Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] How to Justify a Lie Written by Bart Ehrman, Read by Ken Teutsch Yesterday I began to discuss the one Christian forger who got caught red handed, who then tried to get off the hook, well, bend over backwards to make himself look innocent. We've been seeing a lot of that these days. It goes way back. Humans are humans.
[00:00:25] Here is my assessment of the situation, highlighting my obscure little academic point.
[00:00:30] In the ancient world, readers simply did not like or approve of this kind of behavior, lying about who you as an author really were. They called these kinds of books, by the way, theudoi, Greek for lies.
[00:00:46] On the contrary, they routinely condemned it. That should be borne in mind when thinking of other instances of the phenomenon, such such as those found in far more familiar books from the early Christian tradition.
[00:00:59] And this is the point that riles a number of my scholar friends who just can't believe ancient authors would do something deceitful, especially if their books were later included in the New Testament.
[00:01:12] At the end of the previous post, I pointed out that when Salvian was detected as having forged a letter in the name of Paul's companion Timothy, he argued, without admitting he did it, that it didn't matter what name and author used so long as what he said was true. I pointed out that this would not explain then why he would use a pseudonym. Why not just write in his own name then?
[00:01:38] My discussion proceeds from that point Here, after claiming the name doesn't matter, Salvion explains why he used the name Timothy in particular.
[00:01:47] In clear tension with his earlier assertion that an unknown person would not be accepted as an authoritative source, Salvion claims that he chose the name purely for its symbolic associations.
[00:02:00] That is, he says, just as the evangelist Luke wrote to Theophilus because he wrote for the love of God, so too the author of this treatise wrote as Timothy, that is, for the honor of God. In other words, he chose the pseudonym as a pen name, not expecting anyone to think it was that Timothy.
[00:02:21] Despite the fact that many critics today continue simply to take Salvion's word for it, it just doesn't make sense. If Salvian meant what he said, that the reason for choosing a pseudonymous name was to authorize the account.
[00:02:36] Since a treatise written by an obscure or unknown person has no authority, then how can he also say that the specific pseudonymous name was not that of an authority figure, Paul's companion Timothy, but of an unknown, obscure, and anonymous person intent on honoring God?
[00:02:53] Scholars determined to follow Salvian's lead in getting him off Salonius hook have pursued various angles German scholar Norbert Brocks thinks it is significant that Salvian claims in the letter to be humble we are urged to avoid every pretense of earthly vainglory. The writer is humble in his own sight, self effacing, thinking only of his own utter insignificance.
[00:03:18] For Brax, the choice of the pseudonym was consistent with ascetic practices of self abnegation that Salvia in part endorsed in the Treatise of Timothy. Humble guy doesn't want to attract attention to himself.
[00:03:33] There is some merit to this view, but it does not really solve the problem.
[00:03:38] If keeping out of the public eye was the reason for not writing in his own name, he could have simply written the letter anonymously.
[00:03:46] Moreover, when Brock's tries to show that humility was a commonplace, he never actually cites anything analogous to Salvion's letter.
[00:03:55] What is completely analogous is the slew of forged writings from the early Christian tradition, numerous texts put in circulation by authors claiming to be apostles and companions of apostles, including letters allegedly written both to and by Timothy and Titus, canonical and non canonical.
[00:04:15] Moreover, it should be re emphasized that Salvion did write other books using his own name.
[00:04:21] Salonius Reaction to what Salvion had done is relatively clear. He considered the writing a forgery, he objected to the literary practice, and he called the author to account for it. Moreover, it is difficult to take Salvian at his word that he never meant anyone to think that he really was Timothy, the companion of Paul. Otherwise, his explanation that no one would heed an unknown or obscure author makes no sense. Who is more unknown or obscure than a person who does not exist, or one whose name is not even given?
[00:04:52] But his explanation for why he could not write the book in his own name is of considerable value. It shows that one of the motivations for producing the pseudepigraphic works was to get a hearing for one's views by claiming to be someone who deserved to be heard.
[00:05:09] That is a fundamental point for understanding early Christian forgeries, including those that came to be included in the New Testament.
