Judaism of Jesus Day

1
Judaism of Jesus Day

• NTI

2
Review of Greek Religion

• Many religions can be true at once
• Religion wasnt central to life didnt demand
  constant devotion
• Gods were uninterested in how you lived on a
  day-to-day basis
• Had nothing to do with proper belief or the
  afterlife
• No set doctrines or books

3
Pagan Religion

• Religious observance was about gaining control of
  deities for help in
• Warfare
• Crops
• Rain
• Health
• Children

4
Greco-Roman Afterlife

• Religiously speaking, the most important thing to
  do in life is believe in the gods and perform the
  proper sacrifices and rituals. This would avoid
  reprisals both from gods and fellow human beings
  and encourage gifts from the gods. Greek religion
  was this-world oriented any postmortem benefits
  of religious beliefs and actions were only
  peripherally considered, if at all.
  (religionfacts.com)

5
Judaism of Jesus Day

• Three Main Concerns
• Law
• Temple
• Land

6
Law of Moses

• Represented obligations of the covenant
• Not seen negatively but positively
• Simchat Torah
• Included 10 Commandments but other laws designed
  to make Jews distinct people
• Kosher, Circumcision, Shabbat

7
Temple

• 25 football fields could fit inside!
• 1st Temple
• Solomon
• 2nd Temple
• Herod
• ambiguity

8
Judaism of Jesus Day - Parties

• Pharisees
• Sadducees
• Essenes

9
Pharisees

• Believed in the secondary fence around the law
  (sag ha-Torah)
• Non-biblical oral laws which provided explanation
  to how to keep biblical law
• Exactly what constitutes work on Sabbath?
• Exactly what can we eat?
• Exactly what makes for ceremonial cleanliness and
  uncleanliness?

10
Pharisees

• Precursors to later Rabbinic movement
• Traditions of the elders mentioned in NT
  Mishnah in development
• Mishnah (law compilation) and Talmud (commentary)
• Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds
• Midrash rabbinic Biblical Interpretation

11
Pharisees and Rome

• Pharisees were not insurrectionists by and large
• Believed that the avenue to freedom was spiritual
  fidelity
• If all Israel keeps two Sabbaths perfectly in a
  row, Messiah will come.
• Messiah and political freedom are tied together

12
Sadducees

• Did not accept concept of oral law
• Did not believe in resurrection of the dead as
  the Pharisees did
• Upper-class aristocracy stressed cooperation
  with Rome
• Stressed temple and sacrifice as the biblical law
  prescribed

13
Essenes and DSS

• Believed rest of Israel and temple had fallen
  away
• They were the sons of light and all Israel was
  in darkness
• Believed God would soon deal a crushing blow on
  all sons of darkness.
• Established a monastery by the Dead Sea which
  was destroyed in 70 BC
• Library discovered in caves in 1947

14
Jewish Apocalypticism

• Major Tenants
• dualistic view of the world
• Present age of evil and darkness
• This world cannot be improved by human effort
• Coming age of cataclysm and darkness
• Future age of Messianic freedom
• OT Pseudepigrapha visionary texts which are
  written in the name of biblical heros (Enoch,
  Seth, Moses, Levi)

15
Jesus and Apocalypticism

• Some see Jesus as a Jewish preacher of apocalypse
  later divinized
• Yet - He rejected sign-seeking (Mark 8)
• Claimed not to know the end-times (Mark 13)
• Didnt make this world of evil and coming
  world of salvation kinds of distinctions
• KOG for Jesus was breaking into history through
  his ministry of healing.
• - While Jesus uses some apocalyptic language and
  ideas, he shaped them also.

16
Study of Jesus as a Historical Person

• Big question to what degree does the NT portray
  an accurate picture of Jesus?
• Tremendous skepticism about the value of the
  gospels for history.
• Only written to inspire faith in Jesus with no
  real concern for history.
• Some believe it doesnt matter if they are
  accurate to have faith.

