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Mara bar ("son of ") Serapion, sometimes spelled ''Mara bar Sarapion'' was a Stoic philosopher from the Roman province of Syria. He is noted for a letter he wrote in Syriac to his son, who was also named Serapion.〔''The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament'' by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 ISBN 978-0-8054-4365-3 page 110〕〔''Evidence of Greek Philosophical Concepts in the Writings of Ephrem the Syrian'' by Ute Possekel 1999 ISBN 90-429-0759-2 pages 29-30〕 The letter was composed sometime after 73 AD but before the 3rd century, and most scholars date it to shortly after AD 73 during the first century.〔 The letter may be an early non-Christian reference to the crucifixion of Jesus.〔〔 The letter refers to the unjust treatment of "three wise men": the murder of Socrates, the burning of Pythagoras, and the execution of "the wise king" of the Jews.〔〔 The author explains that in all three cases the wrongdoing resulted in the future punishment of those responsible by God and that when the wise are oppressed, not only does their wisdom triumph in the end, but God punishes their oppressors.〔 The letter has been claimed to include no Christian themes〔〔''Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research'' edited by Bruce Chilton, Craig A. Evans 1998 ISBN 90-04-11142-5 pages 455-457〕 and many scholars consider Mara a pagan,〔〔〔〔 although some suggest he may have been a monotheist.〔 Some scholars see the reference to the execution of the "wise king" of the Jews as an early non-Christian reference to Jesus.〔〔〔 Criteria that support the non-Christian origin of the letter include the observation that "king of the Jews" was not a Christian title, and that the letter's premise that Jesus lives on in his teachings he enacted is in contrast to the Christian concept that Jesus continues to live through his resurrection.〔〔 Another viewpoint is that he could be referring to the resurrection recorded in Jesus's teachings which say he lived on, that would mean we don't know if he believed the resurrection happened or not and leaves it up to speculation whether he was a Christian or a non-Christian who agreed with Christians as regarding Jesus as a "wise king" according to the Gospels. Scholars such as Robert Van Voorst see little doubt that the reference to the execution of the "king of the Jews" is about the death of Jesus.〔''Jesus outside the New Testament: an introduction to the ancient evidence'' by Robert E. Van Voorst 2000 ISBN 0-8028-4368-9 pages 53-55〕 Others such as Craig A. Evans see less value in the letter, given its uncertain date, and the possible ambiguity in the reference.〔 ==The passage and its context== Mara Bar-Serapion's letter is preserved in a 6th or 7th century manuscript (''BL Add.'' 14658) held by the British Library, and was composed sometime between 73 AD and the 3rd century.〔 Nineteenth century records state that the manuscript containing this text was one of several manuscripts obtained by Henry Tattam from the monastery of St. Mary Deipara in the Nitrian Desert of Egypt and acquired by the Library in 1843.〔 "The manuscripts arrived at the British Museum on the first of March 1843, and this portion of the collection is now numbered Add. 14,425--14,739." BL Add. 14,658 is included among these manuscripts.〕 William Cureton published an English translation in 1855. The beginning of the letter makes it clear that it is written to the author's son: "Mara, son of Serapion, to my son Serapion, greetings."〔 The key passage is as follows: In this passage the author explains that when the wise are oppressed, not only does their wisdom triumph in the end, but God also punishes their oppressors.〔 The context of the letter is that the Romans had destroyed Mara's city in a war, taking him prisoner along with others. The letter was written from prison to encourage the author's son to pursue wisdom. It takes the form of a set of rhetorical questions which ask about the benefits of persecuting wise men.〔〔 Mara hints that the occupation of his land will in the end bring shame and disgrace on the Romans. His letter advises the pursuit of wisdom to face the difficulties of life.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mara bar Serapion on Jesus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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