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Jesus in the Talmud

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Heal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Name of <strong>Jesus</strong> 59<strong>the</strong> Pharaoh <strong>in</strong> Egypt?), and what better name, <strong>the</strong>n, could be used formagical purposes than <strong>the</strong> name of <strong>the</strong>ir God? The fact that <strong>the</strong> Jews<strong>the</strong>mselves avoided pronounc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> tetragrammaton, <strong>the</strong> holiest name ofGod, may have contributed to this predilection for <strong>the</strong> name of <strong>the</strong> JewishGod. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus refers to this prohibition <strong>in</strong>his Antiquities, 48 and accord<strong>in</strong>g to rabb<strong>in</strong>ic tradition <strong>the</strong> tetragrammatonwas pronounced only once a year by <strong>the</strong> High Priest <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Holy of Holiesdur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> service of <strong>the</strong> Day of Atonement. 49 Accord<strong>in</strong>gly, Greek magicaltexts evoke <strong>the</strong> name that cannot be pronounced: “I call on you, eternaland unbegotten, who are one, who alone holds toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> whole creationof all th<strong>in</strong>gs, whom none understands, whom <strong>the</strong> gods worship,whose name not even <strong>the</strong> gods can utter,” 50 or: “I conjure you up with <strong>the</strong>holy name that cannot be uttered.” 51This is <strong>the</strong> background aga<strong>in</strong>st which <strong>the</strong> heal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> name of <strong>Jesus</strong>ben Pantera <strong>in</strong> our story must be seen. Jacob, <strong>the</strong> magical healer, regarded<strong>Jesus</strong>’ name as a most powerful div<strong>in</strong>e name and, as we have seen,not only Eleazar b. Dama followed him <strong>in</strong> this belief, but also Ishmael,<strong>the</strong> spokesman of those who prohibited <strong>the</strong> heal<strong>in</strong>g through a supposedheretic. Such a belief refers directly back to <strong>the</strong> New Testament or, to putit differently, <strong>the</strong> New Testament is an important source for <strong>the</strong> belief <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> magical power of <strong>the</strong> div<strong>in</strong>e name—and most likely <strong>the</strong> direct sourcefor our story. 52 The Gospel of Mark relates <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g exchange between<strong>the</strong> apostle John and <strong>Jesus</strong>:(38) John said to him: “Teacher, we saw someone cast<strong>in</strong>g outdemons <strong>in</strong> your name (en tō onomati sou), and we tried to stop him,because he was not follow<strong>in</strong>g us.” (39) But <strong>Jesus</strong> said: “Do not stophim; for no one who does a deed of power <strong>in</strong> my name (hos poiēseidynam<strong>in</strong> epi tō onomati mou) will be able soon afterward to speakevil of me. Whoever is not aga<strong>in</strong>st us is for us.” 53Cast<strong>in</strong>g out demons through <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>Jesus</strong>’ name does not just meanthrough <strong>Jesus</strong>’ authority (exousia), 54 but, literally, through us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> power(dynamis) <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> <strong>Jesus</strong>’ name. The name “<strong>Jesus</strong>” was <strong>the</strong>refore believedto conta<strong>in</strong> magical power that allowed <strong>the</strong> magician, who was <strong>in</strong>possession of this name, to cast out demons and thus to heal <strong>the</strong> possessed

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