Jesus, the Sabbath, and the Jewish Debate (Library Of New Testament Studies Series)

Publisher Description

Based on a meticulous textualanalysis of the Sabbath events in the gospels and on the relevant materialin the early rabbinic texts, Collins traces the history of the process by whichJewish law accommodated such acts.Part One considers evidencepreserved in the gospels that deals with the contemporary Jewish debate onhealing on the Sabbath. In contrast with traditionalconclusions Collins shows that Jesus and the Pharisees were fully in agreementconcerning the necessity for such Sabbath acts. Collins also explains thereason for the apparent differences between the Pharisees and Jesus on acts ofhealing on the Sabbath.Part Two traces the continuationof the search by Jewish sages in the second century to find ways to integrateacts of Sabbath healing within Jewish law. The Jewish arguments they composedare then compared with those that exist in the gospel texts. This reveals theirdifferent features, and thus helps to date the composition of the rabbinicdirectives on healing and saving life, in relation to the first and secondcenturies CE.