How well-read was Jesus? The LOY segment entitled Innocent Blood probes the possibility that Jesus read and quoted a no-longer-extant Second Temple-period Jewish literary work that warned against violent religious extremism.
Generations That Repented Long Ago
Did Jesus condemn his contemporaries for failing to recognize him as the Messiah or for something more insidious?
Woes on Three Villages
The Woes on Three Villages express Jesus’ sorrow that Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had not responded to his warning not to get sucked into the black hole of violent religious nationalism.
LOY Excursus: Sources of the “Strings of Pearls” in Luke’s Gospel
The “strings of pearls” (Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18; 17:1-6) offer an example of the outsized influence of the First Reconstruction on the synoptic tradition.
“Power of Faith” complex
By reuniting Quieting a Storm with Faith Like a Mustard Seed, we have a more complete episode in the life of Jesus.
“Yeshua’s Selectivity in Accepting Disciples” complex
Whereas Jesus’ Kingdom message was for everyone, the calling to full-time discipleship could be answered only by a few.
Yeshua’s Immersion
The words of the heavenly voice that spoke at Jesus’ immersion foreshadowed the trajectory of Jesus’ career.
Yohanan the Immerser’s Execution
The story of John the Baptist’s martyrdom was rich with allusions to stories from the Hebrew Scriptures.