Krakower Jodi Lit & Arts C-70 Bible to Judaism & Christianity Final Exam Review Week 7 From Pesach to Pasch, from Sacrifice to Seder I Biblical Texts - Exodus o 12-13 Festival of Passover Passover is festival of remembrance God passed over all Jews' homes during the tenth plague seven days you shall eat unleavened bread No yeast b/c bread didn't have time to rise 14th day of the first month o 23:14-19 Passover is one of the 3 festivals per year that a Jew must honor Also mentioned in Ex 34:18-26 - Leviticus o 23:4-8 Passover as the beginning of the harvest 1st day = holy convocation Seder For 7 days, present the Lord's offerings by fire Not allowed to work (like the Sabbath) - Numbers o 28:16-25 - Deuteronomy o 16:1-8 pesach and matzah festival are one and the same Pesach offered on the 1st day Pesach slaughtered and eaten at central shrine Followed by 6 days of eating matzah Conflation of Pesach ("pass over") and Matzah ("unleavened bread") Festival - Torah often conflates pesach with matzah festival - Variations in dates sometimes given, sometimes not given - Variations show inevitability of exegesis - Documentary hypothesis to explain conflation of festivals o Pesach sacrifice is agrarian and apotropaic Matzah festival also agrarian celebration of cycle of plantingharvesting o Pesach festival is family based Matzah festival was pilgrimage festival o both pesach and matzah get historicized by being associated with exodus from Egypt The Ritual According to Exodus 12-13 - occurs on 14th day of first month - blood manipulation
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involves real food (paschal lamb) and symbolic foods (bitter herms) matzah has historical explanation Jews in a hurry to leave Egypt and did not have time to let dough rise fully
The Seder ("order") - Torah doesn't specifically say to have a Seder, but provides basis for later development - Meal eaten and ritual performed on 1st night of Passover - Questions & answers, praise, scriptural exegesis, narrative o Text used is haggadah - mishnah has basic outlines of the Seder o 4 cups of wine o Appetizers (matzah, lettuce, haroset) o Instruction (4 questions), scriptural exegesis R. Gamliel whoever does not mention these 3 things on Passover does not fulfill his obligation Passover-sacrifice (God passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt) Unleavened bread (redemption from Egypt) Bitter herb (life in Egypt was bitter) o Meal o Hymns of praise (daiyenu it would have been enough) - mishnah has 2 key theological ideas 1) vicarious experience: we feel as though we personally had been taken out of Egypt by the hand of God 2) redemption from Egypt prefigures future redemption - post-mishnaic additions o additional symbolic foods salt water, Seder plate, haroset o the four sons o Cup of Elijah o Songs at the end - Does mishnaic Seder predate 70 CE? o Yes eat paschal lamb, drink wine, sing hymns Presume idea of prefiguration for future redemption But, no evidence for ritualized instruction or symbolic foods o likely that mishnaic Seder is a rabbinic response to the destruction of the temple transfer Passover ritual back to the home of the central shrine The Afiqoman - in mishnah, we do not bid farewell to the paschal meal with afiqoman o traditional explanation: no after dinner treats, entertainment, revelry - in the Seder, we DO have an afiqoman piece of matzah broken off at beginning of Seder, put aside, and eaten after meal (first attested in 13 th century) o symbolizes paschal lamb symbol for redemption = messiah
Week 8 From Pesach to Pasch, from Sacrifice to Seder II Definitions - Easter/Pascha: the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year o celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred after his death by crucifixion - Good Friday: holy day celebrated by most Christians on the Friday before Easter o commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus o Special prayer services are often held on this day with readings from the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion - Eucharis/Communion: the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus' instruction, recorded in the NT to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper o Jesus gave his disciples bread, saying "This is my body," and wine, saying This is my blood o Christians generally recognize a special presence of Christ in this rite, though they differ about exactly how, where, and when Christ is present o "Eucharist" is also applied to the bread and wine consecrated in the course of the rite Biblical Texts - Matthew o Jesus' death is analogous to the Passover sacrifice Passover = sacrifice and liberation o 