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2 “philological” criticism which is the study of the biblical languages for an accurate knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and style of the period,
3 “literary” criticism which focuses on the various literary genres embedded in the text in order to uncover evidence concerning date of composition, authorship, and original function of the various types of writing that constitute the specific literature being examined,
4 “tradition” criticism which attempts to trace the development of the oral traditions that preceded written texts,
5 “form” criticism which classifies the written material according to the pre-literary forms, such as parable or hymn,
6 “redaction” criticism which studies how the documents were assembled by their final authors and editors, and
7 “historical” criticism, which seeks to interpret writings in the context of their historical settings.7
In the last several decades historical criticism has received special attention in the attempt to discover more about the historical nature of a certain figure, such as Jesus. Historical criticism has led us to what may be the most authentic words these historical figures taught or wrote.
Most scholars of ancient literature use textual, contextual and literary criticism, at least, in deciding which words are most likely the authentic words of their ascribed speaker or author, rather than the interpretation of a later author, who may or may not have known the original speaker or author personally, or the interpretation and polemic of a later editor and/or translator. For instance, if the perceivable date of a text seems to be after the death of the ascribed author or from within a community of which the speaker or author could not have been a part, scholars identify that text as not completely original.
Jesus, a Judean Teacher
The terms “Rabbi, Jew, Jewish, and Judaism” came into use around the fourth century CE. Most of these terms come from the word “Judean.” In the area that is now Israel and Palestine, “Judeans” were the people from lands to the north, also called the tribe of Judah, and “Israelites” were from the south and tribe of Israel. Both tribes worshiped Yahweh with only a few differences in their traditions. Over time these two tribes and traditions merged into one people and one faith.
Rabbi David Zaslow who now serves Havurah Shir Hadash, a Jewish Renewal Congregation in Ashland, Oregon, writes this about the Jewishness of Jesus:
It’s easy to utter the words ‘Jesus was Jewish,’ but more difficult for members of either faith to actually imagine this as an historical reality. Many Christians think of the Jewishness of Jesus in the same way they think of the Catholicism of Martin Luther—in other words, he was a Catholic but he broke away from many of the theological doctrines of the church at that time.
Jesus, however, never left Judaism. Along with other great rabbis that Jews study and revere, . . . Jesus was sometimes critical of the often hypocritical and corrupt Temple priesthood led by the Sadducees. But Jesus never left Judaism, even when he was critical of its hypocrisy. He never abandoned the practice of fulfilling the Torah’s commandments.
For the Jews to imagine Rabbi Joshua (Jesus) davvenen (praying) each morning with his talmidim (students) while all are wearing tallit (prayer shawls) and t’fillin (phylacteries) is contrary to two thousand years of Christian art that sought to de-Judaize Jesus and his disciples. 8
Although the title of “Rabbi” was not used until the fourth century, Jesus is called “Rabboni”, which translates as “my teacher,” three times in The Younger Testament. I will use the title, “Rabbi Jesus” in this study in deference to both the life Rabbi Jesus led as a Judean teacher and his later Western Christian identity. We must, however, remember that Rabbi Jesus was not the type of rabbi that we know today. Calling Jesus “Rabbi” is helpful only because it helps us remember the culture and religious traditions that he knew and loved.
Rabbi Jesus preached about and interpreted Torah during the beginning of the reforming of the first century CE Judean religion. With the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 76 CE, temple worship ended and Jewish traditions moved into homes and synagogues. Other well-known religious leaders of this time, such as Hillel, thought and taught in the same vein as Rabbi Jesus.
As the Younger Testament states, Rabbi Jesus probably did not intend to abolish one “stroke of a letter” of the law. (Matt 5:18) He did, however, set his teachings from Torah into new contexts to make them come alive for his contemporary audiences. He created unique, interpretive stories, “midrash,” in other words, which had such a powerful impact on his followers that they were included, over a thousand years later, in the Bible as the Younger Testament alongside the Elder Testament of Torah, Prophets, and Wisdom Literature.
I use the terms “Elder” and “Younger” Testaments to remind us that the more common terms “Old” and “New” Testament are offensive to our Jewish brothers and sisters. The term “old” can carry the connotation of something that is no longer preferable or relevant as opposed to the word “new” that connotes something that is “better” and has replaced that which was “old.” “Old Testament” and “New Testament” perpetuate the understanding that Christianity somehow replaces or is better than Judaism.
1. Merriam, Ninth, 1354.
2. Merriam, Ninth, 530.
3. Pelican, Judaism, xi-xv.
4. Merriam, Ninth, 429.
5. Tickle, Emergence, 137.
6. BBC, “Human Genome”.
7. Encyclopedia Brittanica, “Biblical Criticism”.
8. Zaslow, Roots, 12.
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