The Gospels

by Sarah Ruden

  *208 Courtiers or officials of the Romans’ client king.

  *209 See the note, the note, and the note on the Mark version at 12:13–17.

  *210 See the note, the note, and the note on the Mark version at 12:18–27.

  *211 See the notes on the earlier version of the passage at Mark 12:28–34.

  *212 This is the opening of Psalm 110: in the original sense, it likely concerns not David and the Messiah, but David and God, as related by a court musician.

  *213 Taxes, pilgrimages, sacrifices, and burdensome purity laws were among the demands made by the Temple hierarchy and its surrogates, most prominently by the learned teachers.

  *214 “Protection-boxes” refers to phylacteries, boxes containing important scripture verses, worn on the forehead and arm in obedience to Deuteronomy 6:8 and Exodus 13:9. Tassels must be worn by all Israelite males according to Numbers 15:38.

  *215 Couch assignment at dinner parties was strictly by social rank.

  *216 See “rabbi” and “teacher” in the Glossary.

  *217 This was a word the early Christians used for the initiators of candidates for baptism.

  *218 Verse 14 has been excised by scholars as spurious; a standard translation is “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”

  *219 Full converts to Judaism were few, largely because circumcision—which the Greeks and Romans considered a mutilation—was required, and meals with unconverted friends and relatives would no longer be permitted.

  *220 See “hell” in the Glossary.

  *221 See “T/temple” in the Glossary. The great rabbis were in fact deeply concerned about oath taking; on the evidence, Jesus is moving in the direction they and their predecessors moved, toward a more moralistic, less ritually technical and materialistic mindset.

  *222 The tithing requirement was for ten percent of everything.

  *223 Neither would be scripturally permitted for Jews to eat (Leviticus 11:4 and 23).

  *224 The number of prophets actually killed by their own people or their own regimes is very small, at least according to the Hebrew Bible.

  *225 Floggings as a punishment meted out through synagogues are well documented, and anger over religious nonconformity could lead to mob violence, but there is a reason Jesus was sent to the Romans for a hearing and execution: critical law enforcement powers, i.e., capital punishment for public order offenses, belonged to provincial Imperial regimes.

  *226 Abel is humankind’s first murder victim (Genesis 4:1–16). The other victim named has not been definitely identified, but is a recent victim if length of time is in fact the point.

  *227 Psalms 118:26.

  *228 The Temple was devastated in 70 C.E.

  *229 Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11. See the note at Mark 13:14.

  *230 A refugee’s exertions would violate the Sabbath restrictions on work, as well as preempt worship.

  *231 Likely sarcastic. Access to any provisions was strictly limited and their storage places (whether public or private) locked up. Connections to corruption or banditry may be suggested.

  *232 The equivalent of the English adage “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” The signs of the end will be obvious.

  *233 Isaiah 13:10.

  *234 Some of the jingles of the Gospels are simply beyond the bounds of modern taste, as well as beyond the ingenuity in English of this translator. Here “they will beat” and “they will see” are exact rhymes: kopsontai and opsontai.

  *235 See Daniel 7:13–14.

  *236 The four watches of the night were the ordinary system by which nocturnal time was counted.

  *237 Again, the reappearance of Jesus at the apocalypse was expected in short order, and the indefinite delay required explanation.

  *238 “Cutting to pieces” was a Roman term for flogging, and persistently delinquent slaves were sent to special prisons for punishment. See “hypocrite” in the Glossary.

  *239 The girls are waiting for the important wedding procession to arrive, but it is unclear why they would wait alone outdoors for so long at night, vulnerable and wasting lamp oil.

  *240 A talent was standard weight of silver or gold, and though the weight might vary according to the locale, the value was at least quite substantial and more commonly enormous.

  *241 His tenure during this time is confirmed by the historian Josephus.

  *242 Why, then, do the officials not wait until the Passover pilgrims have returned home?

  *243 Probably not leprosy, as the disease rendered a person untouchable.

  *244 See the note at Mark 14:9.

  *245 These are likely “shekels of Tyre,” acceptable in the Temple and worth four denarii each, a denarius representing a standard day’s wage.

  *246 This suggests that the home from which Jesus was arrested was (at least at some point) known but not mentioned, presumably for the sake of discretion.

  *247 See the Introduction, this page, concerning “Son of Man.”

  *248 Zechariah 13:7.

  *249 “The Place of the Olive Press.”

  *250 James and John.

  *251 See the note at Mark 14:43.