26:17-30 preparation for Passover and last supper Supper initiates Jesus' death and resurrection Clear fulfillment of God's historic and ancient covenant with the people of Israel - Luke 22:14-20 The Last Supper o Jesus thinks of the meal as pointing forward to the meal celebrating the fulfilling of God's kingdom o Cup of wine = covenant w/Jesus' blood - John 13:1; 19:14,31-37 o Jesus knew that his hair had come before the Passover meal Day of preparation = noon, beginning Passover activities o blood and water poured from Jesus' body denote last supper & baptism o Jesus embodies Passover lamb - 1 Corinthians 5:7; 11:23-26 o Emphasis on new covenant symbolized by cup of wine from Last Supper o Earliest account of Last Supper Bread before meal, wine after - Justin Martyr Apology o 65 administration of sacraments After prayers, saut each other with a kiss o 66 the Eucharist
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This food is the Eucharist; literally means Thanksgiving Only people who believe can participate o 67 weekly worship of the Christians Sunday all who live in cities gather together 1st day on which God made the world Day of birth of Jesus, day after his death Read memoirs of apostles & prophets After prayer, break bread and drink wine Justin Martyr Dialogue 40.1-3 o Paschal lamb as type of Christ Blood of lamb used by Jews to adorn houses When lamb is roasted it is dressed in the form of a cross Melito of Sardis o Meaning of OT Passover Biblical setting Egypt God tells Moses to sacrifice a flawless & perfect lamb without breaking any of its bones Use blood to anoint doors and seal out the bad Israel's Safety Israel unharmed protected by sacrifice of sheep death of sheep = rampart for people Relationship between OT and NT People of OT were model for the church Law became a parabolic sketch Gospel is explanation of law and its fulfillment Church became storehouse of truth predictions of Christ's suffering abel = put to death Isaac = bound hand and foot Joseph = sold into slavery Sheep sacrificed to save Israel deliverance of mankind through Christ led away as a lamb sacrificed as a sheep delivered Xians from servitude to the world released Xians from bondage sealed their souls by his own spirit and the members of our bodies by his own blood
Jews and Christians develop Pesach as a festival of liberation/redemption - past & present, focus on food (real and symbolic), bread & wine - For Xians, the Last Supper is a paschal meal, not quite a Seder - Two Xian traditions concerning the representation of the crucifixion 1) bread and wine of the lat supper in context, a Paschal meal, but Paul downplays the Paschal associations of the meal
in Mt, Lk paschal lamb is present only by implication (matzah called bread, no bitter herbs) became dissociated from Jewish Pesach Apology (Justin) is earliest description of Eucharist No connection w/ Pesach at all (not a meal) importance of Sunday 2) the Paschal sacrifice itself (Paul, John) Justin Dialogue 40: paschal lamb is type of Christ, with whose blood believers anoint themselves (and attain salvation) Some early Xians wanted to observe Easter on 14th of Nisan, regardless of day of the week Quartodecimanism (Latin for "fourteenism") was the practice of fixing the celebration of Passover for Christians on the 14th day of Nisan Melito of Sardis "On Pascha" Major Themes - perhaps a Jew, about a generation after Justin - writes mainly for effect - Jesus is paschal sacrifice (Jesus is paschal lamb) o Paschal lamb saved Jews from death Christ will save Xians in same way - Ex 12 provides "type" crucifixion is fulfillment o Typology, preliminary sketch a foreshadowing o Christ gives meaning, he's the real thing (gospel gives meaning) - Jews slaughter paschal lamb = Christ = God o Jesus is paschal lamb Jews eat Passover while Christ is on cross o Since Jews slaughter paschal lamb and Christ IS paschal lamb therefore Jews slaughtered Christ Since Christ is a man, say that Jews murdered him o Since Jesus is God, then by extension, Jews murdered God Christian Paschal Haggadah? - Yes Melito is same as Haggadah o Read Ex. 12, very midrashic retelling o Some passages sound like inverted dayenu Repetition of single statements o afikomenos = the coming one same as Jewish afikoman? Sounds the same Jewish afikoman is symbol of redemption, Xian afikomenos is like bread - No Melito not the same as Haggadah o No references to bread (matzah) or wine or bitter herbs, nothing involved in the Seder is mentioned o No reference to Eucharist or any other ritual
