This essay probes a number of Matthean and Lukan contributions to the shared Synoptic narrative, in search of possible reflections of contemporaneous Jewish customs and beliefs with broader circulation.
Did Jesus Save the Life of an Adulteress?
A fresh look at the text and at the historical evidence yields a version of the story of the Woman Caught in Adultery that turns out to be surprisingly different from the way it is usually portrayed.
Joseph’s Silence
Scripture does not record a single word Joseph ever spoke. But Joseph’s example of quiet faithfulness encouraged others to trust God.
Gospel Postcard: The Garden of Gethsemane
The traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane is on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple Mount and its Golden Gate.
An Almost Unknown Hanina ben Dosa Story and Jesus: Exemplars of First-century Galilean Hasidic Judaism
This story shows Hanina ben Dosa, one of the most important religious figures in Jewish history, exemplifying some of Jesus’ most profound and radical teachings.
The Priority of Luke: An Exposition of Robert Lindsey’s Solution to the Synoptic Problem
The pioneering work of Robert L. Lindsey deserves more serious consideration from the scholarly community than it has heretofore received.
Study the Synoptic Problem
Jerusalem Perspective (JP) offers a great deal of content relating to the Synoptic Problem (the problem of figuring out how the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are related).
Yohanan the Immerser Demands Repentance
In Yohanan the Immerser Demands Repentance John the Baptist challenges his audience, which had gone through all the trouble of going out to the Jordan River to receive his baptism, to accept his even more important advice: to repent of their evil deeds and imitate the faithfulness of Abraham their father.
Why Rabbinic Literature Is Pertinent to the Study of the Gospels
The complete 2006 lecture is now accessible to JP users. View now!
The New Testament in the Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The complete 2006 lecture is now accessible to JP users. View now!
“Four Types of Hearers” complex
Read the Four Soils parable in what may have been its original literary context.
Worship Sessions at the 2006 JP Conference
The worship sessions at the 2006 Jerusalem Perspective Conference with special music from Horst Krueger, Liz Kopp and Debbie Dorr. Watch the video now!
Hannah on an Ancient Hilltop: A Tale for the New Year
At the intersection of an unpaved forest road with the path to Horvat Hani lies an almost invisible rocky mound in the western Bethel foothills. Miriam Feinberg Vamosh suggests this site of a ancient convent is actually the intersection of three traditions remembering a remarkable woman of Scripture: Hannah.
Like Lightning from Heaven (Luke 10:18): Jesus’ Apocalyptic Vision of the Fall of Satan
Did Jesus’ vision of Satan plummeting from heaven have a symbolic meaning that is not readily apparent to modern readers?