Judaism and Jewish Life in New Testament Times Flashcards
Was the Jewish society homogeneous in its religious hermeneutics?
No. There was a pluriformity both geographically and theologically. Different souces and ways of interpretation.
What are the Jewish sources?
What is Halakah and Haggadah?
The Old Testament
- The Old Testament
- Halakah
- “way/walk” - everything that regulates life, “how to do,” “Can I rescue the animal or not.”
- Midrash (comes from the Hebrew word “darash” = “to seek, study, inquire”) it consists of teachniques of searching the scripture to get an answer to a Halakahish question.
- There is also a category of books that are called midrashim.
- Haggadah
- “To tell”
- The stories and *activity *of Judaism. Building on OT, but embroidering the OT stories with legendary material.
- It can be placed in Targums (aramaic translations of Hebrew scriptures) f.ex. Can also be gathered in other.
- Mischna.
- A work that was qualified in scripture 200 A.D. But it probably has roots much earlier.
- Gathering of the Oral Law material of Judaism, addition to the written law.
- Hard to date, material written down late. Must be cautious when saying mishna applicable for NT research - can be a later development.
- Talmud. -from like 4/500 onwards. Written.
- A development of the written law and the Mishna.
- The babylonian talmud (biggest) and the Jerusalem talmud.
- Heterodox Jewish texts.
- Not accepted by the Jewish scholars.
- Includes Acpocrypha, Pseudoepigrapha
What are the bearing foundations in the Jewish faith?
- the Law
- The Tabernacle/The Temple
- The Sacrifices–The Corban
- The priesthood
- The feasts
- At the time of the New Testament: The Messianic expectation
What is the law?
- The joy over the Law. There is even a feast called “the joy of the law” - they didn’t see the law as a burden, but a gift of God.
- Oral Torah creates “a fence around the Law” (Aboth 1:1). Complements the written torah.
- 613 Biblical mitzvoth (commandments) and innumerable rabbinic ones - depending wich school you adhere to.
- Jesus as the Great Rabbi, authoritative interpreter of the Law, develops the Torah: “But I say unto you.” He upholds the law and give it a deeper interpretation.
What role did the feast have in Jewish life?
- The spine of the year - basic structre of the religious understanding. We have another understanding of time.
- Paul and early Christianity oriented themselves after the festivals (Acts 20:6, 16).
- The Three Pilgrimage Festivals (there are six feasts contained in these!).
- Not all Jews went to Jerusalem, but then they had to do something elese.
See Gundry page 69
What were the feasts and what did they stand for?
- Pesach (Nisan: Mar. - Apr):
- 1) Pesach (“to pass over” the angel passed over the jewish houses in egypt when he saw the blood on the doorpost.);
- 2) the Unleavened Bread (Israel didn’t have tim to leaven the bread when leaving egypt);
- 3) Aviv (celebrating the first sheavesfrom the harvest) - closes the festivals.
- Shavuot: Pentecost (“50” days after aviv)
- the giving of the Law
- New Year-Yom Kippur(Day of Atonement); Tishri (sep-oct)
- Has to do with Judgement,
- Then a time of repentance
- Sukkot (Tabernacles); Tishri (sep-oct)
- The walk in the wilderness
- A feast of great joy over the temple.
What are some of the things that observant Jewish people carried with them to remind them of the Torah?
-
Mesuzah (Deut 6:9, 11:20): the Word of God!
- A little box with scriptures that are put on the doorpost. This sanctifies the house.
-
Tzitzit: the tassels on the mantle; ‘orthodox’ people had long ones—so had Jesus!
- where there to remind of the torah.
- Tefillin: boxes with Scripture verses (Exodus, Schema, the Decalogue) to bind on arms and forehead
The schema Jisrael, the confession of the Jewish people.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
How was the Jewish prayer life ordered and how was it characterized?
- Tefillin
- two or three: Morning, afternoon (minhah, 10th hour), evening prayer
- The spine: the 18-prayer, schemone esre (18 blessings) or ‘Amidah ‘standing’
- Character: Bible centered; blessings (not gimmie gimme, “Blessed are you the Lord of hosts..”)
- The foundation for the church’s regular prayers, “the breviary” (7 times)
- At the table: handwashing (Essenes even bathed) and blessings: “Blessed are you, the King of the Universe who brings forth bread out of the earth”
How was the Sabbath ordered?
- Started with shofar signal.
- Abstain from work (except when life was in danger); cook before the Sabbath
- Go to the synagogue; study the Torah
- Meals, the first with the typical lighting of candles.
Which days where the normal fasting days? When was the common fast of the whole Israel?
Which parties were especially hard on ritual purity?
What causes impurity?
How did you become cleansed?
- Fasts (taanit): fasting Monday and Thursday; common fast (of the whole people) on Yom Kippur, in crises, and as part of the individual prayer life
- Ritual Purity: extremely important
- Especially for the priests
- Essenes (as evidenced in Qumran) especially radical
- Causes of impurity that takes cleansing: semen, menstruation, contact with corpse or leper; contact with gentiles and their houses; with countries outside Israel, idolatry; unclean food
- Cleansed through: washing
