Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lewis Reich" <lbr AT sprynet.com>]

On 21 Nov 99, at 14:29, Jim West wrote:

> This is indeed Midrash.  But from Jesus?  I dont think we can be too
> certain of that.

It's too bad that when Jesus said "The Sabbath was made for man, and 
not man for the Sabbath"  (a sentiment not  very different from that 
expressed by the Pharisees' rabbinic heirs, who ruled that saving a life 
justifies, even mandates, violating the Sabbath) he did not cite a Biblical 
verse to justify the ruling (or the allusion was not preserved).  Otherwise, 
we'd have an example of his halachic midrash.

Lewis Reich