17
Dates of Gospel Traditions

• Jesus died around 30 AD
• Gospels were written 35 years later
• Mark 65-70 AD
• Matthew and Luke 80-85 AD
• John 90-95 AD
• Dates are a little late in my opinion
• Acts Mark argument

18
The Synoptic Problem

• Original Sayings of Jesus floated around for 30
  some-odd years
• Collection of sayings called Q appeared
• Mark wrote with no knowledge of Q
• Matthew and Luke used Mark, Q, and M and L
• Still a gap of 30 years!

19
The Gap

• What is going on during this gap?
• Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds!
• Lots of curiosity about Jesus breeds wild stories
  about him (infancy gospels)
• Original 12 (or more) are aging
• Most of the new Christians didnt speak Aramaic
  but Greek

20
Several Factors

• Need arises for some definitive account of Jesus
  life
• Original 12 are aging
• Gospels which are written are attempting to bring
  clarity
• Yet there are clear differences between the way
  they go about this, their sources, and their
  distinct emphases.

21
Bart Ehrman believes

• Gospels came to include huge amounts of fiction
• No one could have check with eye-witnesses
• Gospels actually written anonymously and dont
  have 1st person narrative
• Couldnt have been written by uneducated men like
  the original 12
• 30 years is a long time for Jesus to be elevated
  from an apocalyptic preacher to son of God.

22
One Obvious Discrepancy

• Both Mark and John provide precise day of Jesus
  death
• In Mark, Jesus is crucified on the morning of the
  Passover day after the sacrifice of the lamb,
  and the eating of the Passover meal with his
  disciples
• In John (1914), Jesus was slain on the day of
  preparation, the day the passover lamb was slain
  Last supper just a meal but no reference to a
  Passover meal.

23
Passover Discrepancy

• Mark has Jesus crucified on Passover
• John has Jesus crucified the day before Passover
  (1914)
• Not possible to reconcile things literally
• But John has Jesus crucified exactly when the
  Passover lambs were crucified
• Shifting the date to make a theological point
  Jesus is the Passover Lamb

24
Conclusion

• People like Ehrman have over-emphasized the
  features of historical inaccuracy
• Clearly the biblical writers were not concerned
  about absolute historical accuracy as modern
  history writers might be
• That idea simply hadnt developed yet
• But they are actually seeking to tell a faithful
  story to bring clarity to the confusion

25

• Gospels do have theological interests, want to
  encourage belief, and prop up faith in Jesus
• NT does not come off as wildly speculative or
  highly mythical like the infancy gospels do.
• The gospels were written while people were still
  alive who were actually there
• Gospels do give us firm enough footing to ground
  faith

26
Final Thoughts on Historical Jesus

• Scholars sometimes think
• It is the mark of rationality to read from an
  agnostic perspective
• Read without any assumptions about whether there
  is a God or not
• Or whether that God might be likely to intervene
  in human history
• I disagree.

27
God and History

• I believe it is a mark of rationality to
• approach any new evidence armed with what I
  already believe to be true about the world.
• I believe my belief in God is rational
• I believe that God might want to intervene in
  life periodically to reveal self
• that may be what happened in the NT
• authors clearly think that is exactly what
  happened.

28
Starting Point makes all the difference

• When you start with that set of presuppositions
• you sift and weigh the evidence much differently
• two things humans need are atonement and
  revelation
• redemption from sin and clarity on purpose
• the NT claims to be just that.

29
If there might be a God

• and God has revealed self in Christ
• then miracles were simply ways to bless and
  flourish Christs teachings
• resurrection was ultimate vindication
• the historical data of the NT points that
  direction, even with its flaws
• God left the flaws for a purpose (Pascal)

30
Acts speak louder than words

• Deeds of Jesus are remembered best
• Several of Jesus deeds had huge implication on
  how the rest of the story is understood
• choosing 12 disciples
• celebration of the eucharist
• empty tomb

31
Choosing the Twelve

• In all gospel accounts, Jesus has 12 main
  disciples
• if he did historically, this is huge
• it means he was establishing a whole new Israel
• 12 Tribes in ancient Israel
• he would see himself at least on the level of
  Moses

32
Twelve or 30

• Ehrmans position
• originally 30 some-odd disciples
• the notion of 12 originals is a later accretion
  to elevate Jesus new Moses and New Israel
• historically they simply followed the teacher in
  an amorphous group of unknown size
• Real Problems with this position

