Saturday, May 8, 2010
John, The greatest
Upon hearing of their masters death, his disciples come and take the body and bury it in a tomb. And an important chapter is closed. Somewhere else Jesus says that you don't get men any better than John (I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kngdom of God is greater than he- Lk 7:28). This verse draws particular attention to the closing of one chapter and the inaugeration of the next. John was the forerunner standing firmly in a long tradition of men of Yahweh- a prophet in the classical mode- a good man- the best of fallen men; and yet now as God's rule entered into this fallen realm in a new and previously unexperienced way, the very least of people under or in this rule, would be greater than John- new creatures- children of God, brothers and sisters (and mums and dads?) of Jesus.
Snake mother
Herod's (Antipas) having his birthday dinner for the nobility- (courtiers – sg) the senior offices of the army, and for the first men of Galilee (hoi prowtoi- Z &G leading men). I wonder who this last group included- Saducees? Or were they not Jews at all. I wonder what the proportion of Jews to non Jews was in Palestine at the time... The Romans like to govern- but not without input from the locals in many places- the Sanhedrin here in Palestine. It must have been a bit atypical- the Jews were a singular people. But the Sanhedrin was down south in Jerusalem.
Can't imagine too many particularly pious people at a party like this.
There all reclining at table and the daughter comes into dance and pleases them all with her dancing. Then comes the silly offer- ( who knows what was going through Herod's head). But the offer is accompanied with a strong oath- so that when it comes back and its not actually something that Herod thinks is a good idea at all- He doesn't have the courage to do the right thing and break his oaths- but is bound on an increasingly evil course by his public stupidity- the greater crime in his eyes was not to lose face.
Who you let influence you... Whoever the daughter is here- she was not choosing at all well- her mother was a snake.
How long was Herod deeply grieved for? The shame of the night before- I suppose some people repent- others live with guilt- and others give themselves to it so that the shame is eventually drowned out.
Can't imagine too many particularly pious people at a party like this.
There all reclining at table and the daughter comes into dance and pleases them all with her dancing. Then comes the silly offer- ( who knows what was going through Herod's head). But the offer is accompanied with a strong oath- so that when it comes back and its not actually something that Herod thinks is a good idea at all- He doesn't have the courage to do the right thing and break his oaths- but is bound on an increasingly evil course by his public stupidity- the greater crime in his eyes was not to lose face.
Who you let influence you... Whoever the daughter is here- she was not choosing at all well- her mother was a snake.
How long was Herod deeply grieved for? The shame of the night before- I suppose some people repent- others live with guilt- and others give themselves to it so that the shame is eventually drowned out.
A stupid offer 6:17ff
Herod has imprisoned John on account of his (Mark specifically points out here- that she is not actually his wife- but his brothers) wife- who had taken a dislike to John because of his fearlessness in publicly telling Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brothers wife. It must have been an outrage to all pious Jews and raised the indignation of many not so pious- to have a ruler over them with Jewish heritage so flagrantly flout 'the law'. It was obviously a topic that Herodias did not want to be broached and unfortunately for John she wanted him killed and could use her position to make this happen. The whole thing is a very ugly picture. Why on earth would you say to someone ask me anything you wish for – up to half my kingdom and I will give it to you. She was his daughter- so I suppose it wasn't just anyone he was offering this to- but is there a precedent for this sort of thing- is Antipas being original (originally stupid) or were there stories he would have known about... What sort of dance does Herodiados (in the greek- is that just the genitive of Herodias? could be- not very original with their naming in that family. ) I've heard some people say it was a risque dance (Jen back at Uni)- I've just read France- he seems to say this would be a possibility given that the party would have been an all male affair- He also suggests drunkeness for Herod's actions- which definitely fits. Says the up to half my kingdom a 'traditional hyperbole – Est 5:3, 6: 7:2 & 1 Ki 13:8) So the Esther reference was from a Persian King- the 1 kings one is from the man of God from Judah who gets killed by a lion after he was tricked by another prophet into eating and drinking when God had told him not to. And then that prophet goes and gets the body and mourns for him- telling his sons to bury him in the same grave as this man when he dies- How weird is that? Just prior to this the prophet who was tricked, told Jereboam when he offered to give him a gift- “if you give me half your kingdom, I will not go in with you; nor will I food or drink water......”
France says there maybe a scribal error in the description of the dancer as Herod's daughter- different to Matthew's account where he says Herodias's daughter- could be Salome- who later went on to marry Phillip- who used to be her mother's husband... One corrupted family.
The word for kingdom is basileias.
2 territory ruled by a king, kingdom. - the more usual usage is- 1 the act of ruling- a, gener. kingship, royal power, royal rule
b, esp. of God's rule the royal reign of God (usually rendered 'kingdom of God', and oft. understood as royal realm but with dilution of the primary component of reigning activity), a chiefly eschatological concept, beginning to appear in the prophets, elaborated in apocalyptic passages (egs) and taught by Jesus.
