Jesus "was close to the authorities": the historical background of a Talmudic pericope
It is argued that "Jesus" in these passages is merely a figure, signifying the sages' concerns about Christian missionaries of Jewish descent, and the whole discourse is a footnote on the biblical imperatives of Deuteronomy 13 regarding Jewish advocates of a foreign religion, the Mess...
| Published in: | The journal of theological studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2009
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Talmûd bavlî. Sanhedrin 43a
/ Bible. Deuteronomium 13
/ Halacha
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| IxTheo Classification: | BH Judaism HB Old Testament HC New Testament HD Early Judaism |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. Deuteronomium 13
B Halacha B Early Judaism B Talmud B Life of Jesus research |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | It is argued that "Jesus" in these passages is merely a figure, signifying the sages' concerns about Christian missionaries of Jewish descent, and the whole discourse is a footnote on the biblical imperatives of Deuteronomy 13 regarding Jewish advocates of a foreign religion, the Messit. It was prompted by the dramatic changes in the religious assumptions that underscored Talmudic discourse related to the Messit. The pericope was designed to add a Christian dimension to the existing body of Talmudic discourse on the death penalty. These passages are not anti-Christian polemic; the challenge that motivated its authors was not to discredit Christianity, but rather to offer instruction on what to do about it. It has the Halakhic purpose of equating Christianity with idolatry and the aim of keeping Halakhic traditions relevant in an age of Bible-based foreign monotheistic religions (not Jewish heretics). |
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| ISSN: | 0022-5185 |
| Contains: | In: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/flp114 |