Death, Burial, And Resurrection Of Jesus And The Death, Burial, And Translation Of Moses In Judaic Tradition »

A widespread early Palestinian Jewish saying was "As the first redeemer of Israel, so the last redeemer of Israel": as Moses, so the Messiah. This was the major reason why the death, burial, and translation of Moses to heaven in primarily Palestinian early Jewish tradition greatly influenced the descriptions of numerous accounts in the Gospels. The most significant examples of this are Jesus' burial by Joseph of Arimathea in Mark 15:42-46, and the narrative of the empty tomb in 16:1-8. Striking new insights into the background and significance of these episodes are gained here through and analysis of early Jewish materials.

Preface xi Introduction xv I The Death of Jesus, and the Death of Moses in Judaic Tradition 1 I.1 The Passion Predictions of Jesus' Death, and Divine Predictions of Moses' Death 1 I.2 Jesus' Rebuke of Peter, and Moses' Rebuke of the Angel of Death / Sammael 3 A Jesus 3 A.1 Rebuking 4 A.2 Satan 6 B Moses 10 B.1 Jude 9, Zech 3:2, and Moses' Rebuke of the Angel of Death / Satan Just Before His Death 10 B.2 Moses' Words to the Angel of Death / Sammael: "Get away / depart from here!" 14 B.3 The Things of God and the Things of Man 15 B.4 Stumbling, and "Heaven Forbid!" 16 C The Question of Historicity 20 I.3 Efforts to Kill Jesus, and Efforts to Kill Moses 22 A Jesus 22 B Moses 23 I.4 Jesus' Farewell Address, and Moses' Farewell Address 27 A Jesus' Farewell Address 27 B Moses' Farewell Address 27 I.5 The Footwashing in John 13:1-20 28 A John 13:1-20 28 B Moses as Teacher / Master, and Joshua as Servant and Pupil / Disciple 33 a) Joshua 33 b) Petirat Mosheh 39 C The Source of the Narrative, and the Question of its Historicity 48 I.6 Jesus' Struggle with Death and Arrest in Gethsemane, and Moses' Struggle with Death 52
6.1 The Setting 52
6.2 Intense Prayer Before One's Imminent Death 54
6.3 Jesus' Prostration in His Prayer 55
6.4 Jesus' Threefold Prayer 57
6.5 If Possible 59
6.6 Your Will / My Will 62
6.7 Submission to God's Will 63
6.8 It Is Enough / Sufficient 64
6.9 Resting 68
6.10 The Hour (of Death) Has Come 70
6.11 Delivered into the Hands of ... 72
6.12 Pass Over 75
6.13 The Cup of Death 76
6.14 Great Grief 77
6.15 The Contrast of God's Taking Away Moses' Soul Through a Kiss, and Judas' Handing Jesus Over to Certain DeathThrough a Kiss 79 Introduction to Sections 6.16-20 84
6.16 Judas Accompanied by Soldiers and Temple Servants / Slaves at Jesus' Arrest 86
6.17 Swords at the Arrest of Jesus 90
6.18 Jesus' Special Knowledge in Gethsemane 94
6.19 Jesus' Directing His Arrest by Judas with His Troop / Band 95
6.20 Jesus as "I Am," and Those Arresting Him as Falling 97 I.7 Suffering, Giving One's Life, Jesus and Moses as the Servant of the Lord, and Isaiah 53 102 A Jesus 102 B Moses 103 B.1 Suffering 103 B.2 Giving One's Life 105 B.3 Moses as the Servant of the Lord 106 B.4 Isaiah 53 115 I.8 Jesus' Concern for the Welfare of His Mother After His Death in John 19:25-27, and Moses' Concern for the Welfare of His Mother After His Death 125 A Jesus 125 B Moses 126 C Historicity 130 I.9 Death in the Afternoon, in Public, and on a Friday 132 II The Burial of Jesus, the Burial of Moses, and the Well 139 A The Burial of Jesus 139 B The Burial of Moses, and the Well 144 B.1 The Well in Biblical and Judaic Tradition 145 B.2 1 Cor 10:1-4 151 B.3 The Shape of the Well 156 B.4 The Disappearance of the Well at the Top of Pisgah 157 B.4.1 An Unknown Burial Site 160 B.4.2 Joseph of "Arimathea" 162 B.4.3 A Respected Member of the Council, Waiting Expectantly for the Kingdom of God 164 a) Respected 164 b) The Council / Sanhedrin 166 c) Waiting Expectantly for the Kingdom of God 167 B.4.4 A Tomb Hewn out of the Rock 168 III