Volume 2

The Law of Divorce
231
said that if one party could not live in peace with the
other, they might with permission separate. The stronger
party, however, ought not without cause drive away the
weaker one against the will of the latter. But Jesus' words
did not effect much among His opponents. They were
vexed and proud, but they could not gainsay His arguments.
The Doctor of the Law who had been reprimanded
and converted by Jesus in Lower Sephoris separated
entirely from the Pharisees and made known to the
people that he would for the future teach the Law without
addition. If they were unwilling to retain him on
those conditions, he would withdraw. The interpolated
passage in the Law of divorce ran as follows: "If before
marriage one of the parties has had illicit communication
with a third person, the marriage is invalid. The third
person has the right to claim the one with whom he or
she has sinned, even though the parties of the present
marriage desire to remain united." Jesus inveighed
against this, and declared the law of divorce to have been
given to a barbarous people only. Two of the most distinguished
Pharisees engaged in the dispute were precisely
in that predicament. They were preparing to avail
themselves of that interpolation with regard to divorce,
and therefore had they been zealous in proclaiming that
part of their so-called law. This fact was not publicly
known, but Jesus knew it and therefore He said to them:
"In defending this distortion of the Law, are you not
perhaps defending your own case also?" at which words
they fell into a fury.
5. JESUS IN NAZARETH.
THE PHARISEES WANT TO
CAST HIM DOWN A MOUNTAIN
Jesus went from this place to Nazareth, the distance
being about two hours. He taught outside the city in the