Some time ago, I happened upon an amazing story about the miracle-worker Hanina ben Dosa that is almost unknown and sheds new light on the Jewish background of the Christian gospels. In the last 50 years or so, Gospel scholars, particularly Jewish scholars, have increasingly seen the importance of Jesus’ Jewish origins and his Galilean roots. Further, they have come to understand that Jesus was part of a Galilean branch of Judaism that was more rural and relaxed, and distinctively hasidic (pietistic).[1] Different from the Judean Jews who were urban and scholarly, these Galilean hasidim preferred prayer to Torah study. They were not scholars but charismatic healers and miracle-workers, itinerant preachers and storytellers.[2] Aside from Jesus himself, perhaps the most famous individual of that branch of Judaism was Hanina ben Dosa, a younger contemporary of Jesus.
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Bibliography
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__________; Mimekor Yisrael. Classical Jewish Folktales, Abridged and Annotated Edition, ed. by Emanuel Bin-Gorion. Trans. by L. M. Lask. Introduction and headnotes by Dan Ben-Amos. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990.
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__________. “The Jewish Cultural Nature of Galilee in the First Century,” The New Testament and Christian-Jewish Dialogue: Studies in Honor of David Flusser, Immanuel (series) 24/25, ed. by Malcolm F. Lowe. Jerusalem: Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel, 1990, pp. 147-186. http://www.etrfi.info/immanuel/24/Immanuel_24_147.pdf; https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/4452
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__________ “Hanina ben Dosa: A controversial Galilean Saint from the First Century of the Christian Era (II),” Journal of Jewish Studies 24, 1973, pp. 51-64. https://www.jjs-online.net/archives/article/633
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| I’d like to acknowledge the help I received in producing this article from Professor Brad Young and Ya’akov Love, each with his own contribution. And thanks to Shoshannah Brombacher for her fine artwork. |
Notes
- [1] See Safrai, “Jesus and the Hasidim.” ↩
- [2] Vermes puts material about Hanina into three categories: “Healer, Miracle-worker, Teacher” (see Vermes, “Hanina ben Dosa,” 28). Safrai notes that rabbinic literature mentions explicitly “the teaching of hasidim” משנת חסידים (see Safrai, “Teaching of Pietists in Mishnaic Literature,” 25). ↩
Comments 4
I am new here and a beginner at best, but doesn’t this contradict some of David Bivin’s statements about “Jesus’ View On Pacificism” in his book “New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus?”
You’re right. David Bivin’s view on Jesus’ commitment to non-violence differs from Buxbaum’s. You’ll have to decide for yourself whose view fits best with the ancient sources. One of the strengths of Jerusalem Perspective (JP) is that it offers a variety of views on Jesus and the Gospels from many different perspectives (Jewish, Christian, non-confessional). What unites the authors of JP articles is a commitment to deal with the ancient sources as honestly and rigorously as possible. Reaching different conclusions regarding what the ancient evidence means is not only inevitable, but enormously fruitful. It stimulates everyone to deeper reflection, more intense study, and, ultimately, a richer understanding of who Jesus was and how his message resonates with people today.
Was Hanina ben Dosa mentioned by Josephus? I couldn’t find a reference to him in my minimal search. If not, any idea why?
THANK YOU!!
Michael Graham
Hanina ben Dosa is not mentioned in the works of Josephus, although Josephus does mention another famous Galilean Hasid, Honi the Circle-Maker, referring to him by the Grecized name Onias. Hanina ben Dosa is familiar from rabbinic literature including the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud. For more on Hanina ben Dosa, we recommend Shmuel Safrai’s JP article “Jesus and the Hasidim.”