The Resurrection of Jesus, and the Translation of Moses in Judaic Tradition 173 A The Resurrection of Jesus 173 B The Translation of Moses in Judaic Tradition 176 B.1 The Well and the Empty Tomb 176 B.1.1-3 Rolling Away a Large Stone from a Mouth / Opening / Entrance / Door 180 B.1.4 The Inability of Three Persons to Roll Away a Large Stone 182 B.1.5 The Miraculous Strength of Jacob in Genesis 183 B.1.6 The Liturgical Connection of Moses' Death at Pisgah, and Jacob's Encounter at the Well 184 B.1.7 Five Miracles Done for Jacob 184 B.1.8 Jacob's Tremendous Strength in Judaic Tradition 185 B.1.9 The Dew of Resurrection 187 B.1.10 Astonishment / Amazement at the Removal of a Large / Heavy Stone 194 B.1.11 Another Very Early Example in the Gospels of Haggadic Interpretation of Jacob's Well: John 4:1-42 198 B.1.11.1 "It Was About Noon" 200 B.1.11.2 Jesus' Speaking in Public with a Woman 201 B.1.11.3 Asking for a Drink 202 B.1.11.4 Living Water 202 B.1.11.5 A Spring of Water Gushing Up to Eternal Life 203 B.1.11.6 The Samaritans' Coming from Their Town to Meet Jesus, and His Stay with Them in Their Town 206 B.2 The Translation of Moses Without His First Dying 208 B.2.1 Philo of Alexandria 208 B.2.2 Josephus 211 B.2.3 Pseudo-Philo 213 B.2.4 The Transfiguration of Jesus 216 B.2.5 Rabbinic Writings 218 B.3 The Translation / Raising of Moses' Soul to Heaven at His Death 222 B.3.1 Moses' Death and the General Resurrection of the Dead 223 B.3.2 God's Raising Moses' Soul to Heaven at His Death 225 C Resurrection on the Third Day 230 C.1 Three Days Travel from Jerusalem to Galilee 231 C.2 A Three Day Search for Elijah After His Ascension 232 C.3 Corpse Identification Only Within Three Days 233 C.4 Three Days of Most Intense Mourning 234 C.5 Revelation of the Lord on the Morning of the Third Day 234 C.6 Jonah in the Belly of a Large Fish Three Days and Three Nights 235 C.7 The "Binding" of Isaac on the Third Day, the 15th of Nisan 236 C.8 The Beginning of the Redemption of All the Jews on the Third Day, the 15th of Nisan, in Judaic Traditions on Esther 240 C.8.1 God Delivers from Adversity at the Latest on the Third Day 246 C.8.2 A Miracle 248 C.8.3 Mordecai as Savior, Redeemer and Righteous 248 C.8.4 Abasement and Exaltation 249 C.8.5 The Dawn as the Time of Redemption 250 Excursus: The Mocking of Mordecai, and the Mocking of Jesus in Mark 15:16-21a 253
1 Bowing Down and Doing Obeisance 257
2 Crucifixion 257
3 The Courtyard of the Palace, and the Praetorium 258
4 Mocking 261
5 A Purple Robe 262
6 Weaving a Wreath / Crown 263
7 Hailing the King of the Jews 266
8 A Reed as a Scepter 270 C.9 Hos 6:2 and Resurrection on the Third Day 275 C.10 Mourning for Moses for Three Days 279 IV Haggadah and the Questions of Historicity and Truth in the Gospels 283
1 Definition 283
2 The Use and Attractiveness of Haggadah 284
3 The Limits of Haggadah, and the Questions of Historicity and Truth 285
3.1 The Limits of Haggadah 285
3.2 The Questions of Historicity and Truth 287
3.2.1 The Question of Historicity 287
3.2.2 The Question of Truth 288
4 Examples in the Gospels of Jesus and Judaic Haggadah 291
4.1 The Twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:41-52 291
4.2 The Stilling of the Storm in Mark 4:35-41 292
4.3 The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac in Mark 5:1-20 292
4.4 The Mocking of Jesus in Mark 15:16-20a 293
4.5 Jesus' Concern for His Mother When He Is About to Die (John 19:25-27) 293
4.6 Darkness at the Crucifixion (Mark 15:33), and the Tearing of the Temple Curtain (v 38) 294
4.7 Jesus' Resurrection Appearance on the Road to, and in, Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35 296
5 The Empty Tomb Narrative in Mark 16:1-8 298 Summary 301 Sources and Reference Works 305 Author Index 315 About the Author 319