Faith Like a Mustard Seed

How to cite this article:
Joshua N. Tilton and David N. Bivin, “Faith Like a Mustard Seed,” The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction (Jerusalem Perspective, 2022) [https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/25673/].

Matt. 17:20; 21:21-22; Mark 11:22-24; Luke 17:5-6

(Huck 126, 180, 201; Aland 163, 231, 275;
Crook 181, 279, 310)^[84]

Updated: 1 November 2023

וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדוֹן אִם אַתֶּם מַאֲמִינִים אֲפִילּוּ כְעֵין הַחַרְדָּל אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים לְשִׁקְמָה זוֹ הֵעָקְרִי וְהִנָּטְעִי בַּיָּם וְשׁוֹמַעַת לָכֶם

But the Lord said, “If your trust in God is even like a mustard seed in size, then you could say to a sycamore fig tree, ‘Be uprooted and be transplanted in the sea!’ and it would do as you command.”^[85]

Reconstruction

To view the reconstructed text of Faith Like a Mustard Seed click on the link below:

Conclusion

Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed, which of all the canonical versions is probably closest to the original saying, makes a fitting sequel to Quieting a Storm. When Faith Like a Mustard Seed is attached to the end of Quieting a Storm, we see Jesus characteristically turning his followers away from speculations about his person and focusing their intention instead on how they can become participants in God’s redeeming reign over his creation.

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• ^[1] See Davies-Allison, 2:726. ↩
• ^[2] See Charles A. Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” in Studia Biblica 1978: II Papers on the Gospels (ed. E. A. Livingstone; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1980), 329-337, esp. 331. ↩
• ^[3] See Bultmann, 25; Bundy, 430-431 §333; Knox, 1:82; Beare, Earliest, 206 §198-201; Meier, Marginal, 2:888, 890; Evans, Mark, 185. How, then, did the author of Mark happen to connect Faith Like a Mustard Seed to Withered Fig Tree? As we discussed in Withered Fig Tree, it may be that while composing the Withered Fig Tree story the author of Mark was reminded of the sycamore fig tree in Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed. The collection of sayings with which Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed appears then influenced the answer the author of Mark had Jesus give to the disciples. Whereas Luke presented a series of sayings about temptation (Luke 17:1-2), forgiveness (Luke 17:3-4) and wonder-working faith (Luke 17:5-6), Mark presents a series of sayings about wonder-working faith (Mark 11:22-23), answers to prayer (Mark 11:24) and forgiveness (Mark 11:25). See Withered Fig Tree, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission.” ↩
• ^[4] See Withered Fig Tree, under the “Conjectured Stages of Transmission” subheading. ↩
• ^[5] The author of Matthew’s placement of his second version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed as the continuation of Withered Fig Tree was picked up from Mark. ↩
• ^[6] See Theissen, Gospels, 241-242; Luz, 2:406. ↩
• ^[7] Cf. McNeile, 256; Davies-Allison, 2:726-727; Luz, 2:409. ↩
• ^[8] Noticing the logical inconsistency of Matthew’s presentation, some early Christian scribes changed Matthew’s “little faith” in Matt. 17:20 to “no faith” (see Metzger, 43). These scribes portrayed Jesus as making a rational argument: you failed because you had no faith, you would have succeeded if you had possessed even a tiny amount of faith. The artificial and ultimately unsuccessful linking together of Boy Delivered from Demon and Faith Like a Mustard Seed is not the only example of poor critical thinking and/or sloppiness in Matthean redaction. A prime example is the dialogue the author of Matthew created between John the Baptist and Jesus at Jesus’ baptism. The author of Matthew does not explain how John recognized Jesus or why, having recognized Jesus as the Coming One prior to Jesus’ baptism, he later forgot and had to send disciples to Jesus to ask whether or not Jesus was the One Who Is to Come. See Yeshua’s Immersion, Comment to L12-22. ↩
• ^[9] Other examples of FR “strings of pearls” are found in Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18. On the “strings of pearls” scattered about in Luke’s Gospel as stemming from FR, see LOY Excursus: Sources of the “Strings of Pearls” in Luke’s Gospel. ↩
• ^[10] See our discussion of Luke 15:1-2 in Call of Levi, under the “Story Placement” subheading. It appears that neither the author of Luke nor the First Reconstructor knew the original context to which Faith Like a Mustard Seed belonged. We therefore conclude that Faith Like a Mustard Seed had already been separated from Quieting a Storm in FR’s source, the Anthology (Anth.). It was the Anthologizer who was known to separate teachings from incidents, resulting in the discomposure of Jesus’ biography. ↩
• ^[11] Scholars who adhere to the Two-Source solution to the Synoptic Problem typically attribute Luke’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed to “Q.” See Streeter, 284; Manson, Sayings, 141; Bundy, 314 §187, 385 §291; Knox, 1:103; Claus-Hunno Hunzinger, “σίναπι,” TDNT, 7:287-291, esp. 289; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1141; Catchpole, 280; Bovon, 2:492; Luz, 2:406. ↩
• ^[12] Cf. McNeile (256) and Manson (Sayings, 140), who identify Matthew’s source for Matt. 17:20 as Q. ↩
• ^[13] Cf. McNeile, 256; Streeter, 284; Kilpatrick, 88; Bundy, 314 §187, 385 §291; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1142; Davies-Allison, 2:726; Bovon, 2:492; Luz, 2:406. On cross-pollination between similar sayings in Matthew, see Sending the Twelve: Conduct in Town, Comment to L115-122, and Woes on Three Villages, Comment to L24-28. ↩
• ^[14] One version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in the Gospel of Thomas reads:

