Four Soils Interpretation

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Matt. 13:10, 18-23; Mark 4:10, 13-20; Luke 8:9, 11-15
(Huck 91, 93; Aland 123, 124; Crook 145, 146)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'”… (Luke 8:9), which comes just prior to Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 8:10), but which is not answered until just after Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven is concluded (“This is the parable”; Luke 8:11).

Yeshua’s Thanksgiving Hymn

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Matt. 11:25-26; Luke 10:21 (Huck 67, 141; Aland 109, 181a; Crook 128, 205)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Revised: 25 May 2021

בְּאוֹתָהּ הַשָּׁעָה שָׂשׂ בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר אוֹדְךָ אָבִי אֲדוֹן שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ כִּי הִסְתַּרְתָּ אֵלֶּה מֵחֲכָמִים וּנְבֹנִים וְגִלִּיתָ אוֹתָם לִפְתָאיִם הֵן אַבָּא כִּי כֵּן רָצוֹן הוּא לְפָנֶיךָ

At that very moment Yeshua was filled with joy through the Holy Spirit, and he said, “I give thanks to you, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because although you hid these mysteries from the wisest of the wise in former generations, you have now revealed them to my own simple followers. Yes, Father, I thank you because this act of grace is what you desire.”This translation is a dynamic rendition of our reconstruction of the conjectured Hebrew source that stands behind the Greek of the Synoptic Gospels. It is not a translation of the Greek text of a canonical source.

Widow’s Son in Nain

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How to cite this article:
David N. Bivin and Joshua N. Tilton, “Widow’s Son in Nain,” The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction (Jerusalem Perspective, 2014) .

Not Everyone Can Be Yeshua’s Disciple

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Matt. 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62 (Huck 49, 138; Aland 89, 176; Crook 93, 195)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'”

Yeshua’s Words about Yohanan the Immerser

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Matt. 11:7-11; Luke 7:24-28
(Huck 65, 82; Aland 107; Crook 123)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Revised: 2 March 2022

וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהָלְכוּ מַלְאֲכֵי יוֹחָנָן הִתְחִיל לוֹמַר לָאֻכְלוּסִים עַל יוֹחָנָן מַה יְצָאתֶם לַמִּדְבָּר לִרְאוֹת קָנֶה מְנוּעֲנָע בָּרוּחַ אֶלָּא מַה יְצָאתֶם לִרְאוֹת אָדָם בַּחֲמוּדוֹת לָבוּשׁ הֲרֵי הָעֹטִים בַּחֲמוּדוֹת בְּבָתֵּי הַמְּלָכִים אֶלָּא מַה יְצָאתֶם לִרְאוֹת נָבִיא הֵן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם וְיָתֵר עַל נָבִיא זֶה הוּא שֶׁעָלָיו כָּתוּב הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָכִי לְפָנֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יְפַנֶּה דַּרְכְּךָ לְפָנֶיךָ אָמֵן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם לֹא קָם בִּילוּדֵי אִשָּׁה גָּדוֹל מִיּוֹחָנָן הַמַּטְבִּיל אַף הַקָּטֹן שֶׁבְּמַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ

As Yohanan the Immerser’s messengers departed, Yeshua asked the crowds, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A windblown reed? No? What, then, did you go out to see?

Rich Man Declines the Kingdom of Heaven

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Matt. 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 (Huck 189; Aland 254-255; Crook 294-295)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Preliminary research on the Rich Man Declines the Kingdom of Heaven incident was carried out in 1986-1987. Seventeen Jerusalem School seminar sessions were devoted to this pericope: eight seminars were held February-June 1986, and a further nine seminars between November 1986 and May 1987.


Jerusalem School Seminar participants engaged in discussing the Rich Man Declines the Kingdom of Heaven incident.

LOY Excursus: The Kingdom of Heaven in the Life of Yeshua

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Table of Contents

1. The Kingdom of Heaven in Jewish Literature

a. The Shema and the Kingdom of Heaven

b. The Kingdom of Heaven and Israel’s History

c. Future Completion of the Kingdom of Heaven

d.

Sending the Twelve: Commissioning

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Matt. 9:35; 10:1, 5a; Mark 6:6b-7; Luke 9:1-2; 10:1 (Huck 58, 72, 109, 139a; Aland 49, 98-99, 142, 177; Crook 72, 102-104, 162, 196)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Updated: 14 December 2023

וַיִּקְרָא לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁלִיחָיו וַיִּתֶּן לָהֶם רָשׁוּת עַל כֹּל הַשֵּׁדִים לְהוֹצִיאָם וּלְרַפֵּא כֹּל מַדְוֶה וְכֹל חֳלִי וַיִּשְׁלַח אוֹתָם שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם לְפָנָיו אֶל כֹּל עִיר וָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הוּא הִקְרִיב לָבוֹא שָׁמָּה

Yeshua summoned his twelve emissaries to Israel and he commissioned them to drive out every demon and to heal every disease and sickness those demons had caused. Then he sent them on ahead in pairs to every city he intended to visit.

