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  • From: "Michael Abernathy" <mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul a Pharisee?
  • Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 09:22:41 -0700


I think we also have to keep in mind the political situation of Palestine.
It seems reasonable to assume that Roman occupation of Palestine encouraged
some Pharisees to take an extreme position regarding the Law seeing any
infraction as a compromise with their oppressors. This would result in a
small but significant opposition.
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy
mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "David C. Hindley" <dhindley AT compuserve.com>
To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 5:46 AM
Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?

>
> The more I learn about reading ancient literary artifacts, the more I
> realize that we always have to start by reading them as the product of
> an author (and as a result, the author's agenda). As a result, I
> follow the path of those who start by analyzing an account according
> to its function (and only afterwards compare accounts to sift out
> common denominators and propose sources and their relationships).
>
> So, what function would gospel stories about Jesus healing on the
> sabbath have served (especially if healing on the sabbath, in the
> manner portrayed, was not a violation, or "serious" violation, of the
> law)? I have a couple suggestions:
>
> If "healing" was Jesus' occupation (or a significant component of it)
> then I could see a valid objection to it being performed on the
> sabbath, even if no physical work were performed. This scenario would
> suggest that the story's function was to counter an image of Jesus in
> which he was a mere (?) healer or shaman. However, Jewish traditions
> about Onias the circle drawer suggest that this was not a shameful
> (although maybe annoying) occupation. It would, though, not coincide
> with the developed Christian tradition in which Jesus plays the part
> of a divine mediator.
>
> But, on another level, what if Jesus had even more serious image
> problems? Could Morton Smith have been onto something when he
> developed, in _Jesus the Magician_, the pagan and Jewish traditions
> that represent Jesus as a MAGOS or GOHS? In Josephus, such an image is
> associated with certain socio-political agitators, and would likely
> have carried a strong negative connotation to Roman governors and
> their retainers. In this scenario, the Gospel traditions would serve
> the purpose of deflecting such criticisms into much less controversial
> (maybe even trivial in Gentile eyes, but that was the idea) venues.
> Does this then suggest gospel literature served an apologetical
> purpose?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Dave Hindley
> Cleveland, Ohio, USA
>
>
>
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