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7. Healing on the Sabbath
Why did some Jews object to Jesus healing on the Sabbath? Was it because they were cold, hard legalists who cared about observing the law more than having compassion on others? And why did Jesus think it was permissible for him to heal people on the sabbath? In this episode, we explore various ancient Jewish views on the relationship between sabbath, healing, and preserving life, and we take a close look at Jesus' legal arguments for why he heals on the sabbath. Primary Texts Referenced in this Episode: 1 Maccabees 2:29-41: ⁠https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20macc%202%3A29-41&version=NRSVUE⁠Josephus, Antiquities 3:281-82:⁠https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-3.html#EndNote_Ant_3.33a⁠Josephus, Antiquities 12.274ff: ⁠https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-12.html⁠]Jewish War 2.147: ⁠https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-2.html⁠]Philo, Special Laws 2.39: ⁠https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book28.html⁠Philo, On the Migration of Abraham 1.91: ⁠https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book16.html⁠CD/Damascus Document 11:13:4Q265/4QMiscellaneous Rules, Fragment 6, 5-811Q13/11QMelchizedek: ⁠https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/11QMelchizedek.pdf⁠Mishnah, Rosh ha-Shanah 1.9: ⁠https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Rosh_Hashanah.1.9?lang=en⁠Mishnah, Yoma 8.5–7: ⁠https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Yoma.8.5?lang=bi⁠Mishnah, Shabbat 14:4: ⁠https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shabbat.14.4?lang=bi⁠Tosefta, Shabbat 14.3: ⁠https://www.sefaria.org/Tosefta_Shabbat.14.3?lang=en⁠Hippocrates, Aphorisms 7.47: ⁠https://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/aphorisms.7.vii.html⁠Articles Mentioned in this Episode:Logan A. Williams, 'Melchizedek, the Son of Man, and Eschatological Jubilee: The Sin-Forgiving Messiahs in 11QMelchizedek and Mark', JSNT 46 (2023): 1-41: ⁠⁠https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0142064X231191176⁠⁠Aharon Shemesh, '"Piqquach Nefesh Docheh Shabbat": Piqquach nefesh u-dvarim acherim she-dochim et ha-shabbat', Tarbiz 80 (2012): 481-505: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23607975?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
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1:07:01
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1:07:01
6. Did Jesus Ignore the Sabbath? The Controversy over Plucking Grains
In all three synoptic gospels, Jesus' disciples are accused of transgression when they make their way through a field and pluck grains on the sabbath. What is the meaning of Jesus' defense? Does he think the sabbath doesn't matter anymore, or that the rules don't apply to him? In this episode, we investigate how, in Mark 2:23-28 and Matthew 12:1-8,Jesus establishes a complicated legal case to defend the disciples action.Biblical Sabbath Texts Referenced in this Episode:Genesis 2.2-3Exodus 16.4–5Exodus 16.16–30 Exodus 20.8-11Exodus 34.21Exodus 35.2-4Leviticus 23:3Leviticus 24:8Numbers 15.28-35Numbers 28:9-10Jeremiah 17.22Nehemiah 10.31Nehemiah 13.15-21Amos 8.4–5Mark 15.42Luke 23.54John 7.22John 19.31Primary Texts Referenced in this Episode:Jubilees 2.29: https://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/2.htm Jubilees 50: https://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/50.htmPhilo, Life of Moses 2.22: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book25.htmlMishnah Shabbat 7.2: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shabbat.7.2?lang=enMishnah Yoma 8.5–7: https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.8.5?lang=enMishnah Nega'im 7.5: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Negaim.7.5-8.1?lang=enMishnah, Nedarim 3.9: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Nedarim.3.9?lang=enMishnah, Nedarim 3.11: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Nedarim.3.11?lang=enTalmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim 3.9.6: https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Nedarim.3.9.6?lang=enTalmud Bavli, Shabbat 132b9: https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.132b.9?lang=enSecondary Sources Referenced in this Episode: Max Botner, 'Has Jesus Read What David Did? Probing Problems in Mark 2:25–26', Journal of Theological Studies (2018): https://academic.oup.com/jts/article-abstract/69/2/484/5088397?Paul Sloan, Jesus and the Law of Moses (Baker, 2025): https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/jesus-and-the-law-of-moses/415310
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1:16:04
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1:16:04
Q&A #1: How did Jesus Interpret Sacrifices? And Other Questions
In this episode, we respond to questions sent to us by our listeners!
