Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Yonah:

You took this off line, I hope you do not mind my bringing it back online.

Your answer below is what I was taught in class, by my professor no
less. I never questioned him. You show up some discrepancies which
make me question what I was taught (another one, 2 Chron. 24 merely
states that Zacharia son of Jehoidah was murdered in the temple court,
Jesus' statement was between the altar and temple).

This brings up another question: did Jesus refer to a tradition
concerning the death of Zachariah son of Barakiah that was not
preserved in Tanakh, just as there was a tradition that Jeremiah was
sawn apart (referenced in Hebrews 11:37)? If that is the case, then
Jesus' statement is not a reference to the order of the books in
Tanakh, but to the chronological first to last of the prophets
mentioned in Tanakh who died because of their message.

Does anyone on this list know of any such tradition?

Karl W. Randolph.

On 9/3/06, Yonah Mishael <yonahmishael AT gmail.com> wrote:
> The way that I understood the NT (granted, I'm not a Christian, so I
> guess this doesn't matter) was that it indicated the Jewish order of
> the books in Jesus' comment:
>
> "And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed
> on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah
> son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar."
> (Matthew 23:35, NIV)
>
> Supposedly Zechariah son of Berakiah, according to Jesus, was slain
> between the Temple and the altar of burnt offerings. Actually, it was
> Zechariah son of Jehoiada, and it comes in chapter 24 of 2 Chronicles.
> (Z. son of Berekhya was the prophet who wrote the biblical book.) But,
> in order to cover every murder in the Bible and bring their blood upon
> his own generation, Jesus said, "From Abel (Genesis) to Zechariah (2
> Chronicles)," which indicates the first and last book of the Bible as
> it was known to Jesus... at least that's what I hear.
>
> שלום
> Yonah