Jewish Exegesis of the OT Scriptures in the days of Jesus

by fulltimestudent 16 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  fulltimestudent

  The second type of Biblical document we find in early Judaism is called Midrash, these can be called (in simplest terms) an exposition of a Biblical passage that had the goal of explaining the relevance of the sacred text to the present,

  The key concern of the writers was to bring out the inner (hidden) meanings they attributed to the text being discussed, over and above the obvious meaning. 
  

  The midrash often started discussing a single word, but did more than just explain, the meaning may be extended and implied meanings drawn out with every possible association of ideas.

  By the time of Jesus, Jewish scholars had established seven quite complex rules of interpretation. In later times there were 32 rules governing Biblical interpretation,

  Again, the importance of Midrash is that we gain an insight into how Jewish believers understood the Bible.

  
  

   
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  kaik

  FTS, thanks for your answer. When I studied at university and also under rabbi, both mentioned that majority of Jews lived outside Judea at the time of Jesus and small minority was in their homeland. Jews scattered across two empires-Persian and Roman- were not even aware of Jesus existence. I have read different demographic estimates, where 10% of the population in the Roman Empire had Jewish religion in the peak or Trajan, and only 2% of them lived in Jerusalem and vicinity. Alexandria was the biggest Jewish city, which had tremendous impact on Jewish philosophy, religion, culture; so did Persian and Parthian empire for Jews integrated in the society there. While there is not any indication that Jesus ever was in Babylonia, NT mentions Jesus living Egypt, where he would certainly encounter Jewish thoughts and education radiating from the biggest Jewish centers of learning at his time.

  
  I love Midrash and I had a borrowed copy, but it was too extensive to read. Midrash is very interesting literature to read, as it add much of the information into the OT. For example explain who was father of Kain, how Serpent seduced Eve, why she is called mother of all living but the same is not said about Adam, what was Serpent seed, and so on. Midrash were written in span of 1400 centuries with increased interest outside Judaism. The stories were also popular in the 12/13th century monasteries and during Renaissance when they were translated into different languages like Polish, Czech, Italian, and German. Definitely, it is more interesting than Studies in the Scripture.
  
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  fulltimestudent

  Kaik: I love Midrash and I had a borrowed copy, but it was too extensive to read.

  Yes! I understand your feelings. But it is interesting to see what this alternative stream of Biblical tradition, thought about the problems raised by the documents that were selected to be canonical.

  As you rightly pointed out, the Jewish interpretations were transferred into Christianity via Christian readers of the Midrash in later times.

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  Interpretations (targums, midrash and pesher) and authoritativeness

  Dunn, whose book (Unity and Diversity in the New Testament) I'm using as a base for my comments, when discussing midrash, refers to the differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees over the usefulness of tradition (p.66,67). The Pharisees  (much as the Catholic church also does), understood that Torah consisted of both written (the Pentateuch) and unwritten (oral) works. The Sadduccees (as, I'm sure most readers already know) only accepted the written Torah as authoritative. Dunn explains why the Pharisees took the above stand. It was because the Pharisees recognised that no written law cover all the exigencies of a changing culture, and therefore the written Torah had to be continually interpreted and supplemented. So if the tradition (probably no longer merely oral, but necessarily written) was regarded as a justifiable interpretation of the written Torah then it became part of the Torah and authoritative. The Sadducees however, could not/would not see it that way.

  (Note: Josephus explains his view of the Sadducee/Pharisee argument in his Antiquities XIII.x6 - a web copy can be found at:

  http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/#aoj )
  

  
  

  Those of us who took the JW biblical attitudes seriously will easily see how interpretations can and must change as circumstances and the problems that arise as interpretation impacts on authority.

  As an example, the problems associated with the JW version of midrash are well-known in the JW policy on blood. We can ask, did the policy as originally stated, cover all the positions allowable under Bible usage? Likely not. So we saw changes to the original, maybe similar to what may have happened in example of Jewish discussion. If you'd like to see a modern day, non-witness discussion on a related topic on the use of blood, check out this essay: 

  (Religious perspectives on umbilical cord blood banking

  Link: http://www.vifm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Jordens.pdf )
  Even the form of interpretation had to defined. Eventually, interpretation took two forms - Halakah and Haggadah became defined.

  Halakah was a specific declaration of God's will in a particular case, a rule of right conduct to guide the inquirer in the way he should go. Over time a considerable case law developed covering the whole of practical life and dealing inclusively with civil, criminal and religious aspects. The Halakah is what the authors of Matthew and Mark refer to as, 'the tradition of the elders,' and was a process well under way before 70 CE. The rules of Halakah were what the gospel writers have Jesus objecting to when he sets the 'tradition of the elders' against the 'commandment of God.'

