200] In Hebrew אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ must be joined to תָּמַהּ. There is not a single instance of לֵאמֹר followed by אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ in MT. To get around this difficulty Delitzsch translated ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους (“they wondered, saying to one another”) in Luke 8:25 as וַיִּתְמְהוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ (“And they wondered. And they said to one another”). ↩
• ^[201] On ἀλλήλων as a Lukan redactional term, see Like Children Complaining, Comment to L6. ↩
• ^[202] In LXX πρὸς ἀλλήλους occurs as the translation of אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו (’ish ’el ’āḥiv, “each to his brother”; Gen. 42:28) and אֶחָד אֶל אֶחָד (’eḥād ’el ’eḥād, “one to the other”; Ezek. 37:17), but never as the translation of אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ (“each to his neighbor”), which the LXX translators usually rendered quite literally as ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ (anēr pros ton plēsion avtou, “a man to his neighbor”; Judg. 6:29; 10:18; 4 Kgdms. 7:3, 9) or ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ (hekastos pros ton plēsion avtou, “each to his neighbor”; 1 Kgdms. 10:11; Jer. 22:8; 26[46]:16; 43[36]:16; Jonah 1:7). Nevertheless, πρὸς ἀλλήλους could be considered a non-Septuagintal equivalent of אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ. Delitzsch translated πρὸς ἀλλήλους as אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ in Mark 4:41; 8:16; 15:31; Luke 2:15; 4:36; 8:25; 24:14, 32; John 4:33; Acts 26:31; 28:4. Likewise, Lindsey translated πρὸς ἀλλήλους as אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ in Mark 4:41; 8:16; 15:31. ↩
• ^[203] Cf. Marshall, 334. ↩
• ^[204] Had the original focus of the question been on Jesus’ identity, the Greek translator ought to have written ὅς instead of ὅτι in L56 as follows: τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅς καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ (“Who, then, is this, who even commands the winds and the water and they listen to him?”). ↩
• ^[205] Presumably the misunderstanding of the Greek translator’s rendering of the disciples’ question is ancient, possibly going back as far as his first readers, and almost certainly going back to the First Reconstructor and the synoptic evangelists. This is why, despite identical wording in Mark, Luke and GR in L55, the interlinear translations of Mark and Luke are different from that of GR. ↩
• ^[206] The LXX translators rendered הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה simply as τοῦτο (touto, “this”) in Gen. 20:10 and Exod. 18:14 or as ταῦτα (tavta, “these”) in Isa. 24:3. In each of these cases, the LXX translators gave no equivalent for דָּבָר. The LXX translators sometimes acted similarly when translating הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה (had^evārim hā’ēleh, “these things”). See A Woman’s Misplaced Blessing, Comment to L1. ↩
• ^[207] On the equivalence of λόγος and דָּבָר, see Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L24. ↩
• ^[208] In Rich Man Declines the Kingdom of Heaven, L16, we identified another instance where the Greek translator mistakenly used a masculine form instead of a neuter. ↩
• ^[209] As Bovon (1:321 n. 35) noted, καί in L56 “must be translated with ‘even.’” ↩
• ^[210] See Marshall, 335. ↩
• ^[211] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1405-1406. ↩
• ^[212] See Dos Santos, 212. ↩
• ^[213]

  Quieting a Storm
  Luke’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 1)
  ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς λίμνης καὶ ἀνήχθησαν πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἀφύπνωσεν καὶ κατέβη λαῖλαψ εἰς τὴν λίμνην ἀνέμου καὶ συνεπληροῦντο καὶ ἐκινδύνευον προσελθόντες δὲ διήγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες ἐπιστάτα ἐπιστάτα ἀπολλύμεθα ὁ δὲ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ποῦ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν φοβηθέντες δὲ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσατο [ἡ θάλασσα ⟨ἀπὸ κλύδωνος αὐτῆς⟩] καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	94	Total Words:	91 [103] ⟨108⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	45 [53] ⟨54⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Luke:	45 [53] ⟨54⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	47.87 [56.38] ⟨57.45⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Luke:	49.45 [51.46] ⟨50.00⟩%

  .

