When considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure, many today depict Jesus as a prophet who, in his ministry, was against Jewish laws and purity rituals. However, does this telling of the gospel accounts do justice to Jesus’s handling of the impure and the dying? Dr. Matthew Thiessen joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss his work, Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism, to discuss these questions and more.
Resources mentioned:
Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portayel of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism by Matthew Thiessen
Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism by Jonathan Klawans
The works of Jacob Milgrom
Timestamps
Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Caleb Wait for keeping us organized. Special thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.