The destruction of Jerusalem and the transmission of the Synoptic eschatological discourse

Abstract

This study examines the eschatological discourses in Matthew and Luke. Each is considered in its narrative context, and with detailed attention given to developments in the transmission from their common source, Mark. While both reflect awareness of historical events during the period between the composition of Mark and the time of writing, they relate to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple very differently. While Matthew is clearly written after 70 CE, the eschatological discourse is not influenced by the events of that period. The eschatological discourse in Luke, on the other hand, has been fundamentally reshaped in the light of those events.