  Haggadah was different. Essentially it was an interpretation designed to edify the hearer/reader, and not necessarily to regulate conduct. It aimed at inducing piety and devotion in its audience.
  In any contemporary Christian church we can read or hear similar things, but the witnesses seem to excel, and modern day audiences may find it all very legalistic and controlling.
  
  

  
  

  
  
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  fulltimestudent

  Pesher.

  Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? (Ecclesiastes 8:1 NASB)

  This is the use of the word 'pesher' in the hebrew versions of the OT. It has an English meaning of interpretation. But in Aramaic versions, a similar Aramaic word, peshar is used 31 times in that version of Daniel, mainly as you likely guessed, in connection with the interpretation of dreams. 

  The peshar format quotes a Biblical text (often very freely) and then gives an interpretation that applies the text to the writer's (of the pesher) world, or to the future . We see a similarity to midrash, but the writers of pesharim, like, as an example, the Qmran (Dead Sea) scrolls often claimed divinely given insight that enabled the peshar or interpretation.

  It assumed a two stage process. In the first stage, the Biblical writer is inspired to write the prophecy, but it remains a mystery until the second stage and God giving the interpretation to his servant. So in the Qmran scrolls we have (to illustrate) the Habakkuk Commentary:

   it says that "God commanded Habakkuk to write the things that were coming on the last generation, but the fulfillment of the epoch He did not make known to him. And as for the words, that a man may read it swiftly; their interpretation (pesher) concerns the Teacher of Righteousness, to whom God made known all the mysteries (razei) of the words of His servant the prophets" (1Qp Hab. 7:1–5, on Hab. 2:1ff.).

  This is completely in accordance with the statement at the beginning of the Damascus document, that God raised up for the righteous remnant "a Teacher of Righteousness to lead them in the way of his heart, that he might make known to the last generations what he was going to do to the last generation" (CD 1:10–12). Not until the two parts of the revelation, the raz and pesher, are brought together is its meaning made plain. The revelation, moreover, is predominantly concerned with the time of the end, the last generation of the current epoch. Three basic principles of Qumran interpretation have already shown themselves:
  (1) God revealed His purpose to the prophets, but did not reveal to them the time when His purpose would be fulfilled; this further revelation was first communicated to the Teacher of Righteousness.

  
  (2) All the words of the prophets had reference to the time of the end.

  
  (3) The time of the end is at hand.

  From the Jewish Virtual Library:

  Link: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0016_0_15650.html

  NT writers used this technique also, check Romans 10:6-9. Here the NT writer interprets Deuteronomy 30:12-14, quoting these verses in a very free translation and then providing a pesher as an explanation.

  And, its interesting to note that Paul may have modelled his interpretation on an existing Jewish paraphrase preserved in a recently discovered Neofiti Targum ( See M. McNamara, The New Testament and the Palestinian Targum to the Pentateuch, Rome, 1966, pp.73-77).

  So, for those who wonder if the NT is inspired,  at what point was the above 'pesher' inspired? Was it inspired when the author of the Neofiti Targum wrote it? Or, when Paul copied it?

  It is also quite clear that when Charlie or Freddy (or, any Bible teacher for that matter) gave us an explanation of a Bible verse in a WT study article, and used an adaption of the pesher technique, was he inspired? Hmmm! apparently not in the case of Charlie and Freddy, as his interpretations havn't quite come true, any more than the pesher of the Teacher of Righteousness, have come true.

  
  
  
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  fulltimestudent

   

   Typological Exegesis.   (Type and Antitype)

  Sixty  years ago, the Watchtower Society published this book:

   

  
  

  Its format was to list and discuss some 42 illustrations or ‘types’  from the OT which, in the opinion of the writer (presumed to be Freddy Franz) demonstrated that Yahweh, during the period Franz thought of as Armageddon, would preserve survivors of this disaster to live forever on the earth. Here’s a copy of the list provided at the end of the book.

  LIST OF 42 TYPES AND PROPHECIES
  OF THE EARTHLY HEIRS OF THE NEW WORLD

  (In the order of their occurrence herein)

  1. The twelve non-Levitic tribes of Israel on the annual day of atonement. — Pages 39, ¶12; 45, ¶20-46, ¶21; 50, ¶26; 352,¶7.

  2. Those who with the meek spiritual Israelites seek Jehovah and righteousness and meekness. — Pages 58, ¶12, 13; 362, ¶2-363, ¶3.

  3. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. — Pages 62, ¶17-63, ¶20.

  4. The Rechabites. — Pages 64, ¶21-67, ¶26.

  5. The "mixed company" that left Egypt with Israel. — Pages 122, ¶23-125, ¶27.

  6. The Nethinim (temple slaves), the non-Israelite slaves and singers and the descendants of the servants of King Solomon. — Pages 142, ¶26-147, ¶33; 300, ¶19.