Week 9 From Shabbat to Sunday Biblical Texts - Exodus o 20:8 keeping the Sabbath Work 6 days, rest on 7th Lord blessed the Sabbath day o 31:12-17 the Sabbath command Sabbath is sign of covenant w/ Israel Whoever does work on 7th day shall be put to death o 35:1-3 Sabbath command Kindle no flame on the Sabbath - Deuteronomy 5:12-15 observe the Sabbath o Uses Exodus from Egypt as central motivation for remembering the Sabbath - Isaiah o 56:1-8 all are worthy to join the community Sabbath observance is the distinguishing mark of the covenant o 53:13-14 addendum of Sabbath observance If you observe and honor the Sabbath, God will watch over you - Mark o 1:21-28 exorcism/teaching with authority Synagogue = village assembly Jesus teaches & acts w/authority and power over the unclean spirits fro the benefit of the people o 1:29-34 healings/exorcisms Jesus commands the demons o 2:23-28 Sabbath & hunger o 3:1-6 healing on the Sabbath Jesus performs healing on the Sabbath - Luke 14:1-6 healing of a man w/dropsy on the Sabbath o Dropsy = swelling from abnormal fluid retention o Shows inclusive nature of Jesus' ministry - John 5:1-8 The Prologue o Signals major concerns of the gospel o Jesus described as God's sole mediator of creation o John was sent as a witness to Jesus o Membership of God's household is determined by God alone Not by hereditary claims of privileged status o God's revelation of covenantal faithfulness is brought to fulfillment in Jesus - Mishnah Shabbat 7:2 o 39 primary labors prohibited on Sabbath 1-11: no tending to agricultural food 12-24: no preparing wool/clothes 25-31: no slaughtering animals 32-33: no writing of any kind
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34-35: no building of any kind 36-37: no kindling/extinguishing fire 38-39: no handiwork Justin Dialogue Do Christians observe the Sabbath? o 19.5 righteous men (Abraham, Moses) were considered righteous without observing the Sabbath o 21.1 Sabbaths were instituted on account of people's sins, not for work of righteousness o 26 no salvation to Jews except through Christ God establishes covenant with Isaiah o 27 why God thought the same things by the prophets as by Moses Jews had to keep Sabbath as punishment for sins they committed
Unusual importance of the Sabbath in the Bible - built into the nature of the cosmos o God created the world in 7 days, rested on the 7th day So, Israelites should rest on 7th day as well - Shabbat is holy o Sign between Israel and God eternal covenant Similar to circumcision o Sabbath connected to memorial of exodus (in Deuteronomy) - What does one do on the Sabbath? o Sabbath is holy day, remember it and keep it holy o Ancient Jewish writers refer to gathering in synagogue, studying the Torah Jesus and the Sabbath - Jesus performs exorcisms/healings on the Sabbath and is opposed by Jews o Not clear if there is a violation here, very vague, but Jews say its not Sabbath-like o None of the biblical stories have a principled rejection of the Sabbath or Sabbath rules (shows creativity of rabbis mishnah Shabbat) - story of plucking grains on the Sabbath (Mark) o Jesus defends disciples who are in DIRECT violation of the Sabbath laws (type of harvesting) Can only violate Sabbath laws in a matter of life and death Disciples could have plucked if they were starving to death...but, grain, in its raw state is not edible anyways o Jesus says that Sabbath was made for humanity, and not humanity for the Sabbath Sounds like a principled rejection of Sabbath, but probably isn't even most Jews would choose a human life over the Sabbath Early Church Views - Bacchiocchi and other Adventists o Sabbath meant to be observed at all times by all peoples
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Thus, Sabbath must have at one point in time been observed by Xians o Moved to Sunday as a result of Anti-Judaism need to dissociate from Judaism Part of the differentiation process Influence of sun cults in roman empire Influence of church of run dominant view o Sunday (Lord's day) replaces Saturday even in NT times b/c the first day of the week is Sunday also day of Christ's resurrection Revelation 1:10 Lord's day Didache 14, Justin Apology 67 Xians meet on Sunday o rise of Sunday connected with rise of Easter redemption from Egypt becomes redemption from sin thus Passover replaced by Easter, Saturday replaced by Sunday (parallel process)