Two pages in Vines excellent.
Not sure BDAG is right- that it is a chiefly eschatological concept. Schweizer thought it was. Certainly contains that- and perhaps in the Old Testament it was predominantly that- definitely would be in the apocalyptic literature. Jesus talked about the kingdom as both now and not yet at different times- but what he starts proclaiming is that this once future rule has become present- that is actually his chief message – along with the need for a response to that- in a nutshell. “The time is fulfilled, kingdom of God has come near/ is at hand, repent and believe in the good news.”
France says there maybe a scribal error in the description of the dancer as Herod's daughter- different to Matthew's account where he says Herodias's daughter- could be Salome- who later went on to marry Phillip- who used to be her mother's husband... One corrupted family.
The word for kingdom is basileias.
2 territory ruled by a king, kingdom. - the more usual usage is- 1 the act of ruling- a, gener. kingship, royal power, royal rule
b, esp. of God's rule the royal reign of God (usually rendered 'kingdom of God', and oft. understood as royal realm but with dilution of the primary component of reigning activity), a chiefly eschatological concept, beginning to appear in the prophets, elaborated in apocalyptic passages (egs) and taught by Jesus.
Two pages in Vines excellent.
Not sure BDAG is right- that it is a chiefly eschatological concept. Schweizer thought it was. Certainly contains that- and perhaps in the Old Testament it was predominantly that- definitely would be in the apocalyptic literature. Jesus talked about the kingdom as both now and not yet at different times- but what he starts proclaiming is that this once future rule has become present- that is actually his chief message – along with the need for a response to that- in a nutshell. “The time is fulfilled, kingdom of God has come near/ is at hand, repent and believe in the good news.”
Back to the Sandwich 6:14ff
I was thinking of just skipping through this story about John the baptist- it seems like a fairly long interlude (especially for Mark)- but I've just been reading through it in Greek (that sounds far more impressive than it is – the amount of understanding I have when reading through it is not like normal reading) and there are interesting things here. One is the contrast with another 'king' and his family and their family values. Another is with the impressiveness of John the Baptist.
For awhile here the lens pans back from Jesus and his immediate circle. Jesus is causing a stir in the land- from the highest levels of society down. And there a few different theories about him- The guilty conscience of Herod sides with those that said it was John the Baptist back from the dead- others said it was Elijah, others 'a prophet like one of the prophets'. None of these guesses seems too bad- They're probably about as close as you can get in the Jews collective experience. There's a whiff of one of the prophets of old (they don't appear any more- with the exception of John the Baptist- he was like that too) But with such power- hence the comparisons to Elijah. And if Elijah is showing up again that would increase messianic expectation (strong since 400 BC?). The question of the disciples- why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?- is a good one.
Malachi 4:5 – Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Yhwh) comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
- That's the very last sentence in Malachi- the last sentence in our old testament- where did it fit in for the Jews.
For awhile here the lens pans back from Jesus and his immediate circle. Jesus is causing a stir in the land- from the highest levels of society down. And there a few different theories about him- The guilty conscience of Herod sides with those that said it was John the Baptist back from the dead- others said it was Elijah, others 'a prophet like one of the prophets'. None of these guesses seems too bad- They're probably about as close as you can get in the Jews collective experience. There's a whiff of one of the prophets of old (they don't appear any more- with the exception of John the Baptist- he was like that too) But with such power- hence the comparisons to Elijah. And if Elijah is showing up again that would increase messianic expectation (strong since 400 BC?). The question of the disciples- why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?- is a good one.
Malachi 4:5 – Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Yhwh) comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
- That's the very last sentence in Malachi- the last sentence in our old testament- where did it fit in for the Jews.
FF Bruce on Antipas
From FF Bruce's History of the New Testament p27
How well Antipas served Rome's interests may be gauged in part from the absence of revolt or open unrest on any serious scale in the two regions of his tetrarchy for over 40 years. The troubles which beset Judaea when it became a Roman province in AD 6 do not appear to have affected Galilee or Peraea, even though Judas, who led the revolt in Judaea at this time, was in some sense a Galiliaean, according to both Luke and Josephus.
Although Antipas throughout the whole of his public career had no higher title than tetrarch, his subjects informally called him 'king', especially (no doubt) when they spoke in Aramaic, in which malka is a term with a wider range of meaning than Latin rex or even Greek basileus. This looser usage is reflected in the Gospel of Mark, who (followed by Matthew) calls him “King Herod”; Luke, Josephus, speaks of him as “Herod the tetrarch”.