  Jesus said: If two make peace with each other in this one house, they shall say to the mountain: “Be moved”, and it shall be moved. (Gos. Thom. §48 [ed. Guillaumont, 29])

  The other version reads:

  Jesus said: When you make the two one, you shall become sons of Man, and when you say: “Mountain, be moved”, it will be moved. (Gos. Thom. §106 [ed. Guillaumont, 53])

  On the versions of Faith Like a Mustard Seed in Thomas, see Meier, Marginal, 2:982 n. 48. ↩

• ^[15] See Creed, 215; Manson, Sayings, 141; idem, Teaching, 241; Bundy, 385 §291; Beare, Earliest, 183 §180; Marshall, 643; Fitzmyer, 2:1142; Nolland, Luke, 2:836; Bovon, 2:492. On the other hand, Knox (1:83) thought the apostles’ request for faith was original. ↩
• ^[16] On the attribution of Luke 9:1-6, 10 to FR, see Sending the Twelve: Commissioning, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission,” and Return of the Twelve, under the subheading “Conjectured Stages of Transmission.” ↩
• ^[17] On reconstructing ἀποκρίνειν...λέγειν as וַיַּעַן...וַיֹּאמֶר, see Call of Levi, Comment to L56 and Comment to L58. ↩
• ^[18] On the author of Mark’s redactional use of ἀποκρίνειν...λέγειν, see Withered Fig Tree, Comment to L11. ↩
• ^[19] See Widow’s Son in Nain, Comment to L10. ↩
• ^[20] Cf. Meier, Marginal, 2:982 n. 48. ↩
• ^[21] See Davies-Allison, 2:725; Luz, 2:409. ↩
• ^[22] On the author of Mark’s tendency to insert ἀμὴν λέγω σοι/ὑμῖν, see Sign-Seeking Generation, Comment to L30. ↩
• ^[23] See Gundry, Matt., 352. The insertion of γάρ (gar, “for”) into the “Amen!” phrase of Matt. 17:20 is the author of Matthew’s own redactional contribution. See Gundry, Matt., 352; Nolland, Matt., 716. Neither the Gospel of Mark nor the Gospel of Luke ever has γάρ inserted into an “Amen!” formula, whereas in Matthew’s Gospel it occurs 4xx (Matt. 5:18; 10:23; 13:17; 17:20). On the other hand, we accepted Matthew’s ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν in Matt. 13:17 for GR in Blessedness of the Twelve, L9-10. ↩
• ^[24] Pace Nolland, Luke, 2:836; Evans, Mark, 187. ↩
• ^[25] See Bundy, 431 §333. ↩
• ^[26] Some scholars have preferred Matthew’s ἐάν + subjunctive on the assumption that the author of Luke often wrote εἰ in place of ἐάν (cf., e.g., Harnack, 91; Catchpole, 280), but Cadbury (Style, 141) challenged the grounds for that assumption. On the nuances of Luke’s conditional clause, see Fitzmyer, 2:1142-1143; Nolland, Luke, 2:838-839; Bovon, 2:496; Wolter, 2:291. ↩
• ^[27] See Gundry, Matt., 417; Nolland, Matt., 853; Luz, 3:21 n. 8. ↩
• ^[28] See Bundy, 431 §333; Gundry, Matt., 417; Davies-Allison, 3:153; Luz, 3:21. See also Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” 331. ↩
• ^[29] See McNeile, 303; Luz, 3:21 n. 4. ↩
• ^[30] See Gundry, Matt., 417. On the author of Matthew’s redactional use of μόνος, see Withered Fig Tree, Comment to L9. ↩
• ^[31] See Possessed Man in Girgashite Territory, Comment to L101. ↩
• ^[32] Delitzsch rendered τὸ τῆς συκῆς (to tēs sūkēs, “the [matter] of the fig tree”) in Matt. 21:21 as מַעֲשֵׂה הַתְּאֵנָה הַזֹּאת (ma‘^asēh hat^e’ēnāh hazo’t, “the incident of this fig tree”). ↩
• ^[33] See Gundry, Matt., 417-418. ↩
• ^[34] On Markan inversions of Luke’s word order and sentence structure, see LOY Excursus: Mark’s Editorial Style, under the subheading “Mark’s Freedom and Creativity.” ↩
• ^[35] Nevertheless, συκάμινος could be used to denote either the mulberry or the sycamore fig tree. See Claus-Hunno Hunzinger, “συκάμινος, συκομορέα,” TDNT, 7:758. ↩
• ^[36] On sycamore fig trees, see Zohary, 68-69. Sycamores are related to, but a distinct species from, the true fig tree. One of the distinguishing characteristics is that sycamores bear their fruit directly from the trunk and the larger boughs rather than from the ends of the branches as do fig trees. The fruit of the sycamore is also inferior to that of the fig tree. ↩
• ^[37] See Manson, Sayings, 141; Catchpole, 280; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3; Bovon, 2:496. The sycamore’s deep-rootedness is alluded to in m. Bab. Bat. 2:11 and in the following saying:

  תני רבי ישמעאל בן אלעזר אומר אין הארץ שותה אלא לפי חיסומה. אם כן מה יעשה שורשי חרוב מה יעשו שורשי שקמה

  It was taught [in a baraita]: Rabbi Yishmael ben Eleazar says, “The earth does not absorb water deeper than its top layer.” If so, what do the roots of the carob tree do? What do the roots of the sycamore fig tree do? (y. Ber. 9:2 [65b]; cf. Gen. Rab. 13:17 [ed. Theodor-Albeck, 1:125-126])

  ↩

• ^[38] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1301; Manson, Sayings, 141; Bovon, 2:496. ↩
• ^[39] See Jastrow, 1659. On mulberries, see Zohary, 71. ↩
• ^[40] Cf., e.g., Creed, 215; Harnack, 91. ↩
• ^[41] The noun συκῆ occurs 3xx in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 13:6, 7; 21:29). See Moulton-Geden, 915. The first two instances occur in a parable about a fig tree that is unique to Luke’s Gospel. ↩
• ^[42] See Evans, Mark, 188. ↩
• ^[43] See Knox, 1:83. ↩
• ^[44] For the assumption that Paul in 1 Cor. 13:2 alluded to Faith Like a Mustard Seed, see McNeile, 256; Manson, Sayings, 140; Schweizer, 353; Beare, Matt., 420; Davies-Allison, 2:727; Gundry, Mark, 652; Keener, 441; Collins, 532. See also Peter Richardson and Peter Gooch, “Logia of Jesus in 1 Corinthians,” in The Jesus Tradition Outside the Gospels (ed. David Wenham; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 39-62, esp. 46-47. ↩
• ^[45] But see Manson, Sayings, 140-141; Davies-Allison, 2:727. ↩
• ^[46] The uprooting of mountains as a metaphor for great achievements occurs in rabbinic sources in, e.g., b. Ber. 64a; b. Sanh. 24a; b. Hor. 14a. See the discussions of this metaphor in Knox, 2:104; Jeremias, Theology, 161. ↩
• ^[47] Davies and Allison, citing sources such as Isa. 54:10; Homer, Od. 5:480-485; Jos., Ant. 2:333; T. Sol. 23:1, claimed that “moving mountains” was a proverbial expression (Davies-Allison, 2:727 n. 31), but these sources do not justify their conclusion. In the Odyssey Homer describes the cyclops hurling a mountain top at Odysseus. This is an action, not a proverb. In Antiquities Josephus describes God’s ability to level mountains and make dry land appear while retelling the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. Again, moving a mountain is not a proverb. In the Testament of Solomon a demon boasts that he is able to move mountains, but he means this quite literally, and in any case the Testament of Solomon has been heavily influenced by the canonical Gospels. ↩
• ^[48] See Robert L. Lindsey, “Introduction to A Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark,” under the subheading “Sources of the Markan Pick-ups”; idem, “Measuring the Disparity Between Matthew, Mark and Luke,” under the subheading “Further Proof of Mark’s Dependence on Luke”; idem, “From Luke to Mark to Matthew: A Discussion of the Sources of Markan ‘Pick-ups’ and the Use of a Basic Non-canonical Source by All the Synoptists,” under the subheading “An Examination of the Editorial Activity of the First Reconstructor,” Comment to L114. Richardson and Gooch (“Logia of Jesus in 1 Corinthians,” 60-61 n. 33) discuss the possibility of Pauline influence on the synoptic tradition, but only in relation to the Gospel of Luke. ↩
• ^[49] The notion that faith has the power to uproot a sycamore has a parallel in the story of an early tannaic dispute over ritual purity. Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (first cent. C.E.) was so confident of his opinion that he demanded miraculous validation:

  אם הלכה כמותי חרוב זה יוכיח נעקר חרוב ממקומו מאה אמה

  “If the halachah is according to my opinion,” [Rabbi Eliezer said,] “this carob tree will prove it!” The carob tree was uprooted a hundred cubits from its spot. (b. Bab. Metz. 59b)

  Thus, Rabbi Eliezer’s confidence parallels the faith Jesus encouraged his disciples to exercise, and the uprooting of Rabbi Eliezer’s carob tree parallels the uprooting of the sycamore in Faith Like a Mustard Seed. ↩

• ^[50] Cf. Nolland, Matt., 853; France, Matt., 795 n. 19. ↩
• ^[51] See Hatch-Redpath, 2:1301. ↩
• ^[52] See Dos Santos, 216. ↩
• ^[53] The Bible Study took place on 18 October 2013. An audio recording of the Bible Study can be accessed at this link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/narkisbs/To%20Be%20Thrown%20in%20the%20Sea%20--%20Randall%20Buth.mp3. ↩
• ^[54] See Davies-Allison, 2:726. ↩
• ^[55] The verb μεταβαίνειν occurs in Matt. 8:34; 11:1; 12:9; 15:29; 17:20 (2xx). ↩
• ^[56] See Moulton-Geden, 636. ↩
• ^[57] The verbs נָטַע (nāṭa‘, “plant”) and עָקַר (‘āqar, “uproot”) are paired, for instance, in Eccl. 3:2; m. Kil. 3:6. ↩
• ^[58] See Hagner, 2:606; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3. ↩
• ^[59] Presumably this is the reason why Catchpole (280) omitted καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ from his reconstruction of Q. ↩
• ^[60] See Fitzmyer, 2:1144; Evans, Mark, 188; Vermes, Authentic, 219 n. 3. ↩
• ^[61] See Manson, Sayings, 141. ↩
• ^[62] According to Schweizer (353), “a tree or a mountain rising out of the sea serves as an image for something that is impossible” in Greek literature. Unfortunately, Schweizer did not cite any sources in support of his claim. ↩
• ^[63] On Amos 6:12 and the textual issues involved, see Shalom M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), 218. ↩
• ^[64] See Hunzinger, “σίναπι,” 290. Cf. Taylor, 466; Davies-Allison, 2:727. ↩
• ^[65] Cf., e.g., Plummer, Mark, 266; McNeile, 303; Knox, 2:103-104; Davies-Allison, 2:727; Gundry, Mark, 652. ↩
• ^[66] See Lindsey, “Measuring the Disparity Between Matthew, Mark and Luke,” under the subheading “Further Proof of Mark’s Dependence on Luke”; LOY Excursus: Catalog of Markan Stereotypes and Possible Markan Pick-ups, under the entry for Mark 11:24. ↩
• ^[67] See A. B. Bruce, 233; Davies-Allison, 2:726; Nolland, Matt., 717 n. 116. ↩
• ^[68] Delitzsch’s translation of καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν (kai ouden adūnatēsei hūmin, “and nothing will be impossible for you”) in Matt. 17:20 as וְאֵין דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יִבָּצֵר מִכֶּם (v^e’ēn dāvār ’^asher yibātzēr mikem, “and there is not a thing that will be withheld from you”) is based on Job 42:2, where the LXX translators rendered וְלֹא יִבָּצֵר מִמְּךָ מְזִמָּה (v^elo’ yibātzēr mim^echā m^ezimāh, “and no purpose will be withheld from you”) as ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν (adūnatei de soi outhen, “but nothing is impossible for you”). But the LXX translators’ non-literal rendering of Job 42:2 is shaky grounds for detecting a Hebrew undertext behind Matthew’s wording in L24-25. ↩
• ^[69] Cf. Bundy, 431 §333; Nolland, Matt., 855. ↩
• ^[70] See Lord’s Prayer, Comment to L9 and Comment to L27-38. ↩
• ^[71] Cf. Luz, 3:24. ↩
• ^[72] See Lord’s Prayer, Comment to L27-38. Cf. Wanamaker, “Mark 11:25 and the Gospel of Matthew,” 332. ↩
• ^[73] Here Delitzsch appears to be translating Matt. 21:22 (πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ [“all that you might ask in prayer”]) instead of Mark’s πάντα ὅσα προσεύχεσθε καὶ αἰτεῖσθε (“all that you pray and ask”). ↩
• ^[74] See Lindsey, HTGM, 133. ↩
• ^[75] See Nolland, Matt., 854-855. ↩
• ^[76] See Luz, 3:21 n. 8. ↩
• ^[77]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Luke’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  καὶ εἶπαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῷ κυρίῳ πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε ἂν τῇ συκαμείνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ἂν ὑμῖν		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	23	Total Words Taken Over in Luke:	23
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	67.65%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Luke:	100.00%

