Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
8
:
Abraham as
…
ancestor
(see Jn 8.33–39), Jewish tradition speaks of “zukhut ’avot,” the “merits of the fathers” (see e.g.,
b. Shabb
. 55a). See also 1.72n.
Stones
…
children
, an Aramaic (“avnayya … benayya”) and Hebrew (“avanim … banim”) pun.
11
:
Share
, care for the disadvantaged is a major Jewish value (see, e.g., Isa 1.10–20; 58.6–7; Ezek 18.5–9; Tob 1.16–17; 4.16;
Gen. Rab
. 30;
b. Ber
. 5a; etc.).
12
:
Tax collectors
, most likely Jews in Rome’s employ, regarded as traitors and known for corrupt practices.
14
:
Soldiers
, including Jews in service to Herod Antipas (see
Ant
. 18.5.1). The teaching conforms to Josephus’s description of John (
Ant
. 18.117), “A good man who commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another and piety towards God.”
15
:
Some regarded
John
as the
Messiah
.
16
–18:
(Mt 3.11–12; Mk 1.7–8).
Holy Spirit
, see 1.15n., Acts 2.1–4.
18
:
Good news, 1.19n.
3.19
–20: John’s imprisonment
(Mt 14.3–4; Mk 6.17–18). Herod Antipas divorced the daughter of the Nabatean king in order to marry Herodias, his niece, who had divorced his brother, Herod Philip. Josephus (
Ant
. 18.5.1) provides details. Jewish law prohibited marrying one’s brother’s wife (Lev 18.16; 20.21).
Rebuked
, on “rebuking” (Heb “tokhei ḥah”), see Lev 19.17;
b. Tamid
28a;
Gen. Rab
. 54.3;
Sifra
89a–89b.
3.21
–22: Jesus’ baptism
(Mt 3.13–17; Mk 1.9–11).
21
:
Praying
, indication of Jewish piety (5.16; 6.12; 9.18,28; 11.1; 22.32,41–46).
Heaven was opened
, Isa 64.1; Ezek 1.1;
2 Bar
. 22.1, indicating direct divine revelation.
22
:
Holy Spirit
, see 1.15n.
Voice came from heaven
, Heb “bat qol” (“daughter of the voice”), a rare means of divine communication (e.g.,
b. B. Metz
. 59b; see also Lk 9.35).
Son
, suggesting Isa 42.1; Ps 2.7. For Jewish messianic interpretation of Ps 2, see
Pss. Sol
. 17.23–24; 4QFlor.
3.23
–38: Jesus’ genealogy
(Mt 1.1–17). Luke traces Jesus’ lineage to Adam (Gen 5.1), also a “son of God” (v. 38; see Philo,
Virtues
204–5). Matthew’s genealogy goes through Solomon (1.6) rather than Nathan (2 Sam 5.14; Lk 3.31), and names Joseph’s father Jacob (Mt 1.15–16), not Heli (Lk 3.23). The seventy-seven names (compare Matthew’s three divisions of 14) suggest completion. For
Adam
to
David
, see Gen 5.3–32; 11.10–26; Ruth 4.18–22; 1 Chr 1.1–4,24–28; 2.1–15.
23
:
Thirty
, conventional age of service: Gen 41.46; Num 4.3,23; 2 Sam 5.4; Dionysius,
Ant. rom
. 4.6.
38
:
Son of Adam, son of God
, without parallel in Jewish tradition.
4.1
–13: The temptation
(Mt 4.1–11; Mk 1.12–13).
1
:
Holy Spirit
, 1.15n.
2
:
Forty days
in the
wilderness
(v. 1) recalls Israel’s testing (Deut 8.2; Ps 106).
Tempted
, or “tested” (see 11.16).
Ate nothing
, see Deut 9.9; 1 Kings 19.8; Jesus enacts the roles of Moses and Elijah.
3
:
Devil
, Satan; in Jewish thought (cf. Zech 3.1–2 and Job 1–2 [“the Satan,” i.e., the “Accuser”]; 1 Chr 21.1) is a member of the heavenly court; his role is to test the righteous.
4
:
Deut 8.3. Jesus counters Satan’s citation of Psalms by quoting Deuteronomy (the citations are closer to the LXX than the MT).
