The above image shows a miniature painting by Dirc van Delf appearing in an illuminated manuscript (ca. 1400) depicting the fall of Satan from heaven. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Persistent Widow Parable
Luke 18:1-8
(Huck 185; Aland 236; Crook 289)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Revised: 21 October 2022
וַיִּמְשׁוֹל לָהֶם מָשָׁל לֵאמֹר דַּיָּן הָיָה בְּעִיר פְּלוֹנִית שֶׁלֹּא יָרֵא שָׁמַיִם וְאָדָם לֹא כִּבֵּד וְאַלְמָנָה הָיְתָה בְּאֹתָהּ הָעִיר וְהָיְתָה בָּאָה אֵלָיו לוֹמַר שָׁפְטֵנִי מִיַּד בַּעַל דִּינִי וְהָיָה מְמָאֵן זְמַן הַרְבֵּה וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינִי יָרֵא שָׁמַיִם וְאָדָם אֵינִי מְכַבֵּד מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמֵּבִיאָה עָלַי צָרָה אַלְמָנָה זוֹ אֶשְׁפוֹט אוֹתָה שֶׁמָּא תָּבוֹא וְתִפְגַּע בִּי לְעוֹלָם וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדוֹן שִׁמְעוּ מַה דַּיַּן הָרֶשַׁע אוֹמֵר וְהֲלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם מִשְׁפַּט בְּחִירָיו הַצּוֹעֲקִים לוֹ בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה הֲמִתְאַפֵּק עֲלֵיהֶם אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּטָם בִּמְהֵרָה
Then Yeshua told them this parable: “There was a judge in a certain town who was not a God-fearing man, neither was he concerned about human welfare. Nevertheless, there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him demanding, ‘Rescue me from my legal opponent’s power!’ But the judge kept refusing her for a long time.
Some time later, however, the judge thought to himself, ‘Although I am not a God-fearing man, and although I have no concern for human welfare, yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will rescue her, or else she’ll keep on coming to pester me forever!'”
“Destruction and Redemption” complex
Updated: 28 June 2023
Scholars have long been aware that there is something strange about the relationship between the “eschatological” discourses of Jesus as presented in Mark 13 and Luke 21.See Manson, Sayings, 323; Marshall, 754-758; Fitzmyer, 2:1324-1329; Nolland, Luke, 3:983-986; Bovon, 3:103; Wolter, 2:416-417.
Matthew 6:22-23: Jesus’ “Good Eye” Saying
The recording below is of a sermon preached on December 9, 1995 by David Bivin at Jerusalem’s historic Narkis Street Congregation.
The Historical Jesus, a Tanna?
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Two Gospel accounts, “The Rich Young Person” (Matt. 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-3, Luke 18:18-30) and “On Almsgiving” (Matt. 6:1-4), that share similar content, structure, and argumentation with two discussions that appear in the Mishnah and Tosefta shed light on the use of rabbinic literature for the study of the Gospels.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 26: ta·NAK (Part 2)
The Prophets
When Jesus said, “Do not think that I have came to destroy the law or the prophets” (Matt. 5:17), that was a Hebraic way of saying, “Do not think that I intend to misinterpret the Torah or the Prophets.”… Bivin, “Matthew 5:17: ‘Destroy’ the Law.”
Perspective on Robert L.
In addition to Buth’s review of Lindsey’s Jesus, Rabbi and Lord: A Lifetime’s Search for the Meaning of Jesus’ Words, in Buth’s “Pursuing Righteousness,” he critically examines a particular expression in Matthew 5:10, which Lindsey translated in a non-traditional way.
Jesus’ Attitude to Poverty
Revised: 21-Apr-2013
Certain circles within the Judaism of Jesus’ day took the view that there was something spiritually beneficial in poverty per se, that it was a mark of God’s special favor to be poor.The Hasidim were perhaps the most influential proponents of this philosophy in first-century Israel. These were a stream of Galilean sages who were close in theology to the Pharisees while at the same time in tension with them because the Hasidim emphasized the doing of good deeds more than the study of Torah.
Paraphrastic Gospels
The four Evangelists of the Greek New Testament, though concurring at many points, demonstrate a remarkable degree of disparity when retelling their versions of the life of Jesus. This is especially true of Mark and John.
Repentance: God Inhales
Preface In March of 1998 I participated in an annual conference sponsored by the Centre for the Study of Biblical Research. Several sessions had been designated for me to speak, and during one of them I presented “Repentance: God Inhales.” The response from the audience seemed favorable, so upon returning to Wichita Falls, Texas, (where Janet and I lived for 22 months), I began entertaining the idea of transcribing, revising, editing, and eventually publishing the material in printed form. To achieve this goal, I received considerable assistance from others. Diana and Ronnie Hicks volunteered as transcribers.
The Angel Who Has Delivered Me from All Harm
The phrase “who has redeemed me from all evil” is strikingly similar to the phrase “deliver us from evil” that appears in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:13)…. The Greek adjective used to translate ra (evil) in Genesis 48:16 was κακός (kakos, bad, evil), while the adjective translated “evil” in Matthew 6:13 is πονηρός (poneros, bad, evil); however, both Greek words were frequently used by the Septuagint’s translators to render the Hebrew ra.
Introduction to The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction
Updated: 8 November 2023Revised with the assistance of Joshua N. Tilton and Lauren S.
Preparations for Eating the Passover Lamb
Matt. 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13 (Huck 234; Aland 308a; Crook 347a)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Revised: 14 December 2022Revised with the assistance of Joshua N. Tilton and Lauren S. Asperschlager.
וַיָּבֹא יֹום חַג הַמַּצּוֹת וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת פֶּטְרוֹס וְאֶת יוֹחָנָן לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וְהָכִינוּ לָנוּ אֶת הַפֶּסַח וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ אֵיכָן אַתָּה רוֹצֶה שֶׁנָּכִין לְךָ לֶאֱכֹל אֶת הַפֶּסַח וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הֲרֵי כְּשֶׁתִּכָּנְסוּ לָעִיר יִפְגַּע בָּכֶם אָדָם נֹשֵֹׂא כַּד מָיִם לְכוּ אַחֲרָיו לַבַּיִת שֶׁיִכָּנֵס לוֹ וְתֹאמְרוּ לְבַעַל הַבַּיִת אוֹמֵר לְךָ רַבֵּנוּ אֵיכָן הַחֶדֶר שֶׁבּוֹ אוֹכַל אֶת הַפֶּסַח עִם תַּלְמִידַי וְהוּא יַרְאֶה לָכֶם עֲלִיָּה גְּדוֹלָה מוּצַעַת שָׁם הָכִינוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּכִינוּ אֶת הַפֶּסַח
The day of the holiday of Unleavened Bread arrived, so Yeshua sent Petros and Yohanan, instructing them: “Go prepare the Passover lamb for us.”
Tutorial 2: Customs
What Did Jesus Mean by “Do Not Judge”?
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you.
Private: JP Conference in Jerusalem
Reappraising the Antitheses in Matthew 5” (Pryor); “Yeshua’s High Self-Awareness and the Christology of Paul and the Early Church” (Pryor); “The Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Pastoral Relevance of Who Wrote the First Version” (Ronning); “Incarnational Theology: The Importance of Bible Geography for Understanding Jesus” (Ronning); “Mikva’ot and Ritual Immersion in Jesus’ Day” (Reich); “The Recently Discovered Pool of Siloam” (Reich); “Why Rabbinic Literature Is Pertinent to the Study of the Gospels” (Young); and “Jesus Among the Rabbis: Spiritual Life, Faith Experience and Leadership” (Young).