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4 October 1949
My dear Joshua:
Many thanks for your essay, which I have skimmed and will read properly tomorrow. The material is excellent, though as you realize there's discrepancy between my Crucifixion theory and yours, which will have to be settled.
I am constantly wishing you were here to ask for information on small points, but of course you'll get my work in a form in which I hope you'll be able to supplement easily where I leave lacunae.
For example what quotations (if any) are there in the Lord's Prayer from the synagogue Liturgy?
I feel very pleased with the work I have done in explaining why there are four blind men healed in Matt., 2 in Mark, and one in Luke. Once one hits on the principle of distortion it's easy as shelling peas.
About the Common People. Jesus was 'forcing the hour'. Until all Israel had a chance to repent, the Kingdom of God couldn't come; so he left the Pharisees to their admirable own teachings and went after the unwashed, while still keeping touch with noblemen Pharisees and others. He didn't love them for being unwashed, as Christians think!
I'll think about the most appropriate way of using the material - don't apologize for your English — it's better than most Oxford historians!
My most important discovery is the principle of 'conflation'. The Gospellers worked on 'Acts and Sayings of Jesus' arranged under headings, not chronologically. Thus the heading 'Rich Young Man' has two entries which get confused. 'Watch' has four which get confused. 'Conflict with Authority' has two, which get confused. (The corn-plucking as theft; the healing of the withered arm as Sabbath breach.) By regrouping the headings, most of the nonsense can be explained.
Love
Robert
I have done so much work lately Karl can't keep up with the typing; but I'll call a halt and get him to retype a copy for you.
Text Copyright © of Robert Graves Copyright Trust