"Good things" or "Holy Spirit"

[wdclawson]

Reading Luke in the NJB, 11:13 has Jesus saying that the Heavenly Father will give the “Holy Spirit” to those who ask him. The footnote for 11:13 points out that the parallel verse Mt 7:11 says the Father will give “good things”.

I realize this is just one of many examples of the differences between the Evangelists, but it struck me that this was a rather stark difference in a very short and simple text. Indeed, the verse would appear to be a virtual quote from the mouth of Jesus, so it is interesting that it could be so different in the two Gospels…especially since one could certainly get quite different understandings in the concepts of receiving “good things” vs. receiving the “Holy Spirit”.

I’d be interested to know if there are any accepted explanations for this specific difference…or the explanations that the scholars on this board find helpful. Just two legitimate translations from the source(s)? Do any scholars suggest that Jesus gave basically the same teaching twice…but slightly modified…as an explanation for the difference between the Evangelists? Or something else?

And just to add another twist, I note that the Douay-Rheims has the Father giving “the good Spirit” in Luke…“good things” in Matthew.

I guess since they were inspired, the Evangelists had the liberty to write as they did, although I can’t help but feel that it’s a legitimate question to wonder: Well, did Jesus speak the Aramaic equivalent of “good things” or “Holy Spirit” or “good Spirit”?!

Thanks.

 

[NotWorthy]

I’m just inserting my own thoughts on this, so please take it for what its worth.

It’s all about the audience. The Jews, Matthew’s original audience, looked to God for blessings, or “good things”. You can see this all throughout the Old Testament.

Luke, in his Gospel and especially in Acts, all good things come as a result of the Holy Spirit moving us. The Holy Spirit guides Peter and Paul, and numerous others, to perform the great things that they do. Could this be because Luke and his Gentile audience were more aware of the Holy Spirit? Its worth adding that Acts of the Apostles is also called, “The Gospel of the Holy Spirit”.

 

[COPLAND_3]

Reading Luke in the NJB, 11:13 has Jesus saying that the Heavenly Father will give the “Holy Spirit” to those who ask him. The footnote for 11:13 points out that the parallel verse Mt 7:11 says the Father will give “good things”.

Great observation!

This was also an issue in the ancient manuscripts of Luke, where we have variant readings. The variants range from “holy spirit” “good spirit” “good gift” “good gifts” and “good gift of the holy spirit” Obviously the best readings are “holy spirit” and “good spirit” but there are some good sources such as some Old Latin and Origen and Ambrose that have “good gifts”.
That would at least be very similar to what Matthew has if that reading is actually what Luke wrote down.

But I would not count out the fact that Jesus spent 3 years preaching and teaching, and He probably had taught basically the same things numerous times and even modified and slightly changed examples at different times. Just because the authors may have slightly different things does not actually mean that they are the ones who made them different, it could have been the Lord Himself being quoted at different times saying something slightly different.