Christian and Jewish scholars
collaborating in the land and
language of Jesus;
bringing historical, linguistic and critical expertise
to bear on the Synoptic Gospels.
Jesus' Last Week. Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels -
Volume 1
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For the past half-century,
but for only the first time in history, Christian scholars fluent
in Hebrew and living in the land of Israel have collaborated
with Jewish scholars to examine Jesus' sayings from a Judaic
and Hebraic perspective. The result of this research confirms
that Jesus was an organic part of the diverse social and religious
landscape of Second Temple-period Judaism. He, like other Jewish
sages of histime, used specialized methods to teach foundational
Jewish theological concepts such as God's abundant grace. Jesus'
teaching was revolutionary in a number of ways, particularly
in three areas: his radical interpretation of the biblical commandment
of mutual love; his call for a new morality; and his idea of
the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels, the initial
volume, focuses on the Passion Narratives in a search for the
Historical Jesus. It also reexamines the synoptic problem in
light of recent historical and archaeological research. The
volume represents the first attempt by members and associates
of the Jerusalem School to apply collectively the methodology
pioneered by Robert Lindsey and David Flusser. Included in the
volume is the final article written by the late Professor Flusser,
The Synagogue and the Church in the Synoptic Gospels.
Editors: Steven Notley,
Marc Turnage, Brian Becker
Reviews:
• "This fascinating
collection of essays demonstrates the fruitfulness of ‘collaboration
between Jewish and Christian members’ of the School as they
continue to study the Synoptic Gospels together." Robert
L. Webb, McMaster University, Journal for the Study of the
Historical Jesus.
• "There is
little doubt that, like the bird cage in Alexandria, this devoted
beit knesset of properly equipped scholars has produced a perceptive
set of essays, and it will be interesting to see the further
insights that future volumes in this series will almost certainly
produce." Nina Collins, Leeds University, Novum Testamentum.
 |
| Preface |
Steven Notley |
| The Synagogue
and the Church in the Synoptic Gospels |
David Flusser |
| Literary
Languages in the Time of Jesus |
Shmuel Safrai |
| Temple Authorities
and Tithe-Evasion: The Parable of the Vineyard, the Tenants
and the Son |
Randall Buth
& Brian Kvasnica |
| The Double
Love Precept in the New Testament and the Rule of the Community |
Serge Ruzer |
| Learn the
Lesson of the Fig Tree |
Steven Notley |
| Eschatological
Thinking of the Dead Sea Sect and the Order of the Christian
Eucharist |
Steven Notley |
| Jesus and
Caiaphas: An Intertextual-Literary Evaluation |
Marc Turnage |
| The Cross
and the Jewish People |
Brad Young |
| The Kingdom
of God and Study of Torah |
Chana Safrai |
| Evidence
of an Editor's Hand in Two Instances of Mark's Account of
Jesus' Last Week |
David Bivin |
| Early Testimonies
in the New Testament Laws and Practices Relating to Pilgrimage
and Pesah |
Shmuel Safrai |
| Use of the
Hebrew Language in Economic Documents from the Judaean Desert |
Hanan Eshel |
| Appendix:
Critical Notes on the VTS (=Temple Authorities and Tithe-Evasion:
The Parable of the Vineyard, the Tenants and the Son) |
Randall Buth
& Brian Kvasnica |
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The Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research, a consortium
of Christian and Jewish scholars, was chartered in 1985 as an Israeli
non-profit scientific and educational organization dedicated to understanding
better the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and to rethinking
the Synoptic Problem. Examining the Synoptic Gospels within the context
of the language, land and culture in which Jesus lived, this Jewish-Christian
collaboration is unique and unprecedented historically. In 2003, the
U.S. citizens of the Jerusalem School formed a sister-corporation
in the United States which has been granted the IRS's 501c3 Charitable
status for tax-deductible donations.
Jerusalem
School Members<top>
Senior Fellows:
David Bivin
Randall Buth
Weston Fields
Steven Notley
Halvor Ronning
Serge Ruzer
Brad Young
Research
Fellows:
Gary Alley
Sharon Alley
Leehee Aynav
Guido Baltes
Yair Furstenberg
Jeffrey Garcia
Jordash Kiffiak
Brian Kvasnica
Marc Turnage
Fellows:
Sharon Grace
Lenore Mullican
Lois Tverberg
Colleagues:
Jeff Mackey
Deceased Members
Robert Lindsey
(1917-1995) was the long-time pastor of Jerusalem's Narkis Street
Baptist congregation. His research on the Synoptic Gospels led to
the creation of the Jerusalem School in 1985. Lindsey's publications
include his three-volume A Comparative Greek Concordance of the
Synoptic Gospels, A Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark,
Jesus Rabbi and Lord: The Hebrew Story of Jesus Behind Our Gospels.
David Flusser (1917-2000) was Professor of Early Christianity
and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem. Flusser was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences
and Humanities and a recipient of the Israel Prize (1980), the State
of Israel's most prestigious honor. In 1989 he was awarded the degree
of Doctor of Theology by the Catholic Faculty of Theology of Lucerne,
Switzerland. His books include Jesus and Judaism and the
Origins of Christianity. He published over 1000 articles in
Hebrew, German, English and other languages. He died on his 83rd
birthday on September 15th, 2000.
Shmuel Safrai (1919-2003) immigrated to Palestine with his
family in 1922. He was ordained as a rabbi at the age of twenty
at the prestigious Mercaz Harav Yeshivah in Jerusalem. He later
received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
in the fields of Jewish History, Talmud and Bible. Safrai was recipient
of the Jerusalem Prize (1986) and the Israel Prize (2002). He wrote
over eighty articles and twelve books including Pilgrimage in
the Period of the Second Temple and Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef:
His Life and Teachings. He died July 16th, 2003, and was buried
only a few feet from the grave of his close friend and research
colleague, David Flusser.
Chana Safrai (1946-2008), daughter
of Shmuel Safrai, was a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman
Institute, Jerusalem, a teaching fellow at Hebrew Union College,
Jerusalem, and held visiting lectureships in Talmud and Jewish philosophy
at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt and at the
Papal University Wuppertal in Wuppertal. She was well known for
her work in Talmudic literature, the relationship of early Christian
and Rabbinic literature, and feminism within Judaism.
Dwight Pryor (1945-2011),
director of the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, was a founding
member of the Jerusalem School in 1985. He was a prominent teacher
within Christian laity of the Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures
and Jewish-Christianity.
Jerusalem
School Patrons
<top>
The Jerusalem School recognizes all of the supporters
of its organization with the designation of "Patron." The
support of our patrons have helped us over the years to grow this
organization in ways not possible without their generosity. Our patrons
have helped to support our members by providing monies for research,
lecturing at academic seminars, publishing the Jerusalem Studies Volume,
our Annual Symposion Reception, Annual SBL Breakfast and Annual Meeting.
More information about our Patron program.
Jerusalem School Alliance Partners
<top>
A number of organizations around the world have
taken the information from the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research
and made the research more palatable for different segments of the
population. Through our unique relationship, the Jerusalem School's
research and methodology have made it outside the academic setting
and into the hands of the lay community of Jewish and Christian study
groups. To read more about our Alliance Partners or to fill out an
application for your organization please
click here.
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