  Quieting a Storm
  Luke’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 2)
  ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς λίμνης καὶ ἀνήχθησαν πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἀφύπνωσεν καὶ κατέβη λαῖλαψ εἰς τὴν λίμνην ἀνέμου καὶ συνεπληροῦντο καὶ ἐκινδύνευον προσελθόντες δὲ διήγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες ἐπιστάτα ἐπιστάτα ἀπολλύμεθα ὁ δὲ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ποῦ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν φοβηθέντες δὲ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	94	Total Words:	91 [101] ⟨103⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	46 [54] ⟨55⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Luke:	46 [54] ⟨55⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	48.94 [57.45] ⟨58.51⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Luke:	50.55 [53.47] ⟨53.40⟩%

  ↩

• ^[214]

  Quieting a Storm
  Mark’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 1)
  καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὀψίας γενομένης διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ καὶ ἄλλα πλοῖα ἦν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ γείνεται λαῖλαψ μεγάλη ἀνέμου καὶ τὰ κύματα ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ὥστε ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων καὶ ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ διδάσκαλε οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ εἶπε τῇ θαλάσσῃ σιώπα πεφίμωσο καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί δειλοί ἐστε οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ὑπακούει αὐτῷ		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσατο [ἡ θάλασσα ⟨ἀπὸ κλύδωνος αὐτῆς⟩] καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	118	Total Words:	91 [103] ⟨108⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	37 [40] ⟨41⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Mark:	37 [40] ⟨41⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	31.36 [33.90] ⟨34.75⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Mark:	40.66 [38.83] ⟨37.96⟩%

  .

  Quieting a Storm
  Mark’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 2)
  καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὀψίας γενομένης διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ καὶ ἄλλα πλοῖα ἦν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ γείνεται λαῖλαψ μεγάλη ἀνέμου καὶ τὰ κύματα ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ὥστε ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων καὶ ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ διδάσκαλε οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ εἶπε τῇ θαλάσσῃ σιώπα πεφίμωσο καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί δειλοί ἐστε οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ὑπακούει αὐτῷ		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	118	Total Words:	91 [101] ⟨103⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	37 [40] ⟨41⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Mark:	37 [40] ⟨41⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	31.36 [33.90] ⟨34.75⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Mark:	40.66 [39.60] ⟨39.81⟩

  ↩

• ^[215] Cf. Beare, Earliest, 121 §105. ↩
• ^[216]

  Quieting a Storm
  Matthew’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 1)
  ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὄχλον περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ πέραν καὶ ἐμβάντι αὐτῷ εἰς πλοῖον ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε σῶσον ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς τί δειλοί ἐστε ὀλιγόπιστοι τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες ποταπός ἐστιν οὗτος ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ ἡ θάλασσα αὐτῷ ὑπακούουσιν		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσατο [ἡ θάλασσα ⟨ἀπὸ κλύδωνος αὐτῆς⟩] καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	84	Total Words:	91 [103] ⟨108⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	44 [47] ⟨47⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	44 [47] ⟨47⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	52.38 [55.95] ⟨55.95⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	48.35 [45.63] ⟨43.52⟩%

  .

  Quieting a Storm
  Matthew’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed 2)
  ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὄχλον περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ πέραν καὶ ἐμβάντι αὐτῷ εἰς πλοῖον ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε σῶσον ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς τί δειλοί ἐστε ὀλιγόπιστοι τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετείμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες ποταπός ἐστιν οὗτος ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ ἡ θάλασσα αὐτῷ ὑπακούουσιν		καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ [καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς διαπεράσομεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης ⟨καὶ διεπέρασαν⟩] πλεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς μέγας ἔστη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὥστε βυθίζειν αὐτούς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες κύριε κύριε ἀπολλύμεθα καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ
  Total Words:	84	Total Words:	91 [101] ⟨103⟩
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	44 [47] ⟨47⟩	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	44 [47] ⟨47⟩
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	52.38 [55.95] ⟨55.95⟩%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	48.35 [46.53] ⟨45.63⟩%

