Meet the Rabbis

Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus

Young, Brad H.

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2007
• ISBN:
  9781441232878
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Meet the Rabbis explains to the reader how rabbinic thought was relevant to Jesus and the New Testament world, and hence should be relevant to those people today who read the New Testament. In this sense, rabbinic thought is relevant to every aspect of modern life. Rabbinic literature explores the meaning of living life to its fullest, in right relationship with God and humanity. However, many Christians are not aware of rabbinic thought and literature. Indeed, most individuals in the Western world today, regardless of whether they are Christians, atheists, agnostics, secular community leaders, or some other religious and political persuasions, are more knowledgeable of Jesus' ethical teachings in the Sermon the Mount than the Ethics of the Fathers in a Jewish prayer book. The author seeks to introduce the reader to the world of Torah learning. It is within this world that the authentic cultural background of Jesus' teachings in ancient Judaism is revealed. Young uses parts of the New Testament, especially the Sermon on the Mount, as a springboard for probing rabbinic method. The book is an introduction to rabbinic thought and literature and has three main sections in its layout: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought, Introduction to Rabbinic Literature, and Meet the Rabbis, a biographical description of influential Rabbis from Talmudic sources.

PART I

Introduction to Rabbinic Thought

An introduction to rabbinic thought and literature centered on the Sermon on the Mount begins with the conceptual world that connects the Jewishness of Jesus and His teachings to the thinking of the ancient rabbis and their interpretation of the Bible. Both Jesus and the old rabbis begin with the Bible. Their thought patterns are Jewish to the core, and focus on living life to its fullest and most meaningful purpose based upon their understanding and interpretation of Scripture. The Sermon on the Mount is more familiar to most Christian readers than the rabbinic literature. Here we will begin with teachings more familiar to the general reader and move into less familiar terrain. Rabbinic thought opens up a fresh conceptual world and gives new insight into the Bible.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Rabbinic Thought

Most Christians, as well as many educated people in Western society, are already familiar to some extent with the New Testament, especially the ethical and moral message Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt 5–7; Luke 6:20b–49). For instance, they probably know that Jesus taught his disciples to “turn the other cheek” (Matt 5:39; Luke 6:29). The present work begins with such familiar passages from the teachings of Jesus and digs deeper into the teachings of the ancient rabbis of Israel. Some of these rabbis lived before Jesus and others lived after him. Both the Sermon on the Mount and the teachings of the rabbis in the Talmud are rooted in the rich soil of ancient Judaism, from the glorious days of the Second Temple period.

Many Christians are surprised to discover that Jesus was closely connected to the rabbinic movement in his thought and educational approach. To better understand this movement, we will begin with the thought patterns of the Jewish sages and move into the literary works that have been preserved over time. But we must first meet these rabbis. The books were written on their hearts long before they were compiled in writing. Students of rabbinic literature must explore the real-life experiences of the rabbis in order to fully appreciate their teachings.

Major themes from the Jewish conceptual frame of reference flow from the moral teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The original context of this sermon is not the pulpit of the Christian church on Sunday but rather the setting of Jewish learning and education in the land of Israel in the first century C.E. While the mentality of first-century Jews is very different from that of modern Christians, both ancient Judaism and modern Christianity grow from the same root. The root system of any tree is far more extensive than the branches themselves. Jesus focused attention on themes such as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (Matt 6:1–18; Luke 11:2–13). His audience understood these activities to be expressions of their spirituality. To understand rabbinic thought and literature, one must first develop a passion for the spiritual life of the people who learned Torah and practiced it by reaching out to others in need.

The vast sea of Jewish literature teems with commentaries on the Bible and instructions on how to live a life that is pleasing to God within the community of faith. Here we will create a familiarity with the major works of rabbinic literature, from the basic Bible commentaries to the extensive discussions of the legal code in the Talmuds. The basic outline of the book will explore Jewish thought, examine rabbinic literature, introduce major rabbis, and discuss interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount from the time of Jesus to the present. Our study of this literature will include my translation of the Ethics of the Fathers (one of the most important documents for the study of ancient Judaism), charts with the names of major rabbis, lists of the tractates of the Oral Torah, including the Mishnah and Talmuds,[1] outlines for dating the major works of rabbinic literature, suggested reading lists, and the Amidah prayer of the synagogue that has been prayed in some form from antiquity to the present. We will explore the Great Sanhedrin, the Master-Mentor relationship, and the meaning of Torah in practical living. The discussion of rabbinic thought and literature is rooted in the study of these foundational works. We will move from the Temple in the time of Jesus to the synagogue of today.

