Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Carson on Peter's Denials

Earlier Steve referenced D.A. Carson on Peter's denial.  Below is the full text of Carson's comments.  (I apologize in advance for any errors in transcription.)

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The four gospel accounts, though brief (cf. Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:54-62: Jn 18:15-18,25-27; see comments at v.34 on two cock crowings [Mark]), contain substantial differences, and a variety of solutions have been proposed. Matthew and Mark are in close agreement and list three denials: (1) before a servant girl, in the courtyard; (2) before another girl, but out by the gateway; (3) before bystanders apparently in the court. Luke also lists three: (1) before a servant girl, apparently near the fire; (2) before another person, place not specified; (3) before yet another person, still in the courtyard (22:60-61). The three denials recorded by John are (1) before a servant girl, at the door; then, after a break in the narrative, (2) before some people— the verb is plural but may he a generalizing one—(3) before one of the high priest's servants, a relative of Malchus.

Several things may be said.

1. Some attempts to harmonize the texts have resulted in Jesus' predicting three denials at each of my different times, making six denials (cf. H. Lindsell, Battle for the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976], 174-76). This is not only intrinsically unlikely but introduces major source-critical problems never addressed and handled.

2. It may help us to look at the location of the relevant pericopes in the four gospels. If our treatment of the trial sequence is correct (see Overview, 26:57-68), Matthew and Mark do not record the examination before Annas but simply say that Peter followed Jesus into the courtyard. Then they place Peter's three denials after the preliminary trial before the Sanhedrin. Luke records neither the examination before Annas nor the preliminary trial before the Sanhedrin and therefore places Peter's three denials before recording the Sanhedrin trial at dawn. John has nothing about the Jewish trial (though it may be hinted at in 19:24) except Jesus' examination before Alums. If Peter's first denial took place about the time of that examination, it is understandable that John separates it front the other two, which he describes after Jesus has been led before Caiaphas.

3. The order of the first two denials may be reversed between John and the Synoptics (cf. the order of the temptations; sec comments at 4:1-11), but which gospel has the historical order cannot easily be determined. John has "the girl at the gate" asking the first question and implies, but does not state, that this occurs on Peter's way in. Matthew and Mark have Jesus move back out to the gate as the setting for their second denial. Several possibilities come to mind, but no adequate way of testing them.

4. Remaining differences are minor and are capable of many solutions. Problems arise from the brevity of the accounts. In a setting around a fire, two or three may speak up at once (see comments at vv.69-70 ); or, more probably, the plural in the second denial (in John's order) is generalizing (as in Mt. 2:20). The differences in the reports of the denial adequately be accounted for on redactional grounds.

69Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
70But he denied it before them all. "l don't know what you're talking about,” he said.
71"Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"
73After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."
74Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.


COMMENTARY

69-70 The article "a" in "a servant girl" masks an idiomatic use of "one" (mia. v.69; see comments at 8:19; 21:19; cf. Moule, Idiom Book, 125). Her remark to Peter reflects both an accusation and her curiosity. "Jesus of Galilee" (Mk 14:67: "that Nazarene, Jesus") is the kind of derogatory remark one might expect from a Jerusalemite convinced of her geographical and cultural superiority. Peter denies her words “before them all” (v.70), implying that several people were listening and that some may have joined in the questioning. The form of Peter's denial is akin to a formal, legal oath (cf. m. Sebu. 8:3).

71-72 Peter "went out" to the gateway. apparently retiring from the brighter light of the fire into the darkness of the forecourt. Again he denies the accusation, this time with an oath. "Oath" here (v.72) does not refer to"swearing" as we know it in profanity; rather, Peter invokes a solemn curse on himself if he is lying and professes his "truthfulness” appealing to something sacred (see comments at 5:33-34; 23:16-22).

73-75 A little more rime elapses. Luke says "about an hour later” (22:59). In any age, accent in speaking varies with geography (e.g. Jdg 12:5-6), and Peter's speech shows him to be a Galilean (cf. Hoehner, Herod Antipas, 61- 64). That one of those present at Peter's denial said that his accent proved him to be a disciple of Jesus shows how much Jesus' ministry had been in Galilee and how relatively few of his disciples were from Judea. Having lied twice, Peter finds himself forced to lie again, this time with more oaths (v.74). Immediately the rooster crows, a bitter reminder (v.75) of Jesus' words (v.34). He who thought he could stand has fallen terribly (cf. 1Co 10:12). Luke tells us that Jesus looked at Peter—perhaps through a window or as he was being led across the courtyard. If we cannot credit the legend that after this Peter never heard a cock crow without weeping, we may justifiably assume that Peter's bitter tears led to his being "poorer in spirit" (5:3) the remainder of his days than he had ever been before.

From this point on, Matthew does not mention Peter again.

Dorothy Jean Weaver (Matthew's Missionary Discourse: A Literary Critical Analysis [JSNTSup 38; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990], 149) offers a more optimistic reading of this paragraph. At least Peter followed Jesus to the high priest's house, she observes, and then he remembered Jesus' prediction—and together these facts demonstrate that "Peter is still active as a disciple.” But oh, the betrayal and the tears!

2 comments:

  1. From the Encyclopedia of Bible of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer (forgive my typos too):

    How can the various accounts of Peter's denial of Christ be reconciled?

    Concerning Peter's denial, Christ is quoted in Matthew 26:34 as stating, "Truly I tell you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will three times deny Me." Mark 14:30 quotes Jesus a little more fully: "And Jesus says to him, "`Truly I tell you that today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice you will three times deny Me.'" ( Luke 22:34 substantially follows Matthew's wording, though in a somewhat briefer version.) Is this a real discrepancy, as some critics allege? Hardly, since we may be very sure that if the rooster crows twice, he has at least crowed once.

    Apparently Jesus did specify that the cock would crow a second time by the time the third denial had been expressed by Peter. The important part of the prediction, however, lay not in the number of times the rooster would sound out but in the number of times Peter would basely deny to his interrogators that he belonged to Jesus--or even that he was acquainted with Him. To add or include additional information does not amount to a contradiction of the testimony of a witness who has given a somewhat briefer account. Such variation is observed in the lecture notes taken by students in a classroom: some include more details than others. But that does not mean they are not all equally valid witnesses to what their instructor said.

    The same observation applied to the account of the triple denial itself. Each synoptist includes some items of information not included by the others, and John furnishes many details not found in the Synoptics at all. But it is perfectly clear that none of the statements are actually contradictory. When they are lined up in parallel columns, their rich wealth of information gives us a fuller account than could be gathered from any single one of them. Such a comparison yields the following composite narrative of Peter's miserable experience during Christ's trial before Caiaphas.

    Peter was admitted to the outer court of the high priest after John had spoken to the doorkeeper ( thyroros is probably masculine here) who guarded the approach from the street ( John 18:15-16 ). After Peter entered, he sat down by a fire to warm himself on that chilly night ( Luke 22:56 ). But a girl who served as a doorkeeper on the inner side of the gate began looking intently at him and finally blurted out, "You too were with Jesus, the Galilean from Nazareth!" ( Mark 14:67 ) ( Luke 22:56 reads "You too were with him!"). Then she asked him point blank, "Aren't you one of His disciples ?" ( John 18:17 ). To this Peter uttered his first denial, "I am not!" He added, "I don't know or understand what you are talking about" ( Matt. 26:70 ; Mark 14:68 ). Then he stoutly affirmed , "I don't know Him, woman!" ( Luke 22:57 ).

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  2. After this brush with danger, Peter wandered off to the portico of the building itself; but even there he attracted some unwelcome attention. Another servant girl, who may well have been tipped off by the female gatekeeper, remarked to one of the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene" ( Matt. 26:71 ). "He certainly was one of them," she insisted ( Mark 14:69 ).

    At this point, one of the men in the group leveled an accusing finger at Peter and declared, "You are one of them!" ( Luke 22:58 ). Peter had by this time joined some men standing around a charcoal fire (apparently not the same fire he had stopped by in the outer court); they also picked up the accusation: "You too were with Jesus the Galilean!" ( Matt. 26:73 ; Mark 14:70 ). They followed this charge with a forthright question: "Are you one of His disciples?" ( John 18:25 ). With mounting intensity Peter replied, "Man, I am not!" ( Luke 22:58 ). "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about!" ( Matt. 26:72 ).

    Somewhat later, perhaps as long as an hour after the second denial (L uke 22:59) , a relative of the servant Peter had wounded at Gethsemane spotted him and shouted out, "Didn't I see you in the garden with Him? You certainly must have been with Him, for you are a Galilean" ( Luke 22:59 ). At this the bystanders chimed in; "You are certainly one of them, for you are a Galilean" ( Mark 14:70 ). "You must be, for you talk with Galilean accent" ( Matt. 26:73 ). At this, Peter began to panic; so he broke out into cursing and swearing: "By God, I don't even know the man you're talking about!" ( Mark 14:71 ).

    As soon as he had uttered this lie, Peter heard a rooster crowing. Suddenly he remembered how he had boasted the night before that he was ready to go to his death rather than deny his Lord. It was at that moment that Jesus Himself, who was still standing before Caiaphas under trial, looked over in Peter's direction--and their eyes met ( Luke 22:61 ). Covered with shame and full of self-loathing, Peter hurried out of the high priestly palace into the darkness of the night, now graying into dawn; and he sat down to weep and sob out his contrition before God.

    In conclusion, then, the four testimonies of the Evangelists contain no contradictions, even though the information they yield may be somewhat diverse. As in any properly conducted court hearing, it is the task of the judge and jury to piece together the full account of the occurrence under investigation on the basis of the report of their individual witness. Much of their testimony will, of course, be identical; but in each case there will be some details recalled or thought worth mentioning that are forthcoming from the other witnesses. There is under the laws of legal evidence no good grounds for concluding, as some biased scholars mistakenly do, that the difference between the Gospels involve genuine discrepancies and unresolvable contradictions. Critics such as these would be utterly incompetent to sit in judgment in any court of law.

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