More history i didn't know! Propaganda 1st-century style whipped up the hatred and cruelty and abuse of power we see every day. In my former church, on Good Friday each person would pound a nail into the wooden cross. A grim and humbling reminder of our susceptibility to our worst instincts.
What a wonderful message bringing clarity and scholarship to this totally misunderstood Gospel by a Jewish Author, Matthew as attributed. Thanks so much!!
I await your book that combines historical scholarship with renewal practice for all the holidays. Secular scholars have addressed this ( see the Princeton U. Press series). But there must be better observance than "they tried to kill us, we survived, now let's eat."
Thank you for sharing the truth with this Christian. I can't bear to hear the Good Friday readings because if their brutality. Your explanation resonates so deeply with my soul. I am grateful to you Rabbi.
Very enlightening. I always appreciate your wisdom. You've help me understand some of my discomfort with Christian Good Friday services, though as practiced in my Episcopal church, it is the congregation that calls for crucifition. In that moment, I/we experience a sense of responsibility and remorse for our part in destroying the truth and beauty that every prophet and being attempts to bring into the world. Something within us breaks and we too descend into darkness if only until Sunday.
Romans. God bless 'em! It's amazing to me how God uses even our worst features and choices, individually and collectively, to His own good ends. Like the Romans and Constantine. Historically, that was a disaster to which we are still coming to terms. But like the Buddhist/Hindu story of the three blind men and the elephant, we'll come round eventually to seeing we are all sensing the same elephant.
Thank you! As a young Catholic I was told that every sin I committed was “pounding the nail into Jesus.” Ugh. Well-meaning but so wrong! I’d love to hear more.
Thank you Rabbi Rami for this mind blowing clarification and correction of the age old story. I now have the knowledge and words with which to help set the record straight and further a healing dialogue.
This was a very interesting interpretation. I would be grateful if you would post here or send to my email the source material for this information. I am in no way questioning what you wrote I simply would like to go further in my understanding. I wondered if this was related to the Nag Hamadi Scrolls. My email is kensho3@gmail.com. with Metta, Roni
Thanks again for all your wisdom. I have a slightly different take in that I was not brought up blaming the Jews for his death. Throughout my Catholic schooling and my years of seminary training, I was taught that A) the Romans killed Jesus and B) the Jewish hierarchy was fully and willingly implicated. BUT NOT THE JEWS. Perhaps a factor here is that here in Oz the Catholic Church has never been as right wing or fundamentalist as it is in the US and parts of Europe. One thing I would like to add to your writing here ["Decades later, noticing that few Jews were converting to Christianity, and hoping to attract more Romans, the Gospel writers split Jesus bar Abbas into two characters—Jesus and Barabbas—shifted the blame for Jesus’s crucifixion onto Caiaphas and the Jews, ..."] (and perhaps it's implicit in what you say) is that, for the reasons you give, the authors/redactors of Matthew wanted to write out of the narrative Jesus the Messiah, a Jewish concept, by having him die on the cross, so they could write in a more Greco/Roman-friendly concept __ Jesus Son of the Father. Jesus has been freed from his Jewishness to become Son of God.
In all my years of study as a Catholic seminarian and then coming home to my Jewish faith through my mother I've never seen a more concise, clear and kind interpretation of this event in Jewish and Jesus history. If only it's true understanding could change the murderous and inflammatory interpretation that resulted in anti-Semitism and so much hatred could be heard. Saying kaddish for Jesus is such a soulful response that truly moves me.
More history i didn't know! Propaganda 1st-century style whipped up the hatred and cruelty and abuse of power we see every day. In my former church, on Good Friday each person would pound a nail into the wooden cross. A grim and humbling reminder of our susceptibility to our worst instincts.
What a wonderful message bringing clarity and scholarship to this totally misunderstood Gospel by a Jewish Author, Matthew as attributed. Thanks so much!!
I await your book that combines historical scholarship with renewal practice for all the holidays. Secular scholars have addressed this ( see the Princeton U. Press series). But there must be better observance than "they tried to kill us, we survived, now let's eat."
Thank you for sharing the truth with this Christian. I can't bear to hear the Good Friday readings because if their brutality. Your explanation resonates so deeply with my soul. I am grateful to you Rabbi.
Very enlightening. I always appreciate your wisdom. You've help me understand some of my discomfort with Christian Good Friday services, though as practiced in my Episcopal church, it is the congregation that calls for crucifition. In that moment, I/we experience a sense of responsibility and remorse for our part in destroying the truth and beauty that every prophet and being attempts to bring into the world. Something within us breaks and we too descend into darkness if only until Sunday.
Romans. God bless 'em! It's amazing to me how God uses even our worst features and choices, individually and collectively, to His own good ends. Like the Romans and Constantine. Historically, that was a disaster to which we are still coming to terms. But like the Buddhist/Hindu story of the three blind men and the elephant, we'll come round eventually to seeing we are all sensing the same elephant.
Thank you! As a young Catholic I was told that every sin I committed was “pounding the nail into Jesus.” Ugh. Well-meaning but so wrong! I’d love to hear more.
Thank you Rabbi Rami for this mind blowing clarification and correction of the age old story. I now have the knowledge and words with which to help set the record straight and further a healing dialogue.
This was a very interesting interpretation. I would be grateful if you would post here or send to my email the source material for this information. I am in no way questioning what you wrote I simply would like to go further in my understanding. I wondered if this was related to the Nag Hamadi Scrolls. My email is kensho3@gmail.com. with Metta, Roni
Saying Kaddish for Jesus, bar Abbas
Hag Someach Pesach, Rami
todah rabah!
Thanks Rabbi! Peace to you.
Hi Rami.
Thanks again for all your wisdom. I have a slightly different take in that I was not brought up blaming the Jews for his death. Throughout my Catholic schooling and my years of seminary training, I was taught that A) the Romans killed Jesus and B) the Jewish hierarchy was fully and willingly implicated. BUT NOT THE JEWS. Perhaps a factor here is that here in Oz the Catholic Church has never been as right wing or fundamentalist as it is in the US and parts of Europe. One thing I would like to add to your writing here ["Decades later, noticing that few Jews were converting to Christianity, and hoping to attract more Romans, the Gospel writers split Jesus bar Abbas into two characters—Jesus and Barabbas—shifted the blame for Jesus’s crucifixion onto Caiaphas and the Jews, ..."] (and perhaps it's implicit in what you say) is that, for the reasons you give, the authors/redactors of Matthew wanted to write out of the narrative Jesus the Messiah, a Jewish concept, by having him die on the cross, so they could write in a more Greco/Roman-friendly concept __ Jesus Son of the Father. Jesus has been freed from his Jewishness to become Son of God.
In all my years of study as a Catholic seminarian and then coming home to my Jewish faith through my mother I've never seen a more concise, clear and kind interpretation of this event in Jewish and Jesus history. If only it's true understanding could change the murderous and inflammatory interpretation that resulted in anti-Semitism and so much hatred could be heard. Saying kaddish for Jesus is such a soulful response that truly moves me.