Finally we will explore the lives and works of some of the rabbis, because Christians are more familiar with Augustine than with Rabbi Akiva. Rabbinic literature was written by scholars, educators, community leaders, preachers of the Word, and common people who passed carefully memorized teachings from one generation to the next. This process of memory and manuscript resulted from spiritual leaders who were caring for the needs of their communities of faith throughout a long and noble history. They were leaders of decisive action. Judaism, unlike Christianity, stresses action more than belief. Although Maimonides did develop the thirteen foundational principles of Jewish faith which stress belief, action, that is, practicing one’s faith in ethical conduct and ceremonial worship takes priority over theological purity. We will see that the great leader Hillel the Elder was very close to Jesus in his teachings of Torah and its practical applications.

PERSPECTIVES ON ANCIENT JUDAISM

Our introduction to rabbinic thought begins with a well-known New Testament passage from Matthew’s Gospel. From there we will enter less familiar terrain. Taking this approach we will see firsthand how various aspects of Jesus’ life and teachings can be brought into sharper focus by viewing them against the social and historical backdrop of first-century Judaism. To succeed at this task we need to equip ourselves with a social, historical, and religious framework through which we can view Jesus and compare him with other personalities, sects, and movements in his time. Then we may ask, what was so revolutionary about his message? What was original about it in relation to other sects and movements? What was normative about it in relation to other teachings of the day?

In Christian literature, including academic writings, I often encounter a prejudicial attitude against Judaism. The prejudice is usually directed at the Pharisees and their spiritual successors, the rabbis, in the form of sweeping generalizations. John Lightfoot’s Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica—a four-volume commentary spanning Matthew through 1 Corinthians first published between 1658–1674—stands out in my mind as an example of Christian literature containing an anti-Jewish bias. Lightfoot lived from 1602 to 1675. A Puritan who taught at Cambridge, Lightfoot wrote his commentary on the New Testament in Latin. In 1684 the Latin was translated into English, which underwent revision in 1859. Here is a sampling of the type of remarks a reader encounters throughout Lightfoot’s commentary: “The Jews themselves stink . . . their writings stink as much amongst all.” They are “of all impious men the most impious, of all cursed wretches the most cursed.”[2] In another place he describes them “as being persons whose highest law the purse and profit was wont to be.”[3] In 1979, Lightfoot’s commentary was republished. Sadly, the publisher did not include a notice regarding Lightfoot’s bigotry. Such anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism have been a severe problem in the history of Christian education and theology.[4]

Since Lightfoot’s time, German scholars have also written comparative studies on the New Testament and Talmudic literature. The most famous of these works is Herman Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch.[5] An excellent reference tool, this work remains available only in German. Other fine works, such as Gustaf Dalman’s The Words of Jesus,[6] have been translated into English. In English, one of the most widely read books on this subject is Alfred Edersheim’s The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.[7] These works, while still in use today, are out of date and full of incorrect views of Judaism.

Overcoming prejudice based upon misconception is a formidable task. Recognizing that some of our earlier teachings concerning Judaism and the Jewish people are not always accurate is a first step. Today, Christians are much more willing to study Jewish scholarship. The emergence of Israeli scholars as leading contributors to biblical research has generated a body of valuable academic literature in Modern Hebrew, much of which remains inaccessible to the English reader. We need more studies using comparative approaches between the New Testament and Talmudic literature to be written or translated into English. This type of work is long term and arduous, but the results illuminate the New Testament, especially the teachings of Jesus.