Barnabas relies on allegory/typology - 1st explicit reference to observance of Sunday - God never meant for Sabbath commandment to be taken literally - Allegorical fulfillment of observance of Sabbath through Christ - Sabbath is eschatological symbol the perfect Sabbath follows 6000 years of the world o Eschatological: part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world or the ultimate destiny of human kind, commonly phrased as the end of the world In many religions, the end of the world is a future event prophesied in sacred texts eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or afterlife - 8th day is prolongation of the 7th, day of Christ's resurrection - God explicitly declared your new moons and Sabbaths I cannot endure o Thus, present Sabbaths are not acceptable to God Justin Sabbath is a sign, b/c of hardness of hearts - God never intended for Sabbath to be observed by anyone other than the Israelites o Sabbath observance was a temporary ordinance deriving from Moses, enjoined to Jews b/c of their unfaithfulness - Sabbath is like circumcision sign to mark out Jews o Punishment b/c of the hardness of their hearts - if God really wanted observance of Sabbath, he wouldn't have had the temple functioning on the Sabbath, nor would he have allowed circumcision on the Sabbath o God still governs the world himself on the Sabbath - before Moses, there was no need for Sabbaths and festivals - need to observe perpetual Sabbath where one continually abstains from sin
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Justin's justifications for Sunday worship o Worship day of the sun God once allowed worship of the sun o Sunday was the day on which Jesus arose from the dead o Observe 8th day b/c it possesses a certain mysterious import
Sabbath rest Sunday rest - Barnabas and Justin explain why Xians don't observe the Sabbath - Later Xians understand Sunday as Sabbath - Supposed shift around 4th century (around 321) o Emperor Constantine passed law requiring rest from work on Sunday Facilitated attendance at church Transfer of prohibition of work from Saturday to Sunday Week 10 From Messiah son of David to Messiah Son of God Biblical Texts - Davidic King and Messiah o 2 Samuel 7 a dynasty for David Lord's promise to David of an eternal dynasty Jerusalem as divinely chosen center for worship o Isaiah 9:1-7 new age, new ruler Birth of the heir to the throne 11:1-10 future peaceful kingdom o Jeremiah 23:5-6 terms for righteous and righteousness 33:14-22 reaffirmation of the new promise to David o Psalms 110 the Davidic king With divine help, the king will destroy rulers of the Nations 132 Lord's choice of David and Zion Oath to David Promise of a dynasty conditional upon the obedience of David's descendants - The Virgin Birth o Isaiah 7:10-17 Lord will give you a sign Woman will bear a child Child named Immanuel (God is with us) He will eat curds and honey o Matthew 1:18-25 Jesus' conception & birth Mary is a virgin, but is pregnant Joseph planned to dismiss her, but has a dream in which God says not to Tells him to name the child Jesus The child will save his people from their sins - Justin Martyr Dialogue 66
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o Proves from Isaiah that god was born from a virgin ask of a sign from the Lord child was born of a virgin he shall receive power of Damascus Comings of Christ according to Justin (Dialogue) o 52-54 Jacob predicted 2 Advents of Christ 1) he would suffer 2) after he came there would be neither prophet nor king in your nation blood of Christ = the power of God o 109-110 conversion of gentiles predicted by Micah A portion of the prophecy already fulfilled in the Xians Rest shall be fulfilled in the second advent
The Messiah - roots of the concept o messiah = anointed one teacher who would come and give correct interpretation of Mosaic law, restore Israel, judge mankind o anointment someone receiving God's personal help Jewish kings were anointed with oil being poured over their heads o messianic psalms hymnbook of the second temple songs about an idealized anointed ruler who would destroy enemies of Israel on behalf of justice idealized ruler is son of God o Micah & Isaiah Micah predicts a ruler from the house of David who will restore Israel and inaugurate an age of peace Isaiah describes the birth of a special child Prince from the house of Israel Restore Israel & Judah after troubled period Nature will be at peace during his reign - Anointed One to Eschatological King o Reinventing Messianism Followed maccabean revolt Announce coming of a leader who was to defeat the Seleucid enemy Star and scepter became messiah's trademark o 4 things in common of all messiahs 1) he is a king/prophet b/c he was anointed 2) he is a royal person son of David 3) he will restore Israel 4) he is a human being with an important place in God's salvation o Types of messiahs
Military leader (defeats pagan army in a battle) Sage (Jesus) Messiah presented as wisdom teacher Rule the world by strength of word Interpret Mosaic Law High-priest Defends truth, humility, and righteousness Prophet like Moses Messiah will be Hebrews' heavenly guide Messiah will come on Passover