  ↩

• ^[78]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Mark’s Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ μὴ διακριθῇ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ πιστεύῃ ὅτι ὃ λαλεῖ γείνεται		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	38	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Mark:	5
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	13.16%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Mark:	21.74%

  ↩

• ^[79]

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Matthew’s 17:20 Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ὑμῶν ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρι τούτῳ μετάβα ἔνθεν ἐκεῖ καὶ μεταβήσεται καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	31	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	8	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	8
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	25.81%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	34.78%

  Faith Like a Mustard Seed
  Matthew’s 21:21 Version		Anthology’s Wording (Reconstructed)
  ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν καὶ μὴ διακριθῆτε οὐ μόνον τὸ τῆς συκῆς ποιήσετε ἀλλὰ κἂν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ εἴπητε ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν γενήσεται		εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ὑμῖν
  Total Words:	34	Total Words:	23
  Total Words Identical to Anth.:	5	Total Words Taken Over in Matt.:	5
  Percentage Identical to Anth.:	14.71%	Percentage of Anth. Represented in Matt.:	21.74%

  ↩

• ^[80] See Gould, 215; Swete, 259; Bundy, 431 §333; Gundry, Mark, 653-654. See also Eric F. F. Bishop, Jesus of Palestine: The Local Background to the Gospel Documents (London: Lutterworth, 1955), 219. Other scholars think that “this mountain” in Mark’s version of Faith Like a Mustard Seed refers to the Temple Mount. See Evans, Mark, 188; Marcus, 2:785. ↩
• ^[81] See A. B. Bruce, 233; McNeile, 256; Keener, 442 n. 127; Nolland, Matt., 716. ↩
• ^[82] For the view that “this mountain” in Matt. 21:21 refers to the Mount of Olives, see Gundry, Matt., 418; Keener, 505; France, Matt., 795. For the view that “this mountain” in Matt. 21:21 refers to the Temple Mount, see Beare, Earliest, 183 §180. For scholars who are undecided, see Witherington, 339. Hagner (2:606) believed “this mountain” is generic and therefore does not refer to any mountain in particular. ↩
• ^[83] The author of Matthew alluded to or quoted the book of Zechariah in Matt. 21:5 (cf. Mark 11:3; Luke 19:31); 24:30 (cf. Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27); 26:31 (= Mark 14:27); 27:9 (unparalleled). In addition, the author of Matthew referred to the prophet after whom the book of Zechariah is named in his version of Innocent Blood (Matt. 23:35; cf. Luke 11:51). ↩
• ^[84] For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.’” ↩
• ^[85] 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. ↩