5
:
Compare Deut 34.1–4.
6
:
Given over to me
, suggests Satan presently rules the world.
8
:
Deut 6.13; 10.20.
Lord your God
here can subtly refer to Jesus (1.17n.).
9
:
Jerusalem
, see 2.22n. Matthew places this temptation second and ends with the temptation to universal rule.
10
–11:
Ps 91.11–12.
12
:
Deut 6.16.
Lord your God
, see v. 8n.
13
:
Opportune time
, see 22.3,28.
4.14
–15: Teaching in Galilee
(Mt 4.12–17; Mk 1.14–15).
14
:
Spirit
, 1.15n.
15
:
Synagogues
, locations of Jewish worship, teaching, and community gathering; see 4.44; see also “The Synagogue,” p.
519
.
Praised by everyone
, initial Jewish reception is unequivocally positive.
4.16
–30: Rejection in Nazareth.
See Mt 13.53–58; Mk 6.1–6; a scene unique to Luke (perhaps a rewriting of Mk 6.1–6; cf. Mt 13.53–58). See “Jesus’ Synagogue Sermon,” p.
107
.
16
:
As was his custom
, referring to v. 15.
To read
, most people in antiquity were illiterate.
17
:
Scroll of the prophet Isaiah
, whether Nazareth had a separate synagogue building or was prosperous enough to own an Isaiah scroll remains debated. Jesus would be reading the “haftarah”, a passage from the Prophets (“Nevi’im”) complementing the weekly Torah portion. The earliest rabbinic reference to this practice is
t. Meg
. 4 (3).1; however, both Lk 4 and Acts 13.15 suggest it as might Philo. The text Jesus reads does not appear among the “haftarot.”
18
–19:
Isa 61.1–2; see also Isa 58.6 and the Jubilee tradition of Lev 25 (see
b. Sanh
. 102a). For messianic interpretations of Isa 61, see 1QH 18.14; 11QMelch 1.18.
Spirit
…
is upon me
, 3.22.
Release to the captives
, ironic, given John’s imprisonment (3.19–20). Luke omits Isaiah’s reference to “the day of vengeance” (61.2).
22
:
Joseph’s son
, see 2.33,48; 3.23.
23
:
Doctor, cure yourself
, a similar proverb appears in
Gen. Rab
. 23.4.
You did at Capernaum
, Luke does not describe these events; see 4.31–41.
Capernaum
(from “Kefar-Nahum,” Nahum’s village), a fishing center on the Sea of Galilee.
24
:
Truly
(Gk/Heb “amen,” lit., “so be it”; the only Hebrew word Luke uses), a term usually found at the end of prayers, but Jesus’ usage is not unique (e.g., Jer 28.6).
25
–26:
See 1 Kings 17.8–16.
27
:
2 Kings 5.1–4.
28
:
Filled with rage
, not because of beneficence shown to Gentiles but to Jesus’ withholding his powers from them.
29
:
Cliff
, Nazareth is not built on a cliff.
4.31
–37: Capernaum healing
(Mt 4.13; 7.28–29; Mk 1.21–28). The first of five Sabbath healings (4.31,38; 6.6; 13.10; 14.1). No offense is taken at these healings; Jesus violates no Sabbath commandment.
31
:
Capernaum
, see v. 23n.
32
:
With authority
(also v. 36), perhaps indicating that he speaks on his authority rather than cites earlier tradition (see e.g.,
m. Avot
1.1); see Mt 7.29.
36
:
Commands the unclean spirits
, Tob 3.17; Josephus (
J.W
. 7.185;
Ant
. 8.45–49); 1QapGen 20.16–29; Acts 19.13, and other sources attest Jewish exorcists. The expression “unclean spirit” appears in the Tanakh only at Zech 13.2.
4.38
–39: Simon Peter’s mother-in
-
law
(Mt 8.14–15; Mk 1.29–31). This is the second Sabbath healing (see 4.31–37n.).
38
:
Simon
, see 5.1–11; 6.13–14.
Mother-in-law
, the Gospels do not mention the wife (but see 1 Cor 9.5).
39:
Rebuked
, suggesting that a demon caused the fever (see 4.35).
39
:
Serve
(Gk “diakonei”), origin of the term “deacon” (see also 8.3; 10.40; 22.26–27).