Messiah in Judaism - 2nd in temple times, Davidic monarchy disappears o many texts envision end time without any individual messiah at all, or with multiple messiahs - rabbinic Judaism understood messiah as Davidic king o warrior, judge, rebuilder of temple - debate about nature and identity of this figure, could be this-worldly, could be other-worldly - 19th century Jews reinterpreted messianic dream to an era of peace and progress rather than an individual person - Present day Jews are still waiting - From daily Amidah (central prayer of liturgy) o speedily cause the sprout of David your servant to sprout o we wait for your salvation everyday Messiah in Christianity - King sometimes referred to as son of God in the Bible, in Christianity this becomes literal - Christ is King of the Jews of the line of David but is also priest, God, son of God, who existed before the world, the Logos - Christ's battle is against sin and death resurrection represents triumph over death - Justin believes that at the second coming there would be a general resurrection of the dead followed by a thousand year reign in the restored city of Jerusalem (Justin 80.1) - Suffering and dying and resurrecting messiah has no precedent in history of Judaism o Justin connects these ideas to the suffering servant passages of Isaiah (which do not refer either to anointed king or to David) and to Psalm 22 (which is a psalm of lament for a king) - Second coming: just as the cessation of the Davidic house required the elaboration of a belief that the house would return, so too the death of Jesus mandated the belief in his return
Week 11 From the One God to the One which is Two; From Torah to Logos Biblical Texts - God and Angels o Genesis 18:1-19:1 - Name of God/Glory of God o Exodus 23:20-25 God sends an angel to represent his presence o Exodus 16:10 glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud Clouds are associated with divine appearance (visible expression of the Lord's presence) Boyarim "Gospel of Memra" - Logos of the Jews o Link which connects a transcendent Absolute with the world and humanity o Idea that Logos was the site of God's presence in the world God's Word/Wisdom as a mediator figure - The Memra o Refers to God's self-revelation o Use of memra serves as a buffer for divine transcendence o Memra works as... Creating Speaking to humans Revealing Himself Punishing the wicked Saving Redeeming o memra performs many of the functions of the Logos of Xian Logos theology Definitions - monotheism: monos, belief in one God alone - henotheism: hen = one, belief in one God o worships one God, but does not deny the existence of other Gods o relative conception of divine supremacy - polytheism: belief in many Gods Monotheism - does NOT mean the belief in only one divine being (radical monotheists do, but wont find any in antiquity) for 2 reasons 1) God's kingdom grows, becomes more distant, need to make him more accessible allow humans to communicate w/God and vice versa king doesn't sit on throne alone leads to the belief in complementary intermediaries associates of God that assist Him in the running of the world 2) Problem with there being so much evil in the world
If God is the ONLY God presiding over the world, why is there so much evil? Leads to belief in antagonistic intermediaries o Adversaries of God, enemies of God Ex) Satan, demons
Divine Intermediaries - Angels messengers, members of the divine court o Gen 1:26 Let us make Adam in our image God is talking with angels here o later on, chief angels become named and grow in numbers & importance doctrine of angels is elaborated (angelology) o Gen 18-19 flit back and forth between angel and God - Attribute of God name, glory, wisdom, speech o Different type of intermediary o Could be another way of referring to God Similar to usage of your Excellency, His Holiness the Pope o Process of hypostasis making an abstract quality (mercy, anger, beauty) into a substansive o Apotropaic theology: cannot define God by what God is, can only define God by what God isn't o Xians believe that Christ is the name, glory, wisdom, and speech of God Name of God - revelation of the divine name YHWH o withheld from patriarchs (Ex. 6:2-5) - God's name resides in the Temple o Shekhinah (presence) o Jerusalem place that God shall choose his name to dwell (Deut.) Glory of God - descends upon Mt. Sinai manifested as a cloud - God's glory fills up the tabernacle in the wilderness/temple in Jerusalem - Redemption in Isaiah 40 all flesh will see God's glory - Jews believe that the name/glory of God resides in the temple o Could just be a polite way of addressing God o Is name/glory of God an actual being? - Xians name/glory of God is Jesus o Jesus is an intermediary between Xians and God Wisdom of God/Logos of God - Proverbs 8 wisdom (a woman) describes herself o God acquired me at the beginning of His work amon (heb) = plaything/architect - Jews Wisdom = Torah o God created the world through the Power of the Torah