33
Historicity of the 12

• criterion of multiple attestation (Q, Mark, M, L,
  John, Paul I Cor. 15)
• criterion of embarrassment Judas is one of the
  12
• Importance of the 12 fades from history
• early church has very little emphasis on the 12
  original disciples
• most of the 12 play minor roles even in the NT

34
Eucharist and Empty Tomb

• Jesus celebration of the Passover as Lords
  Supper is in all early traditions except John
• Jesus understood his death as being sacrificial
  (Is. 53)
• the empty tomb, remembered by all gospel writers,
  provides divine vindication of the ministry of
  Jesus
• justifies the churchs basic claims about Jesus

35
The Point of This

• Even if there is some variation in details
• the exact ordering of events
• different emphases among the gospel writers
• different explanations of events
• There is reason still to believe
• we have a core which clearly indicates that Jesus
  was much more than apocalyptic preacher
• he was new Moses, died sacrificially, vindicated
  by God.

36
Mark The Suffering Messiah

• A. Each gospel has its own emphases and
  uniqueness.
• Diatessaron of Tatian
• if you combine them into one gospel, distinctions
  are lost.
• The choice for four different gospels.

37
Mark

• Different doesnt necessarily imply contradictory
• Jesus in Mark during passion events seems
  distraught
• In Luke, hes calm and under control
• These do not necessarily pose a historical
  problem
• But it does remind us to read each gospel on its
  own terms.

38
Mark

• B. Mark is attributed in Christian tradition to
  John Mark
• personal secretary of the apostle Peter
• the book is technically anonymous
• Author must have been a relatively highly
  educated Greek-speaking Jewish Christian

39
Mark

• C. Mark begins by calling his account a gospel
  (11)
• Gospel means good news
• Not a historically accurate account in the modern
  sense
• but an account that reveals how his life and
  death brings good news to those willing to
  receive it.

40
Mark

• he writes not to narrate events but to explain
  their significance.
• begins by calling Jesus The Christ, the Son of
  God.
• this would have been shocking!!
• What does Christ mean? anointed it is the
  equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah
• Why the shock?

41
Mark The Suffering Messiah

• D. Jesus had been crucified! This was well-known.
• people were expecting a Messiah to come in power
  and grandeur
• a cosmic victor over evil or a King like David
• Jews to this day choose not to believe in Jesus
  because he didnt fit the mold.
• Mark is designed to show how Jesus could be both
  crucified and Messiah
• Not only this, he is Messiah because he suffered
  and died.

42
Mark Who is Jesus?

• II. Mark begins demonstrating Jesus credentials
  as the unique Son of God
• A. He was announced by John the Baptist (12-3)
• You are My Son . . .. (111)
• Tempted by Satan (112)
• he begins his public ministry by acting in ways
  that reveal his power (121-28!)

43
Mark Who is Jesus?

• people are amazed and wonder who he is.
• Note that he has new authority in his teaching
• You would think everyone would recognize Jesus as
  Messiah
• Yet a major theme of Johns gospel is that no one
  really recognizes who he is.

44
Who is Jesus?

• His family thinks hes insane (321)
• People from his hometown think hes just a
  carpenter (61-6)
• Jewish leaders think hes possessed by the devil
  (322)
• Even his disciples do not understand who he is
  (651-52 821)

45
Mark Who understands Jesus?

• Who knows Jesus is the Christ?
• 1. 111 Thou art my son - God knows
• 2. 314 demons know
• 3. Mark knows because hes writing these things.

46
The Shift in the Middle

• Disciples start to catch on
• Man born blind who sees men as trees walking
  (822-26)
• His gradual healing may refer to gradual opening
  of spiritual eyes
• Key story 827-31

47
Mark 8

• Peter's Confession of Christ
•  27Jesus and his disciples went on to the
  villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he
  asked them, "Who do people say I am?"  28They
  replied, "Some say John the Baptist others say
  Elijah and still others, one of the prophets."
•  29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you
  say I am?"       Peter answered, "You are the
  Christ."
•  30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

48
Why the Big Secret?

• Is this an explanation of why Jesus in his public
  ministry didnt make Messianic claims and the
  church is explaining how Jesus Christ could have
  not actually made that claim?
• Or could Jesus simply disagree with the way
  others understood the Messiah
• Key 831-33

49
Mark 831-33

• Jesus Predicts His Death
•  31He then began to teach them that the Son of
  Man must suffer many things and be rejected by
  the elders, chief priests and teachers of the
  law, and that he must be killed and after three
  days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this,
  and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
   33But when Jesus turned and looked at his
  disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me,
  Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the
  things of God, but the things of men."

