Jesus in the Talmud

Notes to Chapter 4 161“ugly” he refers to presumably has to do with sexual uncleanness; see Maier,Jesus von Nazareth, p. 158.26. The Bavli interpretation is more complex: it first relates the first part ofthe verse to heresy and the second part to the Roman authority, and in a second(anonymous) interpretation relates the first part to heresy and the Roman authorityand the second part to prostitution.27. Or, rather, the anonymous interpretation has R. Eliezer admit.28. See the exhaustive references in Maier, Jesus von Nazareth, p. 159, n. 327.29. See Herford, Christianity, pp. 137ff. (around 109 C.E.); Rudolf Freudenberger,“Die delatio nominis causa gegen Rabbi Elieser ben Hyrkanos,” in Revueinternationale des droits de l’antiquité, 3rd ser., 15, 1968, pp. 11–19; Boyarin isconvinced, with no further discussion, that it was part of the Trajanic persecutionsof Christianity (Dying for God, p. 26), obviously following Lieberman,“Roman Legal Institutions,” p. 21.30. Jesus von Nazareth, p. 163; see also Boyarin, Dying for God, p. 31.31. Maier, Jesus von Nazareth, p. 165.32. Boyarin, Dying for God, p. 27 with n. 22.33. Ibid., p. 27.34. Ibid., p. 32.35. Ibid., p. 3136. However, to implement this approach is not an easy task. Even in Boyarin’spresentation, there appears a conspicuous gap between the intention andthe implementation: his interpretation quite often reads like the paragon of apositivistic reconstruction of reality and one wonders whether he sometimes simplyforgets his methodologically correct intentions.37. About the important distinction between Palestinian and Babyloniansources see below, pp. 113ff.38. Interestingly enough, the same R. Hisda who concludes our story (in theBavli and in QohR) with the ironical statement that one has to stay away four cubitsfrom the harlot, plays a prominant role in a number of the Bavli’s Jesus narratives.39. See below, pp. 99ff.40. In his unpublished lectures.41. Alexander Guttmann, “The Significance of Miracles for Talmudic Judaism,”HUCA 20, 1947, pp. 374ff.; idem, Studies in Rabbinic Judaism, NewYork: Ktav, 1976, pp. 58ff.