Discovering Longer Gospel Stories

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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.

The Traveling Sage

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Jewish teachers of first-century Israel lacked the sophisticated methods of mass communication we have today. Consequently, the sages of Jesus’ day spent much of their time traveling throughout the country, much like the biblical prophets, to communicate their teachings and interpretations of Scripture.

Salted with Fire

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Among the difficult sayings of Jesus, Mark 9:49 is one of the most enigmatic. Almost all previous explanations of this verse have dealt with the Greek text, but like many of the difficult sayings of Jesus, this one simply cannot be explained from the Greek alone.

Matthew 5:17: “Destroy” the Law

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When a sage felt that a colleague had misinterpreted a passage of Scripture, he would say, “You are canceling (or, uprooting) the Torah!” In other words, “You are so misinterpreting Scripture that you are negating or canceling part of it.” Needless to say, in most cases, his colleague strongly disagreed. What was “canceling” the Torah for one teacher was “fulfilling” it for another.

Jesus’ Use of “Amen”: Introduction or Response?

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It is not surprising to find the word “amen” attributed to Jesus in the Gospels. What is unusual is to find “amen” used as the beginning of a statement rather than as a response.

“Prophet” as a Messianic Title

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There can be little doubt that Jesus viewed himself as a prophet, and that many of his contemporaries concurred.

Semitic Background to the Nain Story

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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.

Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 1: Jesus’ Hebrew Name (Part 1)

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In my view, Hebrew is the key to understanding the Jewish background to Jesus’ words. Jerusalem Perspective, therefore, features a serialized Hebrew course for beginners. Each issue will include a bite-sized Hebrew lesson.