  *252 The word is not the important term filos (“close friend”: See “love” in the Glossary), but the ironic and condescending hetairos (see Matthew 20:13 and 22:12).

  *253 Compare the (textually vexed) account in Mark 14:47, and see this page of the Introduction. Here, one of Jesus’ actual followers—not of course a person permitted to be heavily armed in occupied Judea—draws “his” sword; but the verb I render literally as “stretching out his hand” represents a movement out of the proper sequence. As I try to reconstruct plausible versions of the historical scene, I think it’s possible that someone grabbed a soldier’s or bodyguard’s sword in the fray.

  *254 That is, as many as 72,000 troops.

  *255 Reference(s) uncertain.

  *256 It is uncertain what the citation(s) would be.

  *257 The high priest chairs the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish governing body; but this body is answerable to the Roman occupation.

  *258 The Temple stands for Jesus’ body; the claim is made, but only in John 2:19. Again, inclusive reckoning counts all units of time fully, even the unit at the end or beginning of which something takes place.

  *259 See the note at Mark 14:61.

  *260 Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13.

  *261 The tearing of clothes was forbidden to him (Leviticus 10:6 and 21:10).

  *262 See “swear” and “curse” in the Glossary.

  *263 As confirmed by a contemporary inscription, this was the Roman governor at the time.

  *264 This field is associated with a place called Akeldama in Jerusalem. Where fertile land was at a premium, a plot with pitted, clayey soil was an ideal one for cheap burials. Here is the first firmly identified “potter’s field.”

  *265 Zechariah 11:13. The context is an insulting underpayment for work.

  *266 See the note at Mark 15:2.

  *267 See the note at Mark 15:6.

  *268 See the note at Mark 15:13.

  *269 See Deuteronomy 21:1–9 for the ritual involving handwashing, performed by Jewish officials when a murderer is unknown. It is not likely that Pilate would even have known about the ritual, or would have wished to renounce responsibility publicly.

  *270 That is, with a whip studded with small sharp objects for cutting flesh.

  *271 Scarlet came from an exp
ensive dye. This is a high military officer’s cloak, such as the emperor himself could wear in his capacity as commander in chief, or merely in propaganda images. But the scepter is a Near Eastern symbol of royalty.

  *272 Acquiring temporary porters by force was a right of Roman soldiers. The horizontal crosspiece alone could be deemed an adequate load.

  *273 By tradition, the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Even in antiquity, a thoroughfare passed by it.

  *274 Probably an extension of the mocking torments; the gall (sometimes used on nipples to wean babies) would make the wine undrinkable.

  *275 The titulus, a regular element of crucifixions.

  *276 See “thief” in the Glossary.

  *277 Again, the literal “three days” represent two by inclusive reckoning.

  *278 The onlookers’ insult contains wording about rescue familiar from the Psalms but may also hint at the exposure of unwanted infants in Greco-Roman culture, a compelling cause for which decision (which, within a family, belonged to the husband alone) was the belief that the child had been fathered by someone else.

  *279 From Psalms 22:1, but this is an Aramaic version.

  *280 The vinegar or sour wine is probably part of the soldiers’ rations.

  *281 The persecuted Elijah, with his visible journey into heaven (2 Kings 2), seems a natural rescuer at this moment; he has already been associated with Jesus repeatedly.

  *282 The Holy of Holies in the Temple, the space considered to contain God’s actual power and presence, was kept separated, untouched, and covered.

  *283 The centurion, a division commander, is probably in charge of the proceedings.

  *284 Probably women of independent means, as indicated in Luke 8:1–3.

  *285 John and the other James.

  *286 A home of uncertain location.

  *287 He may act as a mediator between the Jewish hierarchy and the Roman governor concerning the tricky matter of burial on the eve of the Sabbath: the necessary work may not take place after sundown. Deuteronomy 21:22–23 forbids corpses of the executed ever to be hung on display overnight. Perhaps these are the reasons he prepares the corpse himself, even though this is conventionally a women’s task. He is, in any event, a wealthy man, with a prestigious new tomb at his disposal.

  *288 The officials appear to be conducting this dishonest business with a foreigner on the Sabbath, a triple outrage against Jewish law and ethics.

  *289 In modern terms, from Friday through Sunday.

  *290 Dereliction of guard duty carried the death penalty.

  *291 The most famous version of the Great Commission.

