Two kinds of love operate in the story of the paralyzed man. One kind of love is inclusive and redemptive, the other is exclusive and destructive. Which kind of love will prove victorious?
The view that Jesus could not be affected by impurity and that Jesus was able to spread his purity to others is based on faulty assumptions and invalid inferences.
Ancient Jewish sources attest to a debate over which motivation for keeping the commandments—fear or love—was most highly to be esteemed. This debate surfaces, among other places, in the Talmudic discussions of the seven types of Pharisees. These seven types and the debate over love versus fear illuminate important aspects of Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus’ saying about the sin against the Holy Spirit belongs to developing Jewish ideas regarding the gradation of sin and punishment. It also reflects his high self-awareness.
According to Mark, after one of Jesus’ very first miracles, Jesus would no longer openly approach a town in public, but instead avoided the crowds who continually sought him out.
Evidence from Qumran combined with a likely scriptural allusion suggest a non-ethnic interpretation of Matthew’s editorial additions to the parable of the Vineyard and the Tenants.
In the social reading of the Capernaum Synagogue incident Jesus restores the tattered fabric of the community, exchanging the way things were for a newer and better way.
What can the Greek and Hebrew forms of Jerusalem’s name tell us either about the sources of the Synoptic Gospels and Acts or the audiences to whom these works were addressed?
When nearly precise rabbinic parallels to stories and sayings in the Gospels exist, it may indicate that the Gospels are preserving traditions of the early Jesus movement and, perhaps, the historical Jesus.
In place of accurate facts about Mary Magdalene, strange ideas and fabulous speculations have arisen that have diminished the true image of one of the most important women in the New Testament.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
JP readers ask: Can you explain ritual purity in Second Temple Judaism? The concept of ritual purity, which is foreign to most modern westerners, is introduced in the JP article “A Goy’s Guide to Ritual Purity” by Joshua N. Tilton. Check it out!
Jerualem Perspective readers ask: “What is a jot and tittle?” The meaning of “jot” and “tittle” in Jesus’ famous saying in the Sermon on the Mount is discussed in The Significance of Jesus’ Words “Not One Jot or One Tittle Will Pass from the Law” (Matt. 5:18) by JP editor David Bivin and co-written with …
Taking another look at how John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul related to issues of ritual and moral purity.
Two kinds of love operate in the story of the paralyzed man. One kind of love is inclusive and redemptive, the other is exclusive and destructive. Which kind of love will prove victorious?
Get acquainted with this mysterious and sinister figure.
The view that Jesus could not be affected by impurity and that Jesus was able to spread his purity to others is based on faulty assumptions and invalid inferences.
Ancient Jewish sources attest to a debate over which motivation for keeping the commandments—fear or love—was most highly to be esteemed. This debate surfaces, among other places, in the Talmudic discussions of the seven types of Pharisees. These seven types and the debate over love versus fear illuminate important aspects of Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus’ saying about the sin against the Holy Spirit belongs to developing Jewish ideas regarding the gradation of sin and punishment. It also reflects his high self-awareness.
Luke’s Gospel preserves valuable evidence of pilgrimage routes that would have been utilized by Jewish pilgrims in the Second Temple period.
The Gospels describe Jesus and his followers as keeping halakha to a relatively high extent; they were a group to whom the law was important.
An examination of the role trees play in the New Testament Gospels.
According to Mark, after one of Jesus’ very first miracles, Jesus would no longer openly approach a town in public, but instead avoided the crowds who continually sought him out.
Luke-Acts attests to the connection of the movements of John the Baptist and Jesus to ancient Jewish hopes of sabbatical redemption.
The popular image of tax collectors ostracized from Jewish society demands a second look.
Evidence from Qumran combined with a likely scriptural allusion suggest a non-ethnic interpretation of Matthew’s editorial additions to the parable of the Vineyard and the Tenants.
Ritual impurity and the tensions resulting from Roman imperialism are two aspects of the Centurion’s Slave pericope that often go overlooked.
How Luke 23:34 became embroiled in the Church’s conflicted relationship with its Jewish Roots.
The confession “Jesus is Lord” is the simplest and earliest Christian creed. But how did referring to Jesus as “Lord” begin?
Hindsight and political expedience shaped the author of Matthew’s view of the Roman Empire.
Professor David Flusser investigates the Jewish background of the angel’s song to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest….”
In the social reading of the Capernaum Synagogue incident Jesus restores the tattered fabric of the community, exchanging the way things were for a newer and better way.
Although the wearing of tzitzit is enjoined in Scripture, we do not find records of its actual observance until the Second Temple period.
What can the Greek and Hebrew forms of Jerusalem’s name tell us either about the sources of the Synoptic Gospels and Acts or the audiences to whom these works were addressed?
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke give three different answers. Which, if any, is original?
How well does Aramaic explain Jesus’ sayings on healing on the Sabbath?
Discover connections between Stephen’s Speech and ancient Jewish literature.
Listen to Lindsey discuss his approach to the ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ pericope.
Translation of David Flusser’s, “‘Everything Written…in the Psalms About Me’ (Luke 24:44)” courtesy of WholeStones.org.
Translation of David Flusser’s, “Luke 9:51-56—A Hebrew Fragment” courtesy of WholeStones.org.
Translation of David Flusser’s, “Midrash in the New Testament” courtesy of WholeStones.org.
Neither in his personal conduct, nor in the Sermon on the Mount, did Jesus consider himself to be superior to the Torah’s commandments.
How Jewish tradition informs our understanding of the temptation narrative.
When nearly precise rabbinic parallels to stories and sayings in the Gospels exist, it may indicate that the Gospels are preserving traditions of the early Jesus movement and, perhaps, the historical Jesus.
When Jesus’ teaching is falsely portrayed as entirely new, it obscures what in Jesus’ message is truly unique.
Listen to Joshua Tilton’s JP article “Like Lightning from Heaven (Luke 10:18): Jesus’ Apocalyptic Vision of the Fall of Satan.”
In place of accurate facts about Mary Magdalene, strange ideas and fabulous speculations have arisen that have diminished the true image of one of the most important women in the New Testament.
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.
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.
Scripture does not record a single word Joseph ever spoke. But Joseph’s example of quiet faithfulness encouraged others to trust God.
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.
The LOY reconstruction and commentary on the story of Jesus’ temptation.
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 pioneering work of Robert L. Lindsey deserves more serious consideration from the scholarly community than it has heretofore received.
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).
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.
Jerualem Perspective readers ask: “What is a jot and tittle?” The meaning of “jot” and “tittle” in Jesus’ famous saying in the Sermon on the Mount is discussed in The Significance of Jesus’ Words “Not One Jot or One Tittle Will Pass from the Law” (Matt. 5:18) by JP editor David Bivin and co-written with …
The complete 2006 lecture is now accessible to JP users. View now!
The complete 2006 lecture is now accessible to JP users. View now!