Subject: Re: Thomas/Synoptic Parallels
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 09:24:46 -0500
From: "Mahlon H. Smith" <mahlonh.smith@worldnet.att.net>
To: Bob Schacht <Robert.Schacht@NAU.EDU>
CC: miser17@epix.net, crosstalk@info.harpercollins.com

Bob Schacht wrote:
>

>
> H0 ('aitch-zero' i.e., null hypothesis): Thomas was formed by copying
> selected sayings from first one synoptic gospel, then another, interspersed
> with an eclectic assortment of quotes from unknown sources.
>
> There's another applicable statistic here: if we consider the synoptic
> gospels collectively, we could do a Wald-Wolfowitz Runs test. That is, you
> take all the GThomas sayings in order (all 114 or 156 or whatever of them).
> For each saying write "A" if it has no synoptic parallel, and "B" if it has
> any synoptic parallel. You then have a sequence of letters like
> AABABAABBBABBBBAABAABB... or maybe, as Renee suggested, something more like
> AAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBABBBB. The idea of Wald-Wolfowitz is
> that if the order is random, then consecutive runs of the same letter
> should not be very long (the longer the run, the rarer it should be). This
> test can be found in standard statistics books such as Blalock.
>
> Using this kind of notation with, say, I = no parallel, M = Markan
> parallel, N = Special Matthew parallel, L = Special Luke parallel, Q = Q
> parallel, then H0 above could be expressed something like this: GThomas =
> IIMMMMMMMMMMIIIIQQQQQQQQQQIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMIII
>
> I assume that special rules will be needed, e.g. triple tradition material
> will always be recorded as 'M', etc.
>

In the JS alphabet M = special Matt & K = Mark/par. One should also add
a J for John. Using the marginal source/parallel table in 5G Thomas for
distinct aphorisms rather than the standard calculation of Thomas'
"sayings" (many of which are compounds), one gets the following pattern:

JQIIIKKIQQIMKKLIIIIQKIQIIIKIQKKIIKJIQIIIIJLMQQKKQIIJQMMKIIKQQQLKKIIIIIQQKIMIIIIQQIIMLKQKKKIQQQIJLQIIMQIIQLIIIIIIQIIQMQQIMQQQKIIKKQQQIKIIKQIMIIIIQI

I did not double-check the published "source" list to see how close the
parallels really are or whether a Q parallel is closer to QM or QL or,
in the case of Mk-Q overlaps, which the Thomasine saying is closer to.
(Many of the K parallels are the oft repeated "whoever has ears to hear"
-- always in a context not found in Mark).

So this list is in need of fine tuning. But it is sufficient to make the
point that other than independent sayings GThom rarely has 3 (& never 4)
sayings in tandem with a parallel in the same "source." This would be
true even if one removed the sayings special to GThom. That would
produce this sequence:

JQKKQQMKKLQKQKQKKKJQJLMQQKKQJQMMKKQQQLKKQQKMQQMLKQKKKQQQJLQMQQLQQMQQMQQQKKKQQQKKQMQ

Moreover, wherever there are tandem sayings with parallels in the same
source, they are almost never from the same context in that source. This
clearly demonstrates the randomness of sayings in GThom.

As for H0 (the null hypothesis: "Thomas was formed by copying
selected sayings from first one synoptic gospel, then another..."): No
one who has ever bothered to compare the wording of GThom sayings with
canonical parallels could ever seriously propose this. Even a
superficial reading of GThom proves that its sayings are not "copied"
from any canonical text.

Shalom!

Mahlon

--

               *********************

Mahlon H. Smith,
Associate Professor
Department of Religion
Rutgers University
New Brunswick NJ

http://religion.rutgers.edu/mhsmith.html