Jesus in the Talmud

94 Chapter 8fitting punishment. And not least we have a case analogous to Balaam andto Titus.One last remark: If my conclusion is correct that an earlier layer of theBavli story indeed refers to Jesus (and not to the sinners of Israel), it isstriking that the advice to Onqelos (“Seek their welfare, seek not theirharm. Whoever touches them is as though he touches the apple of hiseye”) is put in the mouth of Jesus. Obviously, our author wants to conveythe message: despite his horrendous and disgusting heresy, Jesus is still differentfrom the destroyer of the Temple and from the prophet of the nations.He is still one of us, a sinner of Israel, and it may be that he haseven come to his senses while being punished in Gehinnom. Althoughtoo late for him—he cannot be rescued, and he knows it, because of thegravity of his crime—by his advice to Onqelos he may want to give thismessage to his followers: do not believe any longer in my heresy, do notpersecute(?) the Jews; repent and return to the “old covenant” becausethe alleged “new covenant” is fake and folly. 36 If this is the case, our Bavlieditor not just parodies Jesus life and death and an essential aspect of theChristian faith; he addresses the contemporary Christians and calls uponthem to follow the advice of their founder issued from the Netherworld.