  The Good News According to Loukas

  Chapter 1

  1 Inasmuch as many have put their hand to the task of drawing up a narrative of the things brought to fulfillment among us, 2 according to the way those who were the original eye-witnesses and servants of the story have passed it on to us; 3 I also have deemed it right that, precisely following everything from the onset, I write it down in the proper order for you, Theofilos, your excellency, 4 so that you can ascertain, in this reliable form, the stories in which you have been instructed.*1

  5 In the days of Hērōdēs king of Ioudaia, there happened to be a priest by the name of Zacharias, in the Abia division of daily duties, and his wife was one of the descendants of Aarōn, and her name was Elisabet.*2 6 They were both lawful before god’s eyes, making their way blamelessly in the commands and the other lawful requirements of the lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elisabet was unable to bear any, and both of them were far along in their days.

  8 But it happened that, while he was serving before god as a priest in the successive order of his division, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the lord’s shrine and offer incense.*3 10 And the whole of the people prayed outside during the hour of the incense offering. 11 Then there appeared to him a messenger of the lord, standing to the right of the altar for incense. 12 And Zacharias was thunderstruck when he saw this, and fear overcame him. 13 But the messenger said to him,

  “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias,

  Because your entreaty has been heard,

  And your wife Elisabet will give birth to a son for you,

  And you will call his name Iōannēs.

  14 And you will have joy and delight.

  And many will find joy in his birth,

  15 Since he will be great in the eyes of [the] lord—

  And wine and liquor he must never drink—

  And he will be filled with the holy life-breath

  When he is still in his mother’s womb,

  16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israēl

  To the lord their god;

  17 And he will go ahead, before him,

  With the life-breath and power of Ēlias,

  To turn the hearts of fathers to their children,

  And the disobedient to the insight of the lawful,

  To make ready for the lord a people prepared.”*4

  18 But Zacharias said to the messenger: “On what evidence can I be sure of this? I’m an old man, you see, and my wife is far along in her days.” 19 And the messenger answered by saying to him, “I am Gabriēl, and I stand in god’s presence, before his face,*5 and I have been sent here to speak to you and to give you this good news. 20 But look: you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things happen: this is the price of not believing the things I’ve told you, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

  21 But the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they were surprised that he was staying such a long time in the shrine. 22 And when he came out, he wasn’t able to speak to them, and they recognized that he had seen a vision in the shrine; and he kept making signs to them, but he remained mute. 23 Then it came about that the days of his service were completed, and he went away to his home.

  24 After these days, his wife Elisabet conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is what the lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my shame among humankind.”*6 26 But in the sixth month, the messenger Gabriēl was sent by god to the town of Galilaia with the name Nazareth,*7 27 to a young girl who was betrothed to a man with the name Iōsēf, from the house of David,*8 and the name of the young girl was Mariam.*9 28 And entering her home and approaching her, Gabriēl said, “Joy to you, who are given such a joyful favor!*10 The lord is with you.” 29 Now, she was thoroughly confused at the speech, and was trying to work out what this greeting could mean. 30 But the messenger said to her:

  “Don’t be afraid, Mariam: you’ve found favor with god.

  31 And look, you’ll conceive in your womb and give birth to a son,

  And you are to call him by the name Iēsous.*11

  32 He will be great and will be called the son of the highest one.

  And the lord god will give him the throne of David his ancestor.

  33 And he will be king over the house of Iakōb for endless ages, And for his kingdom there will be no end.”

  34 But Mariam said to the messenger, “How will this happen, since I’m not familiar with a man?”*12 35 Then the messenger said to her:

  “The holy life-breath will come over you,

  And the power of the highest one will send a shadow over you:*13

  Therefore, also, the holy one who is born will be called the son of god.

  36 “And look, Elisabet your relative has conceived a son herself in her old age, and now this is the sixth month for the woman they said could not bear children: 37 because nothing god decrees will prove impossible.” 38 And Mariam said, “Look, the lord’s slave! Let it be as you’ve decreed.�
�� And the messenger went away from her.

  39 Then, during the following days, Mariam set off and traveled with eager haste to the hill country, to a town of Iouda.*14 40 And she came into Zacharias’ house and greeted Elisabet. 41 And it happened that when Elisabet heard Mariam’s greeting, the baby capered in her womb, and Elisabet was filled with the holy life-breath, 42 and she raised her voice and said with a loud cry,

  “You, among all women, are blessed,

  And the harvest of your womb is blessed.

  43 “But why is it that my lord’s mother comes to me? 44 Look, as soon as your call of greeting came and entered my ears, the baby in my womb capered with delight. 45 Happy, then, is the one who trusted in the fulfillment of the things spoken to her by the lord.”

  46 And Mariam said: