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Q&A:Plagiarism: Difference between revisions
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More importantly, should we reject one or both of the authors of Matthew or Luke because they were also guilty of plagiarism? | More importantly, should we reject one or both of the authors of Matthew or Luke because they were also guilty of plagiarism? | ||
==Luke 11:42== | |||
We will first deal with the charge against Luke's Gospel. | |||
Although not particularly relevant, the point should be made that the book of Luke does not state that Luke was the author. In the introduction to the Gospel of Luke we read the following: | |||
:''Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Lk 1:1–4.</ref> | |||
Here is a translation of the same passage into modern English: | |||
:''Dear Theophilus: | |||
:''Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Lk 1:1–4.</ref> | |||
From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke. | |||
It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources. | |||