EthicsĪlong with his teachings on the kingdom and the law, Jesus advocated ethical purity. ![]() He was by no means the only person in ancient Judaism who struck out on his own, acting in accord with his own perception of God’s will, and so he was not uniquely troubling in this respect, but such behaviour might nevertheless be suspicious. That is, Jesus was autonomous he interpreted the law according to his own rules and decided how to defend himself when criticized. Ordinarily, legal debates were between competing camps or schools, and individuals who decided how to observe laws were deemed troublemakers. His willingness to make his own decisions regarding the law was probably viewed with suspicion. He probably did, however, have legal disputes in which he defended himself by quoting scriptural precedent, which implies that he did not set himself against the law (Mark 2:23–28). Perhaps Jesus did not, then, directly oppose any aspect of the sacred law. More importantly, Peter seems to have first learned of this after Jesus’ death, by means of a heavenly revelation (Acts 10:9–16). This seems to be only Mark’s inference, however, and is not in the parallel passage in Matthew 15. According to Mark 7:19, Jesus “declared all foods clean.” If he did so, Jesus directly opposed the law of God as given to Moses. Jews agreed not to eat carnivores, rodents, insects, and weasels, as well as pork and shellfish (Leviticus 11 Deuteronomy 14), and the last two prohibitions set them apart from other people. In one statement in the Gospels, however, Jesus apparently opposed Jewish law as universally understood. On the contrary, according to Mark 1:40–44, he accepted the Mosaic laws on the purification of lepers (Leviticus 14). It is noteworthy that Jesus did not oppose the purity laws. While some Jews washed their hands before eating (Mark 7:5), others did not however, this conflict was not nearly as serious as that between the Shammaites and the Hillelites (the two main parties within Pharisaism) over menstrual purity. There also were many disagreements in 1st-century Judaism about purity. Similarly, the Sadducees regarded the Pharisees’ observance of the Sabbath as too lax. Some opposed minor healing on the Sabbath (such as Jesus is depicted as performing), but others permitted it. In general, the legal disputes in the Gospels fall within the parameters of those of 1st-century Judaism. The study of Jesus and the law is, like any other study of law, highly technical. It is conceivable that both were true, that he was extremely strict about marriage and divorce (Matthew 5:31–32 Mark 10:2–12) but less stringent about the Sabbath. According to another set, he did not adhere strictly to the law himself and even transgressed current opinions about some aspects of it, especially the Sabbath (e.g., Mark 3:1–5). ![]() According to one set, especially prominent in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus admonished his followers to observe the law unwaveringly (Matthew 5:17–48). Jewish law is the focus of many passages in the Gospels. ![]() The relation of Jesus’ teaching to the Jewish law
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |