[b-greek] SBL update

From: Jim West (jwest@highland.net)
Date: Mon Nov 20 2000 - 16:32:09 EST


Hello,

Today's sessions (to this point) have been regarding the Historical Jesus.
(In any event, these are the sessions I am attending). Some really
fascinating papers have been offered- the most interesting (to me) on the
political and social causes which led german scholars in the late 19th and
early 20th century to suppose that Jesus spoke aramaic rather than hebrew.
The short of it- Jesus was seen to speak aramaic by those scholars simply
because they wished to remove him from his jewish roots as far as possible.
The second interesting paper (not in order of presentation by the way) was
James Dunn's paper on the oral tradition and the synoptic gospels. He
maintined that the literary model of layers is wrongheaded. Instead, the
Gospels contain a core which is fixed and details which are fluid- as one
would expect in any oral tradition. Finally, the paper by Adrian Leske on
Jesus as Nazarios was wide ranging and really brilliant. Drawing on the OT,
NT and Pseudepigraphal lit. he shows, convincingly in my mind, that there
are many hints that Jesus was associated in some way or other with this
group of Nazarioi and moved to Capernaum so that his message could receive
wider hearing. And, further, that the Qumran Teacher of Righteousness also
had roots in this movement. I quote from my own notes:
(which are fragmentary and staccato) --

 Adrian M. Leske spoke regarding the Nazarene. Mt 2:23. Jesus was a member
of a group called the Nazariot. They settled their own village. Ex 19:6 was
the theocratic ideal. This is picked up by 2 Isaiah. Zech 9:14. There is
some evidence that the nazarioi were fiercely independent and settled in
upper galilee. 1 Enoch 12-16 appears to be from upper galilee. The
righteous ones are "planted" by God. The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs
also may show this connection. Tlevi. Note also that Matthew is called
Levi… (!). Cf Is 11:1 and its use of Nezer. Mt 15:13! The DSS also
describe the planting of the righteous. CD 1;7-11! Comm. Rule. The hymns
(Hodoyot) are especially significant here. Hod 6. Perhaps the teacher of
righteousness was a Galilean. Cf Hod 5!!!! Not a priest from Jerusalem but
a galilean. The early christians were also known as Nazareans. Not those
who took the nazarene vow but those "planted" in righteousness. It seems
likely that before the coming of Jesus a continuation of the prophetic
movement which consisted of many levites. They rejected the Jerusalem
priesthood. Nazareth got its name from these people."

In the afternoon session (on the Historical Jesus and Galiean Archaelology)
Dom Crossan called on archaeologists to make some sort of historical
reconstruction of the society which left those remains behind. The second
paper discussed how the cities of the Galilee demonstrated the sense of
order and power which Roman governors and puppet kings imposed on the land
and its peasants.

hoping some of this is interesting to someone out there...

jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD
Adjunct Professor of Bible, Quartz Hill School of Theology
Adjunct Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Hudson College

http://web.infoave.net/~jwest


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