  7. The Gibeonites — Pages 145, 1¶30; 239, ¶14-243, ¶21; 300, ¶19.

  8. The mariners with whom the prophet Jonah shipped. — Pages 149, ¶35-150, ¶37.

  9. The repentant Ninevites. — Pages 152, ¶40-158, ¶48.

  10. The sheep gathered to the King's right. — Pages 164, ¶7-167, ¶12.

  11. The "other sheep." — Pages 167, ¶12-169, ¶14.

  12. The "great crowd" in white robes, with palm branches.  — Pages 176, ¶10-182, ¶19; 305, ¶6.

  13. King Hiram's woodcutters and stone quarriers and King Solomon's conscripted laborers for doing work before and after the temple's construction. — Pages 182, ¶20-185, ¶23.

  14. The gathered, fed, guided and protected ones of Isaiah 49: 9-13. — Pages 185, ¶24-189, ¶29.

  15. The men in Jerusalem that sigh and cry over the abominations. — Pages 211, ¶14-217, ¶22.

  16. Rebekah's nurse Deborah and other lady attendants. — Pages 224, ¶8; 226, ¶10; 229, ¶14.

  17. The bride's "virgins her companions." — Pages 227, ¶12; 229, ¶14-230, ¶16.

  18. The temporary resident and the settler who flee to the city of refuge for unintentional manslaughter. — Pages 233, ¶4-238, ¶12.

  19. Jonathan the son of King Saul. — Pages 246, ¶3-248, ¶6.

  368

  20. Foreigners who fought along with King David. — Pages 251 ¶10 — 252, ¶12.

  21. Those in the Persian empire who Judaized in favor of Mordecai and Esther. — Pages 258, ¶22-259, ¶¶23.

  22. The "desire of all nations" that comes into the temple  — Pages 263, ¶6-269, ¶16.

  23. The "abundance of the sea" and those who fly like clouds of doves to their dovecotes. — Pages 266, ¶12-268, ¶14.

  24. The queen of Sheba who visited King Solomon. — Pages 268 ¶14-269, ¶15.

  25. The nations and peoples that flow to the mountain of Jehovah's house to be taught his ways. — Pages 270, ¶17-272, ¶20

  26. Jehonadab the son of Rechab. — Pages 276, ¶6-281, ¶13.

  27. Midianite Hobab, the kinsman of Moses. — Pages 281 ¶14-283, ¶16.

  28. Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. — Pages 283, ¶16-287, ¶22.

  29. Noah's sons and daughters-in-law. — Pages 290, ¶5-293 ¶9; 350, ¶4-351, ¶5.

  30. The strangers and sons of the alien who serve as feeders of Israel's flocks and as plowmen and vinedressers. — Pages 296, ¶14-298, ¶16.

  31. The foreigner who comes from afar and prays toward the temple. — Pages 297, ¶15-298, ¶16.

  32. The "ten men" that "take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew." — Page 299, ¶17.

  33. The very great multitude of fish that come to life in the healed waters of the Salt Sea. — Pages 308, ¶10-309, ¶12.

  34. Naaman the Syrian healed by Elisha's prescription. — Pages 310, ¶13-312, ¶16.

  35. Any thirsty one who hears the invitation and himself says "Come!" — Pages 313, ¶18-314, ¶19.

  36. The second set of ten children born to Job after his recovery  — Pages 319, ¶9-322, ¶11.

  37. Jephthah's daughter. — Pages 323, ¶13-325, ¶16.

  38. Joseph's ten repentant half brothers. — Pages 326, ¶19-327, ¶21.

  39. The famine-stricken Egyptians who sold themselves to Joseph. — Page 328, ¶22, 23.

  40. The prodigal son of Jesus' parable. — Page 363, ¶4.

  41. Lot and his daughters. — Page 364, ¶5, 6.

  42. Rahab of Jericho. — Page 365, ¶7.

   

   

  If readers feel inclined, they can read the chapters that discussed these ‘typical’ examples at this site:  http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/survivearmageddon/ymsatitles.html.

   

  Perhaps of all the methods of Biblical explanations used by ancient Judaism, typology is the most mysterious and the most understood.  As a method of understanding the Bible it sees a correspondence between people of the past and the future, or, in the case of Freddy Franz’s book, the present. Except that Freddy’s present, became Freddy’s past after his death.

   

  As Dunn writes,

  “the correspondence with the past is not found within the written text but within the historical event.”

   

  “Typological exegesis is based on a conviction that certain events in the past history of Israel, as recorded in earlier scriptures, thereby revealed God’s ways and purposed with men and did so in a typical manner.”

   

  These events, “manifest a pattern of God’s acts and so prefigure the future time when God’s purpose will be revealed in its fullness in the age to come.”