50

• Messiah must suffer
• To say otherwise is to participate in satanic
  opposition
• Jesus is Messiah, but the kind of Messiah who
  must suffer
• From here on, Jesus regularly predicts his
  suffering and death (931 1033f) but the
  disciples cannot understand new Messianic
  understandings.

51
III. Mark A Passion Narrative with a Long
Introduction

• 16 chapters deal with the final week of Jesus
  life.
• After 10 chapters of teaching, healing, etc.,
  Jesus goes to Jerusalem for Passover
• He spends a week preaching in the Temple.
• last supper with disciples and betrayal
• He was arrested, put on trial before Jewish and
  Roman officials.
• Pilate condemns him to die on a cross.

52
Climax of the Narrative the Cross

• Still, no one really understands who Jesus is.
• Disciples still confused about suffering
• Even Jesus prays that the cup would pass from him
  (1435)
• He cries out in despair, My God, My God, why
  have you forsaken me? (1534).
• Is Jesus himself doubting Gods plan? Is this
  genuine or rhetorical?

53
The Torn Curtain

• The curtain in the temple is torn in half (1538)
• Stood before the Holy of Holies where God dwelled
• No one could enter except the High Priest once a
  year
• For Mark, God is now available to his people
  directly through Jesus death

54
The Centurion Believer

• Someone finally recognizes that Jesus, suffering
  on the cross, is the Son of God.
• 1539 Truly this man was Gods son.
• only a Centurion pagan makes this connection
  between suffering and Jesus status as the Son of
  God.
• For Mark, Jesus suffering proves he is Messiah

55
Marks Troubling Ending(s)

• At the end of the story
• Jesus identity has been proven not called into
  question
• Three days later, Jesus Messiahship is
  vindicated again
• Jesus women go to the tomb and find it empty
• He has been raised from the dead as he said would
  happen (831)
• The women flee in terror and dont tell anyone
  because they are afraid

56
Marks Various Endings

• The ending of Mark is beset with difficulties.
• There are two other endings longer endings
• These texts are clearly later additions meant to
  finish the story
• Yet the story literally ends mid-sentence -
  enclitic
• Im inclined to believe we literally are missing
  the ending

57
Major Points

• 1. Mark moulds his traditions not only to inform
  you about Jesus
• But to make the point that Jesus was an
  unexpected Messiah
• His sufferings and death were not accidental but
  central

58
Jesus Suffering and Messiahship

• Jesus suffered and died because he was Messiah.
• Mark 834Then he called the crowd to him along
  with his disciples and said "If anyone would
  come after me, he must deny himself and take up
  his cross and follow me.
• Suffering with Jesus central to discipleship

59
Suffering Messiah (Mark 1043f)

• Whoever wants to become great among you must be
  your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first
  must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man
  did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
  give his life as a ransom for many."

60
Jesus, Psalm 110 and Secondary Meanings
61
Our Christian Interpretive Challenge

• The NT consistently quotes from the OT in such a
  way that seems to completely distort its original
  meaning.
• Case in Point Jesus' interpretation of Ps. 110
• Mark 1235f, Matt. 2241f, Luke 2041f

62
Mark 1235-37 (NIV)

• 35While Jesus was teaching in the temple
  courts, he asked, "How is it that the teachers of
  the law say that the Christ is the son of David?

63
Mark 1235-37 (NIV)

• 36David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,
  declared    " 'The Lord said to my Lord
        "Sit at my right hand    until I put your
  enemies       under your feet." '

64
Mark 1235-37 (NIV)

• 37David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he
  be his son?"       The large crowd listened to
  him with delight.