Christians should—everyone should—read Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s Jewish Wisdom: Ethical, Spiritual, and Historical Lessons from the Great Works and Thinkers.[8] All would also benefit from the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel. His books, such as God in Search of Man,[9] offer fresh insight into the deeper meaning of the concept of God in the Bible. For Jewish thought, spirituality, literature, and mysticism, Heschel’s book, Heavenly Torah as Refracted through the Generations is essential and enjoyable reading.[10] David Flusser of the Hebrew University has written a book on the life of Jesus that is a treasure store for anyone who really wants to understand the historical Jesus.[11] My own books, especially Jesus the Jewish Theologian,[12] place Jesus in his first-century setting and help Christian readers make practical applications today. In The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation,[13] I compare the parabolic teachings of Jesus with rabbinic parables. Jesus tells story illustrations that are mirrored in the powerful sermons and Bible commentaries of ancient Jewish rabbis, scholars, and community leaders.

A more accurate understanding of Jewish teachings from the time of the ancient rabbis makes the message of the Gospels come alive with renewed vigor. One excellent place to start understanding Jewish thought is in the Prayer Book.[14] Many of us from a Christian background would develop a much different view of the Pharisees if we learned about their teachings from the prayers they prayed rather than from the sermons preached about them in our churches.

Most of us have heard the term Pharisee used in a derogatory manner. The Oxford American Dictionary even defines Pharisee as “a hypocritical self-righteous person.” Such language should not surprise us, in fact there is good reason for it. Jesus did criticize harshly the hypocritical practices of some Pharisees—in much the same way that the Pharisees strongly condemned hypocrisy in themselves.

But Jesus also instructed his followers to do what the scribes and Pharisees taught, demonstrating that he saw their teachings as spiritually beneficial (Matt 23:1–2). Modern Christians, however, have been exposed to an environment, namely churches, where the Pharisees have been traditionally labeled as legalists of the worst order. In preaching and Sunday school lessons, the Pharisees play the lead antagonist to Jesus. I want to suggest that this characterization of the Pharisees is not only unfair, but also historically inaccurate.

Commonly the Pharisees are viewed as legalistic hypocrites. This view is seriously flawed. The best historical sources demonstrate that the Pharisees themselves condemned hypocrisy. As a matter of fact, the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls who did not like the Pharisees because of their lenient rulings and desire to interpret the Written Torah through an oral interpretation that would make it easier to observe, loved to refer to the Pharisees as “those who seek after the smooth ways” (doreshe halakhot)[15] The “smooth ways” seems to refer to their lenient rulings. These contemporaries of the Pharisees from the Qumran community viewed them, as Bible teachers who looked for an easier path. Later the rabbis who are the successors of the Pharisees strongly criticized hypocrisy. Rabbi Eleazar declared, “Any person in whom hypocrisy can be found, will bring down [divine] wrath on the world . . .” (b. Sotah 41b). The Pharisees criticized hypocrisy within their own ranks. They wanted genuine spiritual renewal. Perhaps it would be more honest to view the criticism of Jesus in the same way. He had hopes that his criticism would cause a revitalization spiritually of the Pharisaic movement. The fact that he singles out the Pharisees and calls upon them specifically for a fresh spiritual awakening for holiness that flows from the inside, as well as outwardly, must mean that Jesus was close to the Pharisees in teaching and in practice. In truth, almost all religions have a natural tendency to preach a high level of moral conduct, all the while, some members of the faithful fail to reach the standard set in theory. With all the criticism directed at the Pharisees among Christian teachers and educators, it is highly questionable whether church leaders always live out in practice privately, what they preach and proclaim publically. A preacher, minister or priest sometimes teaches the right way of living publically but fails to meet the proper standard of behavior in his or her private life. Hypocrisy is a problem for all religious faith communities. At least the hypocrite knows what he or she should do. So the grotesque legalistic Pharisee portrayed in Christian caricature is an unrealistic phantom. In fact Jesus teaches his followers to do what the scribes and Pharisees teach (Matt 23:1–2). He does indeed harshly critique some of the scribes and Pharisees as religious pretenders, but at the same time he accepts the content of their spiritual message. The harsh criticism was designed to reach the hearts of spiritual leaders who could recognize their personal needs and shortcomings. This type of “...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations and Maps
• Foreword by Rabbi Charles P. Sherman
• Foreword by Dr. E. William Bean
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Part I: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
• Part II: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
• Part III: Introduction to the Rabbis
• Part IV: Study Helps
• Notes
• Back Cover