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41:24
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41:24
5. Oozing with Power: A Zavah Touches Jesus (Mark 5.25–34)
In Mark 5, a woman who experienced vaginal bleeding for 12 years touches Jesus. What happens when she does this, and why? In this episode we dive into Leviticus 15, the legislation genital discharges, both natural and unnatural. We look at how this legislation was applied by ancient Jews and how all this helps us read Mark 5.24–35 with new eyes.We are doing a Q&A for our next episode! Make sure to listen to the end for the information about how to send in your questions. Primary Sources Referenced in This Episode: Mishnah Keilim 1.7–8. https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Kelim.1.7?lang=biSifre BaMidbar 1. https://www.sefaria.org/Sifrei_Bamidbar.1.1-8?lang=biDamascus Document (CD) 12.1. https://palimpsest.stmarytx.edu/thanneken/th6314/content/DamascusDocument.htmTemple Scroll (11Q19) 45.7–17. http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/templeSecondary Sources Referred to in this Episode: Dale Allison "Healing in the Wings of His Garment: The Synoptics and Malachi 4:2", in The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard Hays (ed. J. Ross Wagner; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 132-146. https://www.academia.edu/118917364/Healing_in_the_Wings_of_His_Garment_The_Synoptics_and_Malachi_4_2 Candida Moss, "The Man with the Flow of Power: Porous Bodies in Mark 5:25–34", Journal of biblical Literature 128 (2010): 507–519. http://jstor.org/stable/25765949?seq=1Matthew Thiessen, Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020): https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/jesus-and-the-forces-of-death/399984
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36:48
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36:48
4. Contagious with Life: Jesus Heals a Leper (Mark 1.39–44)
Lepers weren't "excluded" from all of society in ancient Judaism. So what is the significance of Jesus touching a leper?The focus of this episode is the scene where Jesus "purifies" a leper through touch in Mark 1.39–44. This short passage raises numerous questions: Did Jesus disregard the torah when he touched the leper? What was the leper doing in the synagogue if lepers were marginalised and excluded from society? In healing the leper, did Jesus usurp the role of the priests? If Jesus purifies him, why does Jesus tell him to go make offerings "for his purification". And how does this function as a "witness" to the priests? To approach these issues, we provide a detailed examination of the leprosy legislation in Leviticus 13–14 and its interpretation in ancient Judaism, and, as usual, we do a bit of myth busting along the way. For example: Lepers, it turns out, were only excluded from particular spaces, not all of society, and they could actually attend synagogue services! We also get into a detailed discussion of Jesus' limits as a Judahite and what that means for his relationship with Levitical priests.The episode closes with three final questions: Did Jesus contract impurity from touching the Leper? Would Jesus disagree with the “exclusionary” facet of lepra legislation? And does this scene portray Jesus as being contagious with holiness?—————Primary Sources in This Episode:The Temple Scroll (11QTemple/11Q19) 48.14–17. Link: http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/temple Mishnah, Negaim 13: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Negaim.13.1?lang=biTosefta, Keilim Kamma 1.11: https://sefaria.org/Tosefta_Kelim_Kamma.1.11?lang=bi Josephus, Antiquities 3.264 [not 3.246!]: https://lexundria.com/j_aj/3.264/wstSecondary Sources in This Episode: Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 1–16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991): https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300139402/leviticus-1-16/Matthew Thiessen, Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020): https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/jesus-and-the-forces-of-death/399984 Yitzhaq Feder, "The Wilderness Camp Paradigm in the Holiness Source and the Temple Scroll: From Purity Laws to Cult Politics", Journal of Ancient Judaism 5 (2014): 290–310: https://brill.com/view/journals/jaj/5/3/article-p290_2.xml?language=en
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1:33:40
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1:33:40