The New Testament in the Light of Rabbinical Literature

Description

This course explores in detail the context of Second Temple Judaism, the common point of departure of Jesus and the doctors of the Talmud. We discover the religious and cultural ferment of the time, marked by various Jewish schools (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc.) and by an intense spiritual life around the Torah and its interpretation. Jesus lived and taught at the heart of this milieu: understanding this context helps us to better grasp the scope of his message. Similarly, the rabbinic sages who later compiled the Mishnah and the Talmud inherited this Second Temple world. The course thus shows that nascent Christianity and rabbinic Judaism emerged from a common matrix, which explains certain fundamental similarities between the two.

The course focuses on the joint study of the New Testament and rabbinic literature. The course compares biblical passages (Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Paul's letters, etc.) with texts from Jewish tradition (Mishnah, Talmud, midrashim). This comparison highlights their links and differences. For example, we can see that Jesus and the rabbis often comment on the same commandments in the Torah and address similar issues (the Sabbath, ritual purity, divorce, fasting, etc.), although they may provide different answers or emphases. By comparing these two bodies of literature, the course will highlight the convergences - a common ethic inherited from the Hebrew Bible, the use of similar images - but also the divergences specific to each emerging tradition.

Particular emphasis is placed on the halakhic controversy, i.e. the legal and religious debates between Jesus and the Pharisaic tradition. The Gospels record several controversies between Jesus and the Pharisees. Rather than considering them as mere sterile oppositions, the course places them in the context of Jewish discussions at the time. We discover that these debates were part of an internal dynamic within Judaism: the Pharisees themselves were debating among themselves the best way to apply the Law. Jesus therefore intervened in these halakhic discussions by proposing his own interpretation. By studying these halakhic controversies in parallel in the New Testament and rabbinic sources, the course helps us to understand the profound issues at stake in each position.

The course also compares the discourses, images and teaching techniques used in early Christianity and in the rabbinic tradition. Jesus often used parables and everyday images (the lost sheep, the mustard seed, the ‘kingdom of heaven’, etc.) to convey his message. For their part, the rabbis of the Talmud also use parables and edifying stories, and employ refined methods of exegesis and the art of dialectical dialogue to interpret the Torah. By juxtaposing these pedagogical approaches, we can highlight a common culture of orality and illustration by example, while discerning the originality of each voice. This comparison of teaching methods helps us to better understand the way in which each tradition conceived the transmission of faith and law.

Por último, el curso intenta reconstruir la genealogía de la halajá (ley religiosa judía) a partir de las fuentes de la época. En términos prácticos, esto significa trazar la evolución de una cuestión de derecho a lo largo del tiempo. Este trabajo histórico arroja luz sobre los orígenes de ciertas prácticas y normas. Al seguir esta evolución, los alumnos comprenden mejor cómo se formó la halajá tal como la conocemos en el judaísmo, y qué lugar ocupan las enseñanzas de Jesús en relación con ella.

Además, el uso sistemático de la literatura rabínica para arrojar luz sobre pasajes oscuros del Nuevo Testamento resulta especialmente enriquecedor. Palabras de Jesús o prácticas de los primeros cristianos que podrían parecer desconcertantes al lector moderno adquieren un significado totalmente nuevo a la luz de las antiguas tradiciones judías.

A lo largo del curso, la tradición rabínica sirve de clave para una comprensión más profunda del Nuevo Testamento.

Objectives

This course aims to help you:

• Grasp the importance of ancient Jewish literature for New Testament studies.
• Obtain the necessary tools for understanding the Synoptic Gospels within their Jewish context.
• Develop a halakhic approach to the Gospel, drawing insights from non-legal texts.
• Become acquainted with the significant scholarship on Jesus and the law. 

Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Apply relevant knowledge and articulate well-reasoned opinions on topics within this field of study.
• Analyse the New Testament by identifying and utilizing parallels found in rabbinic literature.
• Contextualize the teachings of Jesus within the broader evolution of Jewish law.
• Integrate New Testament traditions into their historical and ideological context and critically evaluate the implications for Jewish-Christian understanding. 

Course outline

1.     Introduction: law schools at the time of Jesus. Dialogue with the Pharisees.

• David Flusser's Main Ideas
• A Long Christian Tradition
• The Mishnah
• The Legal Schools at the Time of Jesus

2.     The Sermon on the Mount: Jesus and the Torah

• The Antitheses of Mt 5:21-28
• Jesus and the Other Groups
• Jesus' Plan

3.     Jesus and Hasidism

• Jesus: Hasidic Affinities
• Presence of Hasidim in Galilee
• Father-Son Relationship Between the Hasid and God
• Miraculous Acts
• Healing the Sick
• Driving Out Demons
• Power Over Snakes
• Poverty
• Study of the Torah

4.     Jesus' controversies with the Pharisees

• Jesus and Halakhah
• Mk 7:15: The "Netilat Yadaim" and the Controversy Between Torah and Tradition
• Divorce: Mt 19
• The Sabbath
• To Fast or Not to Fast?

5.     The Kingdom of Heaven

• The Different Groups and Their Concepts
• The 3-Stage Historical Approach of Jesus
• The 3-Step Approach of the Pharisees and the Sages
• Observance of the Law Versus the Occupation
• The Yoke of the Kingdom
• To Work or Not to Work for One's Salvation
• The Treasure in Heaven: Between Heaven and Earth
• Bonus / Excursus: Pesikta de-Rav Kahana

6.     Jesus in the Talmud: insights and counter-narratives

• Shabbat 104b: The Birth of Jesus, Virginity and Prostitution
• Sanhedrin 107b: Jesus, the Bad Student at the School of the Sages
• Gittin 56b-57a
• Sanhedrin 43a: The Death of Jesus
• Sanhedrin 43a: Jesus' Mission

7.     Paul and the Jewish sources

• Paul Caught in an Intra-Jewish Debate
• Rabbinical Responses to Paul