Foundations of Faith

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FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH IN JESUS M. M. NINAN In the first few centuries CE, there were many sects of Judaism (such as Pharisees, Essenes, and Sadducees) each claiming to be the correct faith. Early Christianity was simply one of many sects of Judaism where Jesus of Nazaareth was the long awaited Mesiah. Some sects wrote polemics advocating their position, and occasionally disparaging rival sects. It is therefore quite possible that the depictions of Jesus in the Talmud is presented as such by rival groups Even though some Christian scholars consider that these references are such depictions, even a basic analysis will show that none of these refer to the Christian Jesus. Talmud and Tosefta The earliest undisputed occurrences of the term Yeshu are found in five anecdotes in the Tosefta (c 200 CE) and Babylonian Talmud (c 500 CE). The anecdotes appear in the Babylonian Talmud during the course of broader discussions on various religious or legal topics. The Venice edition of the Jerusalem Talmud contains the name Yeshu, but the Leiden manuscript has a name deleted, and "Yeshu" added in a marginal gloss. Schäfer (2007) writes that due to this, Neusner treats the name as a gloss and omitted it from his translation of the Jerusalem Talmud. Klausner views the accounts as finally understood to be at most spurious legends combining Jesus with other individuals. Here are some titbits which give some insight into the problem ++++++++++++++++++++++ The following analysis is taken from The Jesus Narrative In The Talmud Written by Gil Student as given in http://www.angelfire.com/mt/talmud/jesusnarr.html Here is how Gil Student explains the Jesus passages away: "Passage #1: Ben Stada Talmud Shabbat 104b, Sanhedrin 67a It is taught: R. Eliezer told the sages: Did not Ben Stada bring witchcraft with him from Egypt in a cut that was on his skin? They said to him: He was a fool and you cannot bring proof from a fool. Ben Stada is Ben Pandira. R. Chisda said: The husband was Stada and the lover was Pandira. [No,] the husband was Pappos Ben Yehudah and the mother was Stada. [No,] the mother was Miriam the women's hairdresser [and was called Stada]. As we say in Pumbedita: She has turned away [Stat Da] from her husband. Summary What we see from here is that there was a man named Ben Stada who was considered to be a 116
FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH IN JESUS M. M. NINAN practicer of black magic. His mother was named Miriam and also called Stada. His father was named Pappos Ben Yehudah. Miriam (Stada) had an affair from which Ben Stada was born. Passage #2: Yeshu Talmud Sanhedrin 107b, Sotah 47a What of R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah? When John [Hyrcanus] the king killed the rabbis, R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah [and Yeshu] went to Alexandria of Egypt. When there was peace, Shimon Ben Shetach sent to him "From me [Jerusalem] the holy city to you Alexandria of Egypt. My husband remains in your midst and I sit forsaken." [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] left and arrived at a particular inn and they showed him great respect. He said: How beautiful is this inn [Achsania, which also means innkeeper]. [Yeshu] said: Rabbi, she has narrow eyes. [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] said to him: Wicked one, this is how you engage yourself? [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] sent out four hundred trumpets and excommunicated him. [Yeshu] came before [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] many times and said: Accept me. But [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] paid him no attention. One day [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] was reciting Shema [during which one may not be interrupted]. [Yeshu] came before him. He was going to accept [Yeshu] and signalled to [Yeshu] with his hand. [Yeshu] thought that [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah] was repelling him. He went, hung a brick, and bowed down to it. [Yeshu] said to [R. Yehoshua Ben Perachiah]: You taught me that anyone who sins and causes others to sin is not given the opportunity to repent. And the master said: Yeshu {the Notzri} practiced magic and deceive and led Israel astray. Background and Summary Note that historians differ on the exact years of these events. For simplicity, we will assume the latest possible dates as suggested by Gershon Tannenbaum [Jewish Time Line Encyclopedia, p. 87]. John Hyrcanus was a successful king and soldier. During a banquet celebrating his victories in 93 BCE, some Pharisee rabbis offended him and he was convinced by Sadducee leaders to try to kill every Pharisee rabbi [Hyman, vol. II pp. 691-692, 766]. Some rabbis, such as R. Yehoshua 117
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Prof. Madathilparampil Mammen Ninan
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The Development Of Mariolatory Theo
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