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Xians Wisdom = Logos (reason of God) = Christ o Wisdom is Power through which God created the world
For Justin, Christ is: God, Lord, Son (of God), Angel, and Logos of God - Christ is known to be the divine power of the world o Divine intermediary the way in which God appears to humans was able to get his hands dirty - the God that appeared to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, was not the same as God the creator o only differ in number, not in mind - there is another God besides the Creator - Justin is a binitarian o Binitarianism: theology of two in one God, as opposed to one (Unitarianism)or three (Trinitarians) Classically, it is understood as strict monotheism -- that is, that God is an absolutely single being; and yet there is a "twoness" in God At times, this monotheism drifted toward a "twoness" of God: that is, two Beings in one "God family" that is in agreement with itself, composed of the Father and the Son - binitarianism was the common Jewish theology of the fist two centuries Xian Binitarianism vs. Jewish Binitarianism - both share idea of Logos - idea of binitarianism has Jewish roots - how does Christianity differ? o The incarnation Say that Logos is incarnated in Jesus For Jews, the Logos never takes himan form o Xians worship the Logos Jews simply worship God, not his intermediary Power they ARE monolatrous Xians worship God through Christ not monolatrous - both have binitarian thought o Xian becomes a trinity o Jews move away from binitarianism b/c they might be uncomfortable that they are too much like Xianity - What is Monotheism? o According to Jews, Judaism is monotheistic, Xianity is not o Xians assert that Xianity is a monotheism, but a different kind Worship one God, but do it through some other being/intermediary Worship God through the Son of God Christ
Week 12 From Sarifices to Prayer and Eucharist Biblical Texts - Atonement through the sacrifice of animals o Leviticus 16 the Day of Atonement Annual sanctuary purification rite occurring every fall (Yom Kippur) Accompanied by fasting, wear linen (holy garments) Offer 2 male goats for a sin offering, one ram for burnt offering Goal of sin offering is to achieve atonement Focus on purification of sanctuary o Later times becomes repentance of individual this shall be a statute to you forever 7th month, 10th day deny yourselves (fast), no working, complete rest - Critique of sacrificial religion o Hosea 6:6 I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings o Isaiah 1:11 I do not delight in the blood of bulls...goats Washing blood from hands as sign of moral purification o Isaiah 58 genuine fasting must be accompanied by serious moral reformation o Jeremiah 7 faithfulness, not sacrifice is required - The suffering servant, vicarious atonement o Isaiah 52:13-53:12 servant's suffering were caused by the sins of others and make atonement for sin - Christ as high priest and atonement sacrifice o Hebrews 7-10 Author shows how Christ is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek Melchizedek = highest priest-king king of righteousness, king of Salem (king of peace) Christ's death interpreted as the one effective sacrifice that atones for the sins of humanity o Justin 13 Isaiah teaches that sins are forgiven through Christ's blood - Two goats of the Day of Atonement o Justin 40 2 goats were types of Christ 1st goat sent away (scapegoat) & 2nd sacrificed Similar to 2 appearances of Christ 1) sent Jesus away as the scapegoat after having killed him 2) same place in Jerusalem where Jesus should be recognized o Justin 111 God doesn't accept the sacrifices of those who dwelt in jerusalem (Israelites), he is pleased with prayer
Types of sacrifices - public tamid: continual o Sabbath & festivals, special occasions o One lamb, twice a day (in ancient OT times) - private individual obligatory sacrifices o pilgrimage, Passover - private free-will o special occasions Sacrifices by which sins are atoned - purification/wiping clean - focus of Yom Kippur (day of Atonement) o wipe altar clean of contagion of sin o sins need to be cleansed o sacrifice of animal is type of purification - transfer sins to goat after confession to high-priest o easy way of reading into this is that the goat dies for your sins vicarious atonement (scapegoat) Classic statement of vicarious atonement (Isaiah 52-53) - servant song of Isaiah written by an anonymous prophet - suffering servant suffers for sins of others o Servant depicted as sheep led to slaughter o No prominent sacrificial language, but servant's death is associated with sacrifice nevertheless - who is the suffering servant? o Could be the prophet himself o Xians the messiah (bears sins of the world) o Jews people of Israel (atones for sins of the world) Prophetic Critique of Sacrificial Religion - Hosea, Isaiah seem to say that rejection of sacrifice is in favor of spirituality and social justice o God doesn't want rituals, want internal sacrifice Very Xian way of reading this - no ancient Jewish group sees rejection of sacrifice o issue is misplaced emphasis: God desires righteousness AND sacrifice Isaiah 58 God wants righteousness as well as the Sabbath - psalm 51 prayer is more efficacious than sacrifices - Jeremiah 7 redeeming Israel from Egypt without sacrifices In Judaism after 70 CE - prayer replaces sacrifices o before, sacrifice twice a day after, prayer twice a day - other acts are also as good as sacrifice (ex mitzvahs) - importance of repentance
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rabbis replace priests, synagogues replace temple, prayer and study replace sacrifices o alternative religious system created o logically, rabbinic Judaism supplanted the sacrifices emotionally and theologically it couldn't b/c Leviticus explicitly says that God requires sacrifice
Christ as high-priest and atonement sacrifice - Hebrews 7-8 Midrash on Psalm 110 o Christ is a high priest in the order of Melchizedeq: eternal, without human paternity, superior to Abraham (ancestor of Levi, therefore Christ is superior to temple priests) o Just as God replaced the imperfect first law with a second one, he has replaced the imperfect high priest of the Law with a perfect one 7:26-27 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this he did once for all when he offered up himself - Justin sees Christ as a priest o to bear the sins of many o Eucharist, that is the bread and the cup, is the sacrifice that Christians offer o knows that Jews say that their prayers are reckoned as sacrifices that are pleasing to God (117.2) Why did God demand animal sacrifices? - Justin to save Jews from idolatry - Some sacrificial rituals are types of Christ o Flour offering is type of bread from Eucharist o Paschal lamb is type of Christ o Two goats symbolize 2 comings of Christ In Christianity - Christ takes away sins of the world (Isaiah 58) - Priest by the order of Melchizedek new order of becoming a priest o Unlike being a Levite priest, which involves heredity o This is a new, more superior form of priest Become this type of priest b/c God tells you that you are Xians see this changing of priesthood as changing the old structure and law - Christ's sacrifice fulfills/replaces the old biblical sacrifices - Sanctity no longer inheres in the Temple; rather it inheres in the body of Christ and his saints and therefore in the Church and in churches o Xian community is the temple
Week 13 From the nation of Israel to the Nations; the End of Days Biblical Texts - old and new covenant, old and new creation o Jeremiah 31:31-34 Eschatological promises New covenant w/ house of Israel put the law within them I will be their God and they shall be my people remember their sins no more promise of restored relationship o Ezekiel 11:14-21 the future lies w/ the Exiles Gather YOU out of all other peoples and will give YOU the land of Israel Give them one heart and a new spirit Remove heart of stone and give them heart of flesh Follow statutes and obey them The exile group constitutes the true Israel o Ezekiel 36:16-36 God's honor as cause of restoration I will sanctify my great name Nations will know about the Lord Save the nations from their uncleanliness Rebuild the waste places Become like the Garden of Eden - gentiles at the end of days o Isaiah 2:1-5 house of the Lord on the highest mountain (Jerusalem), where God will pass judgment o Isaiah 42 Israel is Lord's servant and the chosen one o Isaiah 49 gentiles will serve Israel, God is like a mother o Isaiah 56:1-8 All are worthy to join the community Sabbath observance is distinguishing mark of covenant Gentiles can participate in Temple worship & prayer o Isaiah 60 Jerusalem restored Dispersed Judeans will unite, as well as gentiles Gentiles will help rebuild temple Manual workers Subordinate to Jews descendants of those oppressed you shall come bending low to you o Isaiah 65-66 Eschatological reversal Return to 1st creation peaceful kingdom in which no creatures kill for food Jerusalem will be the center of worship - Romans 9-11 Certainty of God's purposes toward Israel o Same power that raised Jesus from the dead can restore Israel as well - Galatians 4:21-5:1 allegory of Hagar and Sarah o Hagar represents those descendants of Abraham who observe the law
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o Sarah represents those who through Christ are the true heir to God's throne Parable of the vineyard o Isaiah 5:1-7 love song about vineyard Curse on vineyard will be reversed o Matthew 21:33-46 parable of wicked tenants Vineyard = traditional metaphor for Israel Tenants = religious authorities Slaves = prophets Son = Jesus God's eternal love for Israel o Ahava Rabbah Passage about thanking God for his love of Israel Nature of the love ancestors (lineage, descent) Return the love by observing & teaching the word of the Torah Key link is God's gift of the Torah gave torah to the Jews, so they are the true people of God
Old and New Covenant - new creation time where Israel will sin no more - Jeremiah 31 new covenant with the house of Israel o Xians God will throw out old covenant and will replace it with a new one (new covenant = new Israel) o Jews Torah is eternal, God will change US (we will sin no more), they will be able to observe properly Make them better Jews, recreation of humanity - Ezekiel one heart w/ a new spirit o Remove heart of stone, give a heart of flesh o No more hardness of hearts Gentiles at the End of Days - different typologies 1) Gentiles still gentiles will recognize the authority of God at Zion (Gentiles will stream to Zion to worship God) 2) Gentiles will serve you serve people of God children of those who tormented you will bow down to you 3) Gentiles will attach themselves to God they will convert join the people of God - light of nations o Worship of God will spread like light In Judaism - affirmation of God's eternal love for Israel - chosen people function of lineage & Torah
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Israel (Jews) sees itself as an ethnicity Classical Judaism allows for gentiles to convert o Since that is permitted, Jewish identity CANNOT be ethnic Gentile lineage is not Jewish lineage Ethnic self-conception is offset by gentile conversion chosenness is more of a function of Torah o observers of Torah are God's chosen people gentiles did not need to convert in order to find favor in God's eyes o God wants them to behave properly o 7 Noahide laws we are all descendants of Noah (code of behaviors for gentiles) o Jewish universalism expressed by conversion or by spread of monotheism
Jesus - no sign in gospels that Jesus wanted to start a new religion o opponents and supporters were Jews - parable of vineyard probably only God's rejection of Jewish leadership groups, but understood by Xian exegetes to refer to rejection of Jews Paul -
uses Romans to say that distinction between Jews and gentiles no longer matters o new people of God no longer a descendant group it is not the children of the flesh of Abraham (lineage) who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as seed o descent vs. faith o gentiles who have faith have taken the place of Israelites who do not have faith in Christ
Justin: Xians are true people of God - by faith, Xians are children of Abraham o God's holy people, God's chosen people - those who obey the precepts of Christ are in reality Jacob and Israel true children of God o therefore, all who are descendants of Christ are part of this blessed Israel (b/c Christ IS called Israel and Jacob) - for Justin, Xians are a people o eschatological expectations are similar to that of Jews resurrection of righteous Xians rebuilding of Jerusalem everlasting judgment - Biblical typologies for rejection of Jews and replacement by gentiles o Romans Isaac chosen and Ishmael rejected, Jacob chosen and Esau rejected o Galatians Hagar and Ishmael rejected o Barnabas Esau and Menasseh rejected o Justin Leah = Jews, Rachel = church
Christianity vs. Judaism - Jewish dualism: Jews vs gentiles o Xian dualism: Xians vs. pagans (polytheists) - Xians see themselves as new chosen people, heirs to the covenant o Known as Supersessioniam - Xians constitute a non-ethnic people (a religion) w/universal claims and aspirations o In history, Xian universalism manifested itself by a concern for the other and the imperative to save souls, colonize, and persecute - Jews constitute an ethos, with no universal claims or aspirations o In history, particularism (devotion to one's own self-interest) has manifested itself by a concern with the self and tolerance (lack of concern) for the Other