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Inaugural Conference

August 29th 20139:00am-4:30pm

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian1 Bowling Green

New York, New York 10004

The Gospels in

First Century Judaea

The graduate program in Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins (AJCO) is designed to prepare students for further academic, professional, or ministerial endeavors by providing them with the skills and information needed for reading the New Testament.

The M.A. in Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins is a 36-credit (48 with 12 credits of Modern Hebrew) multidisciplinarycurriculum that introduces the student to the fields of knowledgenecessary for advanced research in the New Testament andChristian Origins. The program is unique in that it engagesaspects of the language, history, religious thought, and materialculture for both Judaism and Christianity in late antiquity.

Nyack CollegeGraduate Programin Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins

Lunch 12:15-1:15

Afternoon Session I (Chair: Steven Notley)

• 1:15-1:45 Eric Meyers (Duke University), Sepphoris, Nazareth, and First Century Galilee

Scholars have often made a great deal about the silence of the New Testament in respect to nearby Sepphoris, which enjoyssuch a rich literary pedigree in Josephus and rabbinic literature. Mark's mention in 6:1-6 that Jesus was rejected by the townfathers of Nazareth, a rather enigmatic statement that has not received adequate attention, is perhaps relevant to thisdiscussion. In light of the fact that massive construction no doubt began in this early period by the royal Herodian family,which doubtless had a positive effect on the local economy, it is not impossible that Jesus's rejection has something to do withhis possible negative attitude toward those responsible for the large-scale urban development so close by. In any case, the factthat the New Testament does not mention Sepphoris, the largest and by any standards the most important Jewish urban spacein Galilee, is an issue worth revisiting once again along with a consideration of what was actually going on there at the time.

• 1:45-2:15 David Emanuel (Nyack College), Matthew 21:6: “From the Mouths of Infants and Babes”: Early Interpretations and Reflections of a Hebrew Verse.

In Matthew 21, the chief priests and scribes confront Jesus concerning the messianic connotations of the words of praisespoken by children. In response to them, Jesus quotes part of a difficult and multi-faceted verse from the Hebrew Bible, Psalm8:2 [Heb 8:3], “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have ordained strength. This paper outlinesthe problems interpreting the verse, and then discusses its reflections and interpretations in the Second Temple period andearly Rabbinic literature. The final part of the paper examines Matthew’s reuse of the passage in light of previous references inSecond Temple literature and discusses how the verse fits into the overall scheme of Matthew’s messianic story.

• 2:15-2:45 Daniel Machiela (McMaster University), The Early Jewish Background to the Laying on of Hands and Demon Expulsion in Luke-Acts

We read numerous times of Jesus and the apostles healing and casting out demons by laying hands on the afflicted, sometimesaccompanied by verbal statements. In 1957 David Flusser first recognized a striking parallel with a similar description ofAbram healing Pharaoh in the Genesis Apocryphon from Cave 1 of Qumran. This paper will seek to build on Flusser'sobservation by exploring the Jewish background of laying on of hands, exorcism, and spirit possession in the GenesisApocryphon and other early Jewish texts.

Afternoon Session II (Chair: Jeffrey García)

• 3:00-3:30 Burt Visotsky (Jewish Theological Seminary), in in Luke 24 and Rabbinic Use of

In Luke 24:31, 32, 45 various forms of the Greek term are used to indicate Jesus’ exposition of Scripture in his postresurrectionappearances in Emmaus and Jerusalem. Comparing this term and its broad lexical range with its usage in rabbinicmidrashic texts from the Land of Israel in the classical (i.e. post-NT) period sheds light on the usage of the term in both theearly Christian as well as the somewhat later rabbinic communities. Recent research by scholars such as Paul Mandel, GünterStemberger, and the present author helps us newly understand this technical term.

• 3:30-4:00 Brad Young (Oral Roberts University), The Forgiveness of Sins and the Power to Overcome Them: A Lexical and Exegetical Study of John 20:23

Most, if not all, currently used translations of John 20:23 interpret the Greek word krateo as meaning that forgiveness may beretained or withheld. The Greek verb, which occurs twice in John 20:23, should be understood in the more basic meaning ofthe term. Forgiveness of sins in the first pronouncement of John is followed by empowerment to overcome sins. In fact, thechurch and the synagogue have understood forgiveness in extremely distinctive ways. Arguably Jewish and Christian views offorgiveness make up some of the most divergent components of these two sister faiths rooted in the rich common heritage ofSecond Temple period Judaism. A fresh exegetical study of John 20:23 will demonstrate the parallel structure and meaningbetween the first pronouncement that the individual is forgiven of sins, and the second pronouncement which actually teachesthat the individual is empowered to overcome sinful conduct.

• 4:00-4:30 Alexandria Frisch (Ursinus College), Matthew 24:28 and the Death of the Roman Empire

In the midst of an eschatological vision about the coming of the Son of Man, Matthew 24:28 reads, “Wherever the corpse is,there the eagles will be gathered.” The scholarly consensus is that the verse serves to indicate that the Second Coming will beas obvious as birds hovering over carrion. Yet, the metaphor does not work – eagles do not eat carrion. This study suggests adifferent interpretation – that the corpse represents a soon-to-be defeated Roman Empire.

Morning Session I (Chair: Frank Chan)

• 9:00-9:30 Jeffrey Garcia (Nyack College), Matt 19:20: “What Do I Still Lack?” : Jesus' Halakha on Giving to the Poor While Jesus’ view of halakha (i.e. Jewish law) has been of general interest to New Testament scholars, “giving to the poor” asan integral part of this discussion has been largely neglected. Even the pioneering studies of New Testament scholars E.P.Sanders and J.P. Meier have overlooked the manner in which “giving to the poor” functions in Jesus’ view of observingTorah. Therefore, the purpose of this paper will be to explore four Synoptic narratives, “The Rich Young Man” (Matt 19:16-22=Mk 10:19-22=Luke 18:18-23), “The Law and Righteousness” (Matt 5:17-20, 6:1-4), “The Widow’s Mites” (Luke 19:1-10), and “Zacchaeus the Tax Collector” (Mk 12:41-44=Lk 21:1-4), in light of the legal context of Second Temple texts andearly Rabbinic literature.

• 9:30-10:00 Steven Fine (Yeshiva University), Luke 22:53: “When I was Daily with You in the Temple...”: What did the Jerusalem Temple Look Like in the Time of Jesus?

Few ancient buildings have inspired more models – three-dimensional and virtual – than the lost Temple of Herod, the so-calledTemple of Jesus. These have been based upon the writings of Josephus, the Rabbis, knowledge of Roman archaeology,observation of the site and occasionally, the Gospels. While model building is an important heuristic exercise, the extantsources – read through the methodological approaches current in contemporary scholarship – are not extensive enough toallow for any but the most schematic modeling of the temple that Jesus, a first century Jew, experienced.

• 10:00-10:30 Serge Ruzer (Hebrew University), In Search of the Jewish Literary Backdrop of Mark 1:1-11: Between The Rule of the Community and Midrashic Traditions from Later Rabbinic Sources

Mark 1:1-11 is presented by the Gospel writer as the programmatic opening of Jesus' messianic biography. This paper aims atidentifying that traditional backdrop, which is crucial for understanding the author's agenda and polemical strategies. Thepaper discusses evidence from the Qumranic Rule of the Community, that could have provided a backdrop for the John theBaptist-centered section (Mark 1:4-5, 7-8). It is further argued that the Jewish messianic scenario, to which Mark 1:1-11 as awhole responds, seems to be reflected in rabbinic midrash. The paper concludes with elaborating on this problem and offeringa tentative solution.

Morning Session II (Chair David Emanuel)

• 10:45-11:15 Claudia Setzer (Manhattan College), Mark 7:28: “Even the Dogs under the Table Eat the Children’s Crumbs”: Women, Food, and Learning.

Food and knowledge are often linked in the ancient world, both in metaphor and reality. Food is one area in a patriarchalsociety where women seemed to control the resources, our sources seeming to take for granted that they supply and preparefood, at least for the non-elite. Knowledge, especially of philosophical and religious matters, would seem to be controlled bymen. Looking at two stories, of the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30) and the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42) revealsa more complex relationship between women, the supplying of food, and the nature of religious understanding. These“crumbs” of text allow us to think more broadly about women as learners and disciples in early communities.

• 11:15-11:45 Steven Notley (Nyack College), Luke 5:33-35: “When the Bridegroom is Taken Away”

Unfailingly, interpreters of this saying read it as a prediction by Jesus for his passion with the bridegroom intended to signalhis messianic self-identity. This is in spite of the fact that the bridegroom as a metaphor for the messiah appears nowhere inearly Judaism. In light of this absence, this study will explore some alternative readings and conclude that the saying wasintended to allude to a well-known passage from the Hebrew Bible with no hint of messianic content. Instead, the saying isevidence of a substructure of sentiment that existed in the closing decades of the Second Temple period that has been largelyoverlooked.

• 11:45-12:15 Lawrence Schiffman (Yeshiva University), The Bleeding Woman in Mark, Matthew and Luke: Perspectives from Qumran and Rabbinic Literature

Jewish law knows of two kinds of impurities caused by a woman’s blood flow, menstrual and extra-menstrual. This distinctionrequires a more or less regular (normal) menstrual cycle, without which purification from menstrual impurity can be verydifficult or even impossible. Both irregular menstrual bleeding and extra-menstrual bleeding can render sexual relationsforbidden or rarely permitted. In this light we suggest that the woman suffering from bleeding of Mk. 5:25-9=Mt. 9:20-22=Lk. 8:43-4 was afflicted with the inability to ritually purify herself or was experiencing halakhic difficulties resulting fromirregular menses. This analysis contributes as well to the history of Jewish law, showing that these laws were indeed practicedin the land of Israel in the first century CE.