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  • From: "Hyam Maccoby" <h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul a Pharisee?
  • Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 15:01:19 +0100


Michael,

I am glad you found that Israel Abrahams `came closest to my position', as I
respect his Talmudic learning. As for Claude Montefiore, he himself was
most modest about his Talmudic attainments (note that he expresses his
opinion very tentatively). I do not have the book by Lachs at hand, so
cannot comment on it.
Even Abrahams, however, fails to make the important distinction between
acts forbidden by the Torah, and acts forbidden only by rabbinic enactment
(compare, in the Catholic Church, the prohibition against eating meat on
Fridays - this was a Church law which was eventually abrogated by Church
decision: Rabbinic bye-laws are the same, and in principle can be
abrogated, meanwhile carrying minor penalties). The prohibition against
healing minor ailments on the Sabbath is a rabbinic ordinance (DERABBANAN)
not a Torah ordinance (DEORAITA), and infringement of it certainly does not
carry any death penalty. Perhaps when Abrahams mentioned that `the degree of
strictness ... varied from time to time', he was referring obliquely to the
introduction of the rabbinic ordinance - practice was certainly somewhat
more lenient before it was introduced (this took place, in my opinion, in
the second century).
Abrahams, being a very polite and ecumenical man, tries to explain the
stringent position of the NT Pharisees as possibly `due to a local
interpretation of the law', thereby admitting that it was idiosyncratic. He
is reluctant to express doubts about the truth of the account.
The most important piece of evidence that healing in itself is not
prohibited on the Sabbath is the Mishnah's list of actions forbidden on the
Sabbath (Shabbath 7:2). This list contains 39 items, and healing is not one
of them. The only way in which Sabbath-healing (of minor ailments) enters
rabbinic discussion of the list is in connection with the item `grinding',
which means literally the grinding of corn, but is taken to include the
grinding of medicines. Because of this item, use of substances is forbidden
for minor ailments, lest people should be tempted to grind medicines. This
prohibition, however, has rabbinic status only. Healing per se is not
prohibited anywhere in the rabbinic literature, and in case of serious
illness is actually recommended as a meritorious act on the Sabbath (anyone
who is reluctant to break any Sabbath-law on the list of 39 to help heal
serious illness is called a `shedder of blood'). Note that `serious
illness' is liberally interpreted; it includes any internal complaint or
complaint of the throat.
In principle, rabbinic ordinances could be repealed by a competent
council of rabbis, whereas Torah ordinances can never be repealed. I think
that any discussion of Sabbath-healing that does not mention the
distinction between Torah ordinances and rabbinic ordinances is deficient:
also every discussion should distinguish between healing per se and the
method of healing.
With best wishes,

Hyam Maccoby


Research Professor
C entre for Jewish Studies
University of Leeds
LS2
Direct lines: tel. +44 (0)113 268 1972
fax +44 (0)113 268 0041
e-mail: h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Abernathy" <mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org>
To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 4:24 AM
Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?