  ↩

• ^[217] Cf. van Iersel and Linmans, “The Storm on the Lake,” 42. ↩
• ^[218] Cf. Loos, Miracles, 647-648. ↩
• ^[219] See Luz, 2:17, 20; Collins, 260. ↩
• ^[220] Pace J. Green, 334; Keener, 279-280; Marcus, 1:338-339. ↩
• ^[221] See Guelich, 267; Bovon, 1:312; Nolland, Luke, 1:401; idem, Matt., 372; France, Matt., 337; Witherington, 191-192. ↩
• ^[222] Cf. Gould, 86. ↩
• ^[223] On Jesus as God’s divinely appointed emissary, see Joshua N. Tilton, “Jesus the Apostle.” ↩
• ^[224] Cf. Marcus, 1:340. ↩
• ^[225] On the goddess Isis as the protector of seafarers, see David Flusser, “Isis, the Lady of the Seas,” Sefunim (National Maritime Museum Haifa) 4 (1972-1977): 9-14. Various Greek authors claimed that certain philosophers were able to influence the elements to their (and others’) advantage. Thus Iamblichus (ca. 245-325 C.E.) claimed that Pythagoras (ca. 570-495 B.C.E.) “got rid of plagues rapidly and stopped strong winds; he caused hail to stop at once; he calmed rivers and seas so that his companions might cross over easily” (Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras §135). Translation according to David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan, eds., Documents for the Study of the Gospels (rev. ed.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994 [orig. pub. 1980]), 154. Similarly, Diogenes Laertius (third-cent. C.E.), citing Timaeus (ca. 356-260 B.C.E.), claimed that the philosopher Empedocles (ca. 492-432 B.C.E.) had devised means of staying the wind (Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 8:2 §60). And according to Philostratus (mid-second to mid-third century C.E.), the philosopher Apollonius (first century C.E.) was regarded as “one who was master of the tempest and of fire and of perils of all sorts,” and therefore people wished to sail with him so that they would benefit from his aura of protection (Life of Apollonius 4:13; Loeb). All of these claims, however, are late, most being made long after the lifetimes of the philosophers themselves. Some of these claims may even be intended as polemics against the claims of early Christians about Jesus. See Robert Garland, “Miracles in the Greek and Roman World,” in The Cambridge Companion to Miracles (ed. Graham H. Twelftree; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 75-94, esp. 83; Loos, Miracles, 641-644; Blackburn, “‘Miracle Working Θεοι Ανδρες’ in Hellenism (And Hellenistic Judaism),” 185-218. ↩
• ^[226] Plummer (Mark, 136), Bacon (Beginnings, 57), Loos (Miracles, 639) and Bovon (1:320 n. 22) are among the scholars who have noted the similarities and differences between Quieting a Storm and Caesar’s defiance of a storm. For a thorough analysis, see Rick Strelan, “A Greater Than Caesar: Storm Stories in Lucan and Mark,” Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 91.3-4 (2000): 166-179. ↩
• ^[227] Cf. Kazen, 181. ↩
• ^[228] Some scholars (cf., e.g., Plummer, Mark, 136; Taylor, 275; Beare, Earliest, 121 §105; Collins, 259) attempt to draw a parallel between Jesus’ quieting of a storm and a passage in Virgil’s Aeneid in which Aeneas, preparing to set sail, falls asleep on the boat. While sleeping, the god Mercury visits him and warns him to set sail to avoid danger:

  But now that all was duly ordered, and now that he was resolved on going, Aeneas was snatching sleep on his vessel’s high stern. In his sleep there appeared to him a vision of the god...and seemed to warn him this...“Goddess-born, when such hazard threatens, canst thou still slumber and seest not the perils that from henceforth hem thee in, madman! Hearest not the kindly breezes blowing? ...Wilt not flee hence in haste, while hasty flight is possible? Soon thou wilt see the waters swarming with ships, see fierce brands ablaze, and soon the shore flashing with flames, if the dawn find thee lingering in these lands.” (Virgil, Aeneid 4:554-565; Loeb)

  Translation according to H. Rushton Fairclough, Virgil (Loeb; 2 vols.; New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916-1918), 1:435.

  In our estimation, points of similarity between this story and Quieting a Storm are exceedingly meager. In the Aeneid there is no storm and hence no need to calm the wind and waves. The winds in the Aeneid are friendly, willing to bear Aeneas to safety. In response to the dream Aeneas sets sail. Aeneas does not sleep through a storm, he is awakened by a dream warning him to get a move on. ↩

• ^[229] For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.’” ↩
• ^[230] This translation is a dynamic rendition of our reconstruction of the conjectured Hebrew source that stands behind the Greek of the Synoptic Gospels. It is not a translation of the Greek text of a canonical source. ↩
• ^[231] Cf. Taylor, 273; Nolland, Luke, 1:401. ↩