65
Jesus Argument

• The Messiah would be a descendent of David.
• David could not have called his own descendent
  my Lord (Adoni).
• David refers to Messiah as my Lord.
• Psalm 1101 must refer to someone who goes beyond
  Son of David status.
• Implied Messiah is Son of God.

66
Christ Pantokrator
Ps 110 is cited by the NT more than any other OT
text!
67
Christus Victor

• "For it is essential that he will rule as king
  until that time when he places all his enemies
  under his feet" (I Cor 1525).

68
Its Original Meaning?
Putting an enemy under your feet ANE style!
69
What does Ps. 110 mean?

• As Robert and Mary Coote define its meaning as "a
  raucous salute to the pretensions of Davidic
  imperialism."
• this is an ideology which was elaborated by the
  ruling class to justify their rule while hiding
  their selfish grab for power.

70
The Problem for Us

• What is the meaning of Psalm 110?
• Is Jesus misreading Psalms?

71
Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms

• Such a doctrine (secondary meanings), not without
  reason, arouses deep distrust in a modern mind.
  Because, as we know, almost anything can be read
  into any book if you are determined enough.

72
Lewis continued

• This will be especially impressed on anyone who
  has written fantastic fiction (fantasy). He will
  find reviewers, both favorable and hostile,
  reading into his stories all manner of
  allegorical meanings which he never intended.

73
Lewis continued

• (Some of the allegories thus imposed on my own
  books have been so ingenious and interesting that
  I often wish I had thought of them myself.)

74
Jon Levenson

• Levenson's experience at Harvard
• "What must be abandoned are (the academy's)
  totalistic claims. Room must be made for other
  senses of the text, developed by other
  traditions, and historical criticism must learn
  to interact more creatively with those other
  traditions . . .

75
Levenson continued

• Critical scholars must no longer pronounce other
  interpretations altogether erroneous simply
  because they take the texts out of their first
  historical context simply because, that is,
  they permit the texts to survive the ancient
  civilizations in which they originated."
• The Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament and
  Historical Criticism

76
Lewis' Premise

• There are instances in which things are said
  which take on new and deeper significance in the
  light of later events.

77
Lewis and Pagan Prophecy

• Wise words of profound meaning often have
  significance that goes beyond their original
  intention.
• Plato, in his The Republic, claims a truly
  righteous man would be hated and treated as a
  monster of iniquity and probably impaled.
• Socrates or Jesus?

78
Plato's Example

• Plato, discussing the death of Socrates,
  foreshadowed the crucifixion, not because he was
  lucky, but because he was wise.

79
Two Suggested Criteria for Faithful Secondary
Readings

• Secondary readings should stand within the
  inherited stream of interpretive tradition.
• Secondary readings should holistically flow from
  the concerns of the text in its historical
  context.
• How does our text fare?

80
The Historical Meaning

• The Psalmist is convinced that Yahweh, and the
  earth's true Lord, must be recognized by all.
• The Psalmist believes that Yahweh must have
  dominion over all other deities.
• He is convinced that God has chosen David and his
  lineage for this task.
• (David's line famously failed.)

81
Our Christian Interpretation

• The text had already been read as a promise of
  Yahweh's rule being extended on earth through a
  coming Messiah.
• first criterion fulfilled.

82
Christian Interpretation

• Christus Victor, as the Son of David and Son of
  Man, extends divine rule throughout the cosmos.
• Second criterion fulfilled.

83
In Christian Interpretation

• The Psalmist's words find their ultimate
  fulfillment when every knee bows and tongue
  confesses Jesus' Lordship.
• Yahweh's rule is extended throughout the earth
  when Christ is worshipped as Lord.

84
Secondary Meanings

• The meaning of texts is not bound by the
  historical meaning.
• Secondary interpretations apply a text's wisdom
  to later contexts and situations.
• Understand not what a text said but what it is
  saying.

85
The Purpose of the Argument

• Not to convince skeptics or unbelievers that
  Jesus is Lord.
• But to show the internal consistency and
  rationale of Christian understandings.

86
Parable of the Beloved Son

• Mark 121-12
• what roles would the chief priests play in this
  parable?
• who is the owner of the vineyard in reality?
• who are those sent to collect rent in OT history?
• who is the beloved son?
• why is this parable so important in understanding
  Jesus self-conception?