> Hyam,
> I had a little time to check the library at our local university on this
> subject. This leads me to ask if your interpretation is widely held in
the
> Jewish community. I was able to check three Jewish authors who commented
on
> the synoptic gospels: Lachs, Montefiore, and Abrahams. What I found was
not
> consistent with the view you have expressed. Abrahams came closest to
your
> position. He mentioned that the halacha allowed any effort to save life
or
> to relieve "acute pain" on the Sabbath. However, he did not imply that
> healing was generally acceptable on the Sabbath when it was possible to
> delay the healing until the next day. He raised some questions as to
> whether or not the degree of resistance Jesus experienced was due to a
local
> interpretation of the law and mentioned that the degree of strictness
> required in rabbinic circles varied from time to time.[Abrahams, Studies
in
> Pharisaism and the Gospels, vol. 1 (New York: KTAV, 1967), pp 134-135.]
> Lachs answered the question "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" saying,
> "The answer is a categorical yes, if life is in danger, but no, if it not
in
> danger as in the situation here." [commenting on Luke 6:6-8] [Samuel
Tobias
> Lachs, A Rabbinic Commentary on the New Testament, (New York: KTAV
> Publishing Inc.) pp. 199-200. Montefiore admitted that rabbinic Judaism
> allowed for "certain minor infringements of the Sabbath" in the case of
> sickness. However, he continued to say, "But unrestricted permission to
> `heal' on the Sabbath would not, I think, have been permitted: even
> miraculous healings on the Sabbath would not, I think, have been looked
upon
> with favor." [C.G. Montefiore, Rabbinic Literature and Gospel Teachings
(New
> York: KTAV Publishing House Inc., 1970) p. 244]
> Sincerely,
> Michael Abernathy
> mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Hyam Maccoby" <h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk>
> To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 4:28 AM
> Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?
>
>
> > Michael,
> > I am glad you have cited Shabbath 14:3-4, as this passage has been
widely
> > misunderstood. It does not imply that healing in itself was forbidden on
> the
> > Sabbath. It arises from a rabbinical bye-law (enacted probably in the
> > second century) that medicinal substances should not be employed as a
> method
> > of treatment on the Sabbath (in cases of minor ailments) lest people
> should
> > be tempted to break the Torah law forbidding the grinding of medicines
on
> > the Sabbath (this type of rabbinical bye-law was known as `a fence
around
> > the Law'). The rabbis freely acknowledged that this bye-law did not
have
> > the status of Torah law, and therefore they allowed it to be infringed
in
> > cases of severe pain, even if no danger to life existed. Please note
that
> > this bye-law concerned the METHOD of healing, not healing itself, which
> was
> > permitted even by rabbinic law if no medicinal substances were involved.
> > In the case of Jesus, his method of healing did not involve
> medicines,
> > so was permitted by both Torah and rabbinic law (if indeed the rabbinic
> > bye-law existed in his time). Faith-healing on the Sabbath is permitted
> in
> > all circumstances.
> > The above explanation of Shabbath 14:2-4 is found in all the Jewish
> > commentaries on the Mishnah.
> >
> > With best wishes,
> >
> > Hyam Maccoby
> >
> >
> > Research Professor
> > Centre for Jewish Studies
> > University of Leeds
> > LS2
> > Direct lines: tel. +44 (0)113 268 1972
> > fax +44 (0)113 268 0041
> > e-mail: h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Michael Abernathy" <mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org>
> > To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 11:51 PM
> > Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?
> >
> >
> > > Sorry to interrupt your discussion but could you explain something to
> me?
> > > Shabbath 14:3 forbids eating hyssop on the Sabbath because it was used
> for
> > > healing. Shabbath 14:4 forbids sucking vinegar through the teeth to
> treat
> > a
> > > toothache. I am not aware of these acts being considered work. How
is
> it
> > > that these wree forbidden unless, healing was forbidden? I am aware of
> > > passage in the Babylonian Talmud that allow for healing if the
patient's
> > > life was in danger, but only if the patient's life was in danger.
Could
> > you
> > > please clarify further?
> > > Michael Abernathy
> > > mabernat AT cub.kcnet.org
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Hyam Maccoby" <h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk>
> > > To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> > > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 9:19 AM
> > > Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?
> > >
> > >
> > > > >Loren:
> > > >
> > > > I wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >Both Hillelites and Shammaites agreed that
> > > > > >faith-healing on the Sabbath was permitted.
> > > >
> > > > You ask:
> > > > > Even in non-emergency situations?
> > > >
> > > > Yes, even in non-emergency situations. Healing in itself is not
> > included
> > > > among the kinds of `work' forbidden on the Sabbath (see Mishnah ,
> > Shahbath
> > > > 7:2). If, however, the METHOD of healing was a form of `work' (e.g.
> > > > building a fire, or grinding medicines), the act of healing was
> > forbidden
> > > > EXCEPT in an emergency, when all Sabbath prohibitions became null
and
> > > void.
> > > > In the case of Jesus, the method of healing (i.e. faith-healing) did
> not
> > > > involve any act defined as `work', and therefore his kind of healing
> was
> > > > permitted even in the absence of emergency.
> > > >
> > > > Best wishes,
> > > >
> > > > Hyam Maccoby
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Research Professor
> > > > Centre for Jewish Studies
> > > > University of Leeds
> > > > LS2
> > > > Direct lines: tel. +44 (0)113 268 1972
> > > > fax +44 (0)113 268 0041
> > > > e-mail: h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Loren Rosson" <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>
> > > > To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> > > > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 12:15 PM
> > > > Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul a Pharisee?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Hyam,
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks for the data regarding Shammaites vs
> > > > > Hillelites. I will look into their differences (and
> > > > > similarities) more closely and for now will concede
> > > > > that a "Shammaite Saul" does not resolve the problems
> > > > > of Acts 5 as much as I thought it did.
> > > > >
> > > > > But by the way...
> > > > >
> > > > > Loren Rosson III
> > > > > Nashua NH
> > > > > rossoiii AT yahoo.com
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > __________________________________________________
> > > > > Do You Yahoo!?
> > > > > Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo!
> > > > Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
> > > > >
> > > > > ---
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> > > >
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