Jerusalem School Of Synoptic Research

The Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research is a consortium of Jewish and Christian scholars that study the Synoptic Gospels in light of the historic, linguistic and cultural milieu of Jesus.Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. Retrieved 05 Nov. 2006
/ref> The beginnings of the collegial relationships that formed the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research can be traced back to David Flusser and Robert L. Lindsey in the 1960s."A Tribute to Robert L. Lindsey, Ph. D. (1917-1995) and his work...:Excerpt from November 1996 Tree of Life Quarterly Membership Magazine", HaY'Did. Retrieved 05 Nov. 2006

Viewpoints

The consortium's own website states three assumptions, shared by its members
* the importance of Hebrew language
* the relevance of Jewish culture
* the significance of Semitisms underneath sections of the Synoptic Gospels that in turn often yield results to the interconnection (of dependence) between the Synoptic Gospels."Methodology." Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. Retrieved 26 Sep. 2009

The first two assumptions are perhaps not shared by the majority of New Testament scholars, but are neither considered to be fringe positions. Today, the common view is that Jesus and his milieu spoke Aramaic, however that Hebrew was spoken and even important is not unique to the Jerusalem School.As early as the beginning of the 20th century, we already have: Moses Hirsch Segal ''Mishnaic Hebrew and Its Relation to Biblical Hebrew and to Aramaic. A Grammatical Study ... Reprinted from the Jewish Quarterly Review for July'' Horace Hart: Oxford, 1909. John P. Meier criticizes scholarship in the twentieth century that has paid lip service to the 'Jewish Jesus' but has not really fleshed this out, stating that if we do not have a halachic Jesus, we don't have an historical Jesus.

The third assumption of the Jerusalem School basically seems to be concerned with not holding to an assumed-default position of Marcan priority. It is especially the third assumption in more individually pronounced forms that has invited a response of the academic community. Some scholars have perceived the Jerusalem School as a group that holds to Lukan priority.Among others: Delbert Royce Burkett, ''Rethinking the Gospel sources: from proto-Mark to Mark'', T&T Clark: NY, 4. Beate Ego, Armin Lange, Peter Pilhofer, ''Gemeinde ohne Tempel /Community without Temple'', Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, Mohr Siebeck: Tubingen, 462n2 But this perception is incomplete since it is only Robert Lindsey and David Bivin who have argued strongly for Lukan priority. The third methodological assumption of the Jerusalem School is much broader and open, without any one theory being affirmed:

Many scholars affirm the Semitic quality of the Synoptic Gospel material as indicative of earlier material, but how to determine Semitic quality has been hotly debated. Recently this subject of a Hebrew Gospel and Semitic material has been discussed by James R. Edwards (although with somewhat differing results than Jerusalem School members). The most extensive Jerusalem School publication on Semitic material and types of Semitic interference can be found in an extended essay and appendix (critical notes) in Jesus' Last Week (Leiden: Brill, 2006).

Publications

Apart from extensive individual publications of the school's members that often reflect the Jerusalem School's approach (some of which are footnoted here), some members have bundled some of their efforts in a joint effort. This combined effort from members of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research resulted in thus far two volumes. The first volume (2006) is ''Jesus' Last Week: Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels — Volume One'', edited by R. Steven Notley, Marc Turnage, and Brian Becker.Jesus' Last Week, edited by R. Steven Notley, Marc Turnage, and Brian Becker. Vol 1. Leiden: Brill, 2006. The second volume (2014) is ''The language environment of first century Judaea : Jerusalem studies in the Synoptic Gospels — Volume Two'', edited by Buth, R. and Notley.Buth, R. and Notley, R.S. (2014) The language environment of first century Judaea : Jerusalem studies in the Synoptic Gospels. Leiden: Brill. (Jewish and Christian perspectives series, 26)The articles in this collection demonstrate that a change is taking place in New Testament studies. Throughout the twentieth century, New Testament scholarship primarily worked under the assumption that only two languages, Aramaic and Greek, were in common use in the land of Israel in the first century. The current contributors investigate various areas where increasing linguistic data and changing perspectives have moved Hebrew out of a restricted, marginal status within first-century language use and the impact on New Testament studies. Five articles relate to the general sociolinguistic situation in the land of Israel during the first century, while three articles present literary studies that interact with the language background. The final three contributions demonstrate the impact this new understanding has on the reading of Gospel texts.
Table of contents
Introduction: Language Issues Are Important for Gospel Studies

Sociolinguistic Issues In a Trilingual Framework
1. Guido Baltes, “The Origins of the “Exclusive Aramaic Model.”
2. Guido Baltes, “The Use of Hebrew and Aramaic.”
3. Randall Buth and Chad T. Pierce, “Hebraisti”
4. Marc Turnage, “The Linguistic Ethos of Galilee”
5. Serge Ruzer, “Syriac Authors”

Literary Issues In a Trilingual Framework
6. Daniel A. Machiela, “Hebrew, Aramaic Translation”
7. Randall Buth, “Distinguishing Hebrew from Aramaic.”
8. R. Steven Notley, “Non-LXXisms”

Reading Gospel Texts in a Trilingual Framework
9. R. Steven Notley and Jeffrey P. Garcia “Hebrew-Only Exegesis”
10. David N. Bivin, “Petros, Petra”
11. Randall Buth, “The Riddle”
(accessed 04/02/2014 from http://www.brill.com/products/book/language-environment-first-century-judaea)

Reactions and criticism

Both affirmation and strong criticism followed the publication of a co-authored book ''Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus''David Bivin and Roy B. Blizzard Jr. ''Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus'', Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1994. by David Bivin and Roy B. Blizzard Jr. which was reviewed by Michael L. Brown. Brown wrote:

A further academic description of the Jerusalem School and its methodology and dissemination in the lay and academic field is found in ''Hebräisches Evangelium und synoptische Überlieferung: Untersuchungen zum hebräischen Hintergrund der Evangelien''.Baltes, Guido. Hebräisches Evangelium und synoptische Überlieferung: Untersuchungen zum hebräischen Hintergrund der Evangelien. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011, 65-67.

''Jesus' Last Week''

The recent combined effort of Jerusalem School members in ''Jesus' Last Week: Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels - Volume One'', a work clearly catered toward the academic communityThis book is evidently catered toward the academic community, because of its style, abundance of footnotes and type of publisher. The review by Collins published in ''Nova Testamentum'' supports the academic nature. has received positive reviews, for example by Nina L. CollinsNina Collins is a British widely published scholar in the fields of Judaism and Christianity. in the journal ''Novum Testamentum''. She closed her review by stating that:
Other reactions have also been positive, as exemplified by Robert L. Webb's review in th
''Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus''

A mixed review found the overall discussion in the volume to be "stimulating, even provocative from the perspective of current critical Synoptic studies." However, the review contained also some concerns:

See also

*Jerusalem school hypothesis
*Synoptic problem

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerusalem School Of Synoptic Research
Biblical criticism
Buildings and structures in Jerusalem
Religious organizations based in Israel
Christianity in Jerusalem