The Eleven (Luke 24,9.33 Acts 2,14) Jesus Appeared Risen to the Officers of the Temple Prison
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The Eleven (Luke 24,9.33 Acts 2,14) Jesus appeared risen to the Officers of the Temple Prison © A.A.M. van der Hoeven, The Netherlands, August 1, 2010, www.JesusKing.info Abstract................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction - More than twelve apostles................................................................................................................ 3 1. The Easter evening appearances ......................................................................................................................... 3 2. Simon the son of Clopas ..................................................................................................................................... 5 3. The Eleven - Captains of the temple prison ........................................................................................................ 5 4. The temple order in the first century................................................................................................................... 9 5. Simon the son of Clopas – ‘Cohen’ of the Rechabites...................................................................................... 11 Intermezzo: The smith in the House of the Lord................................................................ 17 6. The Easter morning appearances ...................................................................................................................... 19 7. “Apostles”......................................................................................................................................................... 23 The Eleven’s mission to be Jesus’ witnesses – The Twelve’s authority............................................................ 23 Matthias – numbered with the eleven apostles................................................................................................. 24 Pentecost – Simon Peter, with the Eleven on western temple gate, refers to Rechabites................................. 24 All apostles together in Solomon’s Portico – none of the rest dared join them ............................................... 27 The Twelve summon the body of disciples........................................................................................................ 28 All scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, except the apostles ................................................................... 28 Brought to the apostles – Cephas and a different apostle: James, the Lord’s brother ................................... 29 Andronicus and Junias: of note among the apostles ........................................................................................ 30 Kerygma: James and all the apostles............................................................................................................... 30 “Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments”....................................................................................... 30 8. Indications in Christian tradition....................................................................................................................... 30 9. Rechabites, Essenes and Nazarenes .................................................................................................................. 32 10. Discussion....................................................................................................................................................... 33 Fig. 1 Antonia and the Watch Gate....................................................................................................................... 37 Fig. 2 Structure of the evidence ............................................................................................................................ 38 Fig. 3 Prison Gate is Muster Gate “opposite” the Place of the Nethinim in time of Nehemiah............................ 39 Fig. 4 A sketch of the sanctuary of the temple, accessible through nine gates ..................................................... 40 Fig. 5 Jerusalem in the days of Jesus .................................................................................................................... 41 Fig. 6 Movements of Kenite tribes........................................................................................................................ 42 Table 1 John versus Luke........................................................................................................................................ 4 Table 2 The Council of the Temple and the porch and prison of the Watch Gate ................................................ 43 Table 3 The empty tomb and the appearances in the morning.............................................................................. 44 Table A. Coherence between Rechabites, prison officers, and Jewish Christians ................................................ 45 Table B to H: Survey From Kenites to Nazarenes (the numbers refer to the entries of table K) ............. 46 Table K. Details Kenites and Rechabites and Notzerim/Nazarenes...................................................................... 53 Table Prophets ...................................................................................................................................................... 86 Table Essenes........................................................................................................................................................ 86 Table Gospel of the Hebrews/Nazarenes .............................................................................................................. 90 Table The Story of Zosimus.................................................................................................................................. 92 Abstract The thesis of this article is that the term “the Eleven” used by the Greek Luke both in his Easter appearance Gospel and in his Acts of the Apostles doesn’t designate the twelve Galilean apostles minus the dead Judas Iscariot, but the officers of the temple prison of Jerusalem. These officers, with their servants who are called ‘hyperetai’ by Luke, were also responsible for the corporal punishments and the death penalty. This vocabulary and these responsibilities are an exact parallel of the organisation of the prison in Athens, as described in the book “Athenaion Politeia” attributed to Aristotle, and as described by Heraclides, not earlier than the second century BCE. It will be shown that this one simple thesis about “the Eleven” accounts for many, hitherto seemingly contradictive or inexplicable elements of the narratives in Gospels and Acts, especially of the Easter narratives, which now can be regarded as completely historical, as they are not reciprocally contradictive any longer in any detail. The thesis implies that Jesus both appeared risen to his Galilean apostles in the room of the Last Supper and to his prison guards in the temple and that these two groups of witnesses of his (death and) resurrection became one group of apostles on Pentecost, for then Simon Peter stood and preached “with the Eleven”. The Galilean apostles nevertheless remained distinct from all others, as “the Twelve” who had the doctrinal and administrative authority. 2 Introduction - More than twelve apostles In Galilee Jesus chose twelve men to be his apostles, and we know the names of all of them (Matt 10,2 Re 21,14). But the New Testament also calls other men apostles, e.g. Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14,14 1Co 15,9), James, the Lord’s brother (Gal 1,19), Andronicus and Junias in Rome, “of note among the apostles” (Rom 16,7), and also Timothy and Silvanus were called “apostles of Christ” by Paul (1 Thess 1,1 2,6 ). So, at least seven other men than the original twelve were apostles in New Testament times. Also pope Benedict XVI clearly acknowledged that more men than the original twelve Galileans were apostles. He said: “In [the Book of] Revelation, the role of the apostles, and more specifically of the Twelve, is clarified ... (21,14)” (General Audience March 22, 2006). 1. The Easter evening appearances The Gospel according to John: 19 ¶ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 ¶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to