david@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) (04/15/85)
I intended to mail this to you, but your "root" pathname was not recognized: Subject: reference You asked for a reference to a misquotation attributed to Jesus: Mark 2.23-26, where Abiathar is confused with Ahimelech (I didn't recall, but guessed Abimelech