Antipas was the ablest of Herod's sons. Like his father, he was a patron of Hellenistic culture and a great builder. His chief building enterprise was the city of Tiberias, on the west shore of the Lake of Galilee, which he named in honour of the Emperor Tiberius (c. 22) It was a predominantly Gentile city; since it was built on the site of a cemetery, Anipas's Jewish subjects regarded it as unclean. But Jewish scruples were overcome later, and Tiberias became a famous seat of rabbinical learning. ...
...also rebuilt Sepphoris- destroyed in fighting in following the revolt of 4 BC- this was very close to Nazareth.
How well Antipas served Rome's interests may be gauged in part from the absence of revolt or open unrest on any serious scale in the two regions of his tetrarchy for over 40 years. The troubles which beset Judaea when it became a Roman province in AD 6 do not appear to have affected Galilee or Peraea, even though Judas, who led the revolt in Judaea at this time, was in some sense a Galiliaean, according to both Luke and Josephus.
Although Antipas throughout the whole of his public career had no higher title than tetrarch, his subjects informally called him 'king', especially (no doubt) when they spoke in Aramaic, in which malka is a term with a wider range of meaning than Latin rex or even Greek basileus. This looser usage is reflected in the Gospel of Mark, who (followed by Matthew) calls him “King Herod”; Luke, Josephus, speaks of him as “Herod the tetrarch”.
Antipas was the ablest of Herod's sons. Like his father, he was a patron of Hellenistic culture and a great builder. His chief building enterprise was the city of Tiberias, on the west shore of the Lake of Galilee, which he named in honour of the Emperor Tiberius (c. 22) It was a predominantly Gentile city; since it was built on the site of a cemetery, Anipas's Jewish subjects regarded it as unclean. But Jewish scruples were overcome later, and Tiberias became a famous seat of rabbinical learning. ...
...also rebuilt Sepphoris- destroyed in fighting in following the revolt of 4 BC- this was very close to Nazareth.
Sandwich- 6:14ff
We seem to have a Sandwich here (of which Mark is apparently particularly fond). I wonder where this part of the account came from. Were there people who became followers in Herod's household?- or was it closer to Peter than that. His brother was following John before he started to follow Jesus- either he or Andrew would have known many in John's circle... But it may just have been a common knowledge thing- Many of the goings on of the Herod's would have been common knowledge or become common knowledge- and as a result of the esteem that John was held in- this story would have spread quickly.
So while the disciples are out telling people about the coming kingdom- Mark reminds us that John was killed for declaring such a message. Its a sad story- Herodias's daughter is obviously not well brought up- many rats in the cellars- or in plain sight in the Herod's household.
Sitting above the goings on of the common people- Jesus and the events surrounding him come to the ears of Herod. Tiberius was one of the main fishing centres on the lake- Antipas had spent considerable sums beautifying it- Not a particularly Jewish place I think (need to find out more)- We don't hear of Jesus going here- must have sailed past it many times- and walked somewhere in the vicinity (where would the road go – 10 km away?) Telling, I imagine, that he avoided it- too dangerous- as well perhaps as his mission- sent to the lost sheep of Israel...
So while the disciples are out telling people about the coming kingdom- Mark reminds us that John was killed for declaring such a message. Its a sad story- Herodias's daughter is obviously not well brought up- many rats in the cellars- or in plain sight in the Herod's household.
Sitting above the goings on of the common people- Jesus and the events surrounding him come to the ears of Herod. Tiberius was one of the main fishing centres on the lake- Antipas had spent considerable sums beautifying it- Not a particularly Jewish place I think (need to find out more)- We don't hear of Jesus going here- must have sailed past it many times- and walked somewhere in the vicinity (where would the road go – 10 km away?) Telling, I imagine, that he avoided it- too dangerous- as well perhaps as his mission- sent to the lost sheep of Israel...
Reliance and independence- 6:6b-13
Jesus is quite specific about how the disciples are to travel- we hear of no instructions of what they are to teach, but they are to take nothing but a staff and sandals- no bread, no bag, no money in their belt. Stay in the first house you enter in a town and shake the dust off your feet to any place that will not hear your message- “So they went out and preached that men should change their whole outlook.” (Phillips) – 'ina metanowsin
First time they are sent out- and in Australia we'd have him up for a lack of duty of care. Pretty important lesson for the disciples there about what to rely on- they are basically on their own in the twos- with a message they don't understand all the implications of- but they have the example of Jesus. There is a mixture here of reliance and independence- Special agents with a fair degree of latitude for independent action within a larger mission. Perhaps its interdependent action- they are there in twos.
First time they are sent out- and in Australia we'd have him up for a lack of duty of care. Pretty important lesson for the disciples there about what to rely on- they are basically on their own in the twos- with a message they don't understand all the implications of- but they have the example of Jesus. There is a mixture here of reliance and independence- Special agents with a fair degree of latitude for independent action within a larger mission. Perhaps its interdependent action- they are there in twos.
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