Jewish sages and their disciples were dependent upon the hospitality of the communities they visited.
Discovering Longer Gospel Stories
Research by Robert L. Lindsey has helped clarify the process by which gospel texts were preserved and transmitted. Luke desired, he said in his prologue, to present to Theophilus an “orderly” account. Such ordering is to be noted in Matthew and Mark, as well. These attempts at ordering help us understand why so many of the synoptic gospel stories appear in a different chronological order from gospel to gospel.
Was Jesus a Rabbi?
It was only after 70 A.D. that רַבִּי (rabi) became a formal title for a teacher, and thus cannot correctly be applied to Jesus.
The “How Much More” Rabbinic Principle of Interpretation in the Teaching of Jesus
The use of simple-to-complex reasoning (kal vahomer in Hebrew) is as frequent in the teaching of Jesus as in the teaching of the sages.
Jesus and the Oral Torah: Did Jesus Wear Phylacteries?
The Gospels attest to the fact that Jesus had tassels on the four corners of his outer robe (Matt. 9:20; 14:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 8:44). Although there is no explicit evidence in the Gospels, we have reason to suggest that he also may have worn phylacteries.
How Long Was Jesus in the Tomb?
Jesus said he would remain in the grave until the third day after his death. If Jesus was buried on late Friday afternoon, how long would he have had to remain in the tomb to fulfill his prophecy about his resurrection?
The Queen of Teman
Why didn’t Jesus say “Queen of Sheba,” which is found in the Bible, instead of “Queen of the South”?
Jesus and the Oral Torah: Tithing
Did Jesus observe the commandment to tithe as it was interpreted in the Oral Torah?
Jesus and the Oral Torah: The Unutterable Name of God
To avoid the risk of employing the divine name irreverently, the sages ruled that one should not utter it at all.
The Syndicated Donkey
Randall Buth may have discovered a significant idiom in the Greek text of Luke. This idiom could help us in determining the original language of Jesus’ biography. In Luke 19:33, did the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday have more that one owner as the Greek text states?
Jesus and the Oral Torah: Blessing
There is evidence that Jesus adhered to the rulings of the Oral Torah in his use of various blessings.
Jesus’ Use of “Amen”: Introduction or Response?
It is not surprising to find the word “amen” attributed to Jesus in the Gospels. “Amen” appears elsewhere in the New Testament, notably in the epistles of Paul, who usually used it to conclude an expression of praise to God. Nor is it odd that “amen” was simply transliterated from Hebrew into Greek. Its use had become so common in Greek-speaking synagogues and churches that the New Testament writers generally felt translation unnecessary. What is unusual is to find “amen” used as the beginning of a statement rather than as a response.
“Prophet” as a Messianic Title
There can be little doubt that Jesus viewed himself as a prophet, and that many of his contemporaries concurred.
Jesus in Judea
Robert Lindsey believed that there is sufficient evidence in Matthew, Mark and Luke to support the existence of Jesus’ Judean ministry.
Semitic Background to the Nain Story
The short account of the resurrection of the widow’s son in Nain has a very Semitic feeling. If the Nain story was written originally in Greek, it is a very semitically flavored Greek. Several linguistic features of this story suggest that it may have been written originally in Hebrew.