   

  Can we find examples of typology in  the OT?

   

  Dunn suggests that the Edenic Paradise is likely understood as the “type’ of eschatological bliss by the author of Isaiah (11:6-8) and Amos (9:13)

   

  In the imagination of Bible writers, David becomes the ‘type’ of the coming deliverer (cf, Isaiah 11:1-5) and on the basis of Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses becomes a ‘type’ of future prophets.

   

  In the NT, the author of Romans at 5:14 writes of Adam as the ‘tupos’ (translated as type in English) of “him who was to come.” And the author of 1 Corinthians 10:6  thinks that the events that followed the exodus were ‘tupoi’ (typical) and again that Yahweh’s dealings with the 12 tribes were also typical.

   

  But it’s the author of Hebrews who really gets into typology.

   

  The instruction given to Moses in Exodus 25:40 sets a pattern (in his opinion) , “See that you make everything according to the pattern …”

   

  And the author tells his readers, that the wilderness tabernacle (10:1)was a shadow (or, type) of the antitypical, heavenly, sanctuary.
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  fulltimestudent

   Typological Exegesis.   (Type and Antitype)

   

  Perhaps of all the methods of Biblical explanations used by ancient Judaism, typology is the most mysterious and the most understood.  As a method of understanding the Bible it sees a correspondence between people of the past and the future, or, in the case of Freddy Franz’s book, the present. Except that Freddy’s present, became Freddy’s past after his death.

   

  As Dunn writes,

  “the correspondence with the past is not found within the written text but within the historical event.”

   

  “Typological exegesis is based on a conviction that certain events in the past history of Israel, as recorded in earlier scriptures, thereby revealed God’s ways and purposed with men and did so in a typical manner.”

   

  These events, “manifest a pattern of God’s acts and so prefigure the future time when God’s purpose will be revealed in its fullness in the age to come.”

   

  Can we find examples of typology in  the OT?

   

  Dunn suggests that the Edenic Paradise is likely understood as the “type’ of eschatological bliss by the author of Isaiah (11:6-8) and Amos (9:13)

   

  In the imagination of Bible writers, David becomes the ‘type’ of the coming deliverer (cf, Isaiah 11:1-5) and on the basis of Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses becomes a ‘type’ of future prophets.

   

  In the NT, the author of Romans at 5:14 writes of Adam as the ‘tupos’ (translated as type in English) of “him who was to come.” And the author of 1 Corinthians 10:6  thinks that the events that followed the exodus were ‘tupoi’ (typical) and again that Yahweh’s dealings with the 12 tribes were also typical.

   

  But it’s the author of Hebrews who really gets into typology.

   

  The instruction given to Moses in Exodus 25:40 sets a pattern (in his opinion) , “See that you make everything according to the pattern …”

   

  And the author tells his readers, that the wilderness tabernacle (10:1)was a shadow (or, type) of the antitypical, heavenly, sanctuary.

  
  

  
  
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  fulltimestudent

   TYPOLOGY (Types and antitypes)

  Perhaps of all the methods of Biblical explanations used by ancient Judaism, typology

  is the most mysterious and the most understood.  As a method of understanding the

  Bible it sees a correspondence between people of the past and the future

   

  As Dunn writes,

  “the correspondence with the past is not found within the written text but within

  the historical event.”

   

  “Typological exegesis is based on a conviction that certain events in the past

  history of Israel, as recorded in earlier scriptures, thereby revealed God’s

  ways and purposed with men and did so in a typical manner.”

   

  These events, “manifest a pattern of God’s acts and so prefigure the future

  time when God’s purpose will be revealed in its fullness in the age to come.”

   

  Can we find examples of typology in  the OT?

   

  Dunn suggests that the Edenic Paradise is likely understood as the “type’ of

  eschatological bliss by the author of Isaiah (11:6-8) and Amos (9:13)

   

  In the imagination of Bible writers, David becomes the ‘type’ of the coming

  deliverer (cf, Isaiah 11:1-5) and on the basis of Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses

  becomes a ‘type’ of future prophets.

   

  In the NT, the author of Romans at 5:14 writes of Adam as the ‘tupos’

  (translated as type in English) of “him who was to come.” And the author

  of 1 Corinthians 10:6  thinks that the events that followed the exodus were

  ‘tupoi’ (typical) and again that Yahweh’s dealings with the 12 tribes were also typical.

   

  But it’s the author of Hebrews who really gets into typology.

   

  The instruction given to Moses in Exodus 25:40 sets a pattern (in his opinion) , “See that you make everything according to the pattern …”

   

  And the author tells his readers, that the wilderness tabernacle (10:1) was a

  shadow (or, type) of the antitypical, heavenly, sanctuary.