This is an adaptation of my weblog post, phrased to get a discussion going.

Perhaps another place to look for Luke's knowledge of Matthew is in his
other work: the Acts of the Apostles. In the 19th chapter of Acts, Paul has
met some disciples in Ephesus who knew the baptism of John but did not
receive the Holy Spirit and explains: "John baptized with the baptism of
repetence, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after
him, that is, in Jesus." (Acts 19:4 NRSV)

This recalls John the Baptist's explanation from the gospels. Which one is
closest to Acts 19:4?

Matt 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more
powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (NRSV)

Mark 1:7-8 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful that I is coming
after me, I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit."
(NRSV)

Luke 3:16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more
powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his
sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (NRSV)

John 1:33 "I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize
with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is
the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'" (NRSV)

Of the four gospels, only Matt 3:11 juxtaposes, as does Acts 19:4, the
motifs of a baptism of repentance (John) with the one coming after (Jesus).
According to the Critical Edition of Q (p. 14, at Q 3:16b, which
aggressively adds Jesus's baptism to Q because of too many minor
agreements), the phrase "for repentance" is Matthew's redaction of Q's
baptism. Does this mean that the author of Luke at Acts 19:4 knows Matthew,
or, that the editors of CEQ are wrong and Q is more like Matthew than we
thought?

Stephen Carlson
--
Stephen C. Carlson mailto:scarlson@...
Weblog: http://www.mindspring.com/~scarlson/hypotyposeis/blogger.html
"Poetry speaks of aspirations, and songs chant the words." Shujing 2.35

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