Sending the Twelve: Conduct in Town

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Matt. 10:11-15; 11:1; Mark 6:10-13; Luke 9:4-6; 10:5-12 Huck 58, 63, 109, 139; Aland 99, 105, 142, 177; Crook 105-109, 121, 162, 200-201)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'”

Four Soils Parable

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Matt. 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8
(Huck, 90; Aland, 122; Crook, 144)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'”… First, it appears that the author of Luke lifted all of Luke 8:4-21—with the exception of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven saying (Luke 8:10)—from a single source…. Since that source contained a series of loosely-related sayings (Luke 8:16-18) that have Hebraic doublets in other parts of Luke’s Gospel, it is likely that Luke 8:4-9, 11-18 was copied from FR, a source characterized by polished Greek and known for containing collections of loosely-related sayings strung together like a string of pearls.

Spontaneous Growth Parable

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This parables excursus in Mark is based on the discussion of the Four Soils parable in Luke 8:4-18, to which the author of Mark added a few sayings culled from other parts of the Gospel of Luke and supplemented by the Spontaneous Growth and Mustard Seed parables.

Yeshua’s Testing

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Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13 (Huck 8; Aland 20; Crook 23)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Updated: 18 November 2023

וְיֵשׁוּעַ מָלֵא רוּחַ קֹדֶשׁ שָׁב מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ בָּרוּחַ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַיִּתְנַסֶּה בַּשָּׂטָן וְלֹא אָכַל מְאוּמָה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיְכֻלּוּ וַיִּרְעַב וַיִּקְרַב הַשָּׂטָן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם בֵּן אַתָּה לֵאלֹהִים אֱמֹר לָאֶבֶן הַזּוֹ וְתִּהְיֶה לְלֶחֶם וַיַּעַן יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֹּאמֶר כָּתוּב כִּי לֹא עַל הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ אֶל הַר גָּבֹהַּ מְאֹד וַיּוֹרֵהוּ אֶת כָּל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת כֹּל כְּבוֹדָן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֶת כֻּלָּם לְךָ אֶתֵּן אִם תִּתְנַפֵּל לְפָנַי וַיַּעַן יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ כָּתוּב אֶת יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּירָא וְאוֹתוֹ לְבַדּוֹ תַעֲבֹד וַיֹּלֶךְ אוֹתוֹ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם וַיַּעֲמִדֵהוּ עַל כְּנַף הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם בֵּן אַתָּה לֵאלֹהִים הַפֵּל אֶת עַצְמְךָ לְמַטָּה שֶׁכָּתוּב כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה לָּךְ וְעַל כַּפַּיִם יִשָּׂאוּנְךָ פֶּן תִּגֹּף בָּאֶבֶן רַגְלֶךָ וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ נֶאֱמַר לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת יי אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וַיְכַל הַשָּׂטָן כֹּל נִסָּיוֹן וַיָּסַר מִמֶּנּוּ

Having been filled with the Holy Spirit, Yeshua turned from the Yarden, and in the Spirit he walked in the desert for forty days. He was tempted by Satan, and he did not eat anything in all that time.

LOY Excursus: Sources of the “Strings of Pearls” in Luke’s Gospel

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— wp:heading {“textAlign”:”center”,”level”:3} –> (Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18; 17:1-6)

One of the characteristics of the Gospel of Luke is the presence of several small collections of sayings scattered about its middle section (Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18; 17:1-6)…. Doublet Luke 8:16-18 (Parables) Luke 8:16 Hiding a Lamp (Luke 11:33) οὐδεὶς δὲ λύχνον ἅψας καλύπτει αὐτὸν σκεύει ἢ ὑποκάτω κλίνης τίθησιν ἀλλ̓ ἐπὶ λυχνίας τίθησιν ἵνα οἱ εἰσπορευόμενοι βλέπωσιν τὸ φῶς οὐδεὶς λύχνον ἅψας εἰς κρύπτην τίθησιν ἀλλ̓ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν ἵνα οἱ εἰσπορευόμενοι τὸ φῶς βλέπωσιν But no one lighting a lamp covers it with a covering or sets it under a bed, but sets it upon a lampstand, so that the ones entering might see the light.

Notes on the New Testament as a Witness for Broader Jewish Patterns in Jesus’ Times

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If the argument for the Jewish matrix of the early Jesus-centered tradition is taken seriously, the New Testament sources should be expected not only to react to elements of that matrix, but also to reflect them. It is here that study of the Jewish setting of early Christianity for the sake of better understanding the latter morphs into the investigation of early Jesus movement sources as witnesses for broader Jewish tendencies. Scholars of Qumran developed salient methods and insights that allow us to learn from the Scrolls not only about the particular group that seems to have produced them, but also about its rivals as well as “wider Judaism.” It stands to reason that a similar effort can contribute to critical assessment of the “witness value” of the earliest Christian writings: We can suppose that much of the material found there mirrors more general patterns of broader Jewish thought and practice.