Quadratus was an apologist in the 2nd Century, writing to the Emperor Hadrian. He is quoted in Eusebius as claiming that some of those who were raised from the dead by Jesus were still alive in his time. Whether his time means the time of his writing or his earlier years is disputed. When I read this, I remembered Mk 5.21ff/Lk 8.41ff, the account of Jairus' daughter being raised from the dead. I think it's entirely plausible that she could have been young enough that when raised from the dead, she lived into the time of Quadratus. Any thoughts?
6 comments:
Josh,
I think that this is entirely plausible, my thing is, I just don't know if there is any "solid proof." However, it is something I'm inclined to accept.
Yeah, I would certainly not be dogmatic about it. I'm thinking, though, that Jairus' daughter would've been young enough during Jesus' lifetime to have lived naturally until the time of Quadratus.
I'm glad you posted this. Yesterday I was reading a bound galley of Geza Vermes's new book, "The Resurrection: History and Myth." In discussing other people "resurrected" in the NT, Vermes concludes, "Needless to say, nothing is heard of them afterward." I'm sure he meant "nothing is heard" in the NT. But I knew there was reference elsewhere in the documentary record. Thanks for pointing to Quadratus. I believe the same details are reported in later histories. I'm probably thinking of Eusebius.
Hey Mike - actually, Quadratus' work has been lost. The citation we have is from Eusebius.
Ha! My memory is more trustworthy than I'd thought, though in its own way. Thanks for the clarification.
Of course it is likely! In fact, as Richard Bauckham has shown in his new book Jesus and the Eye-Witnesses, there is good reason to believe that those who had encountered Jesus personally were the sources of the stories in the Gospels. Let me humbly suggest that you check out the post I just did on Michael Bird's new book, where I discuss some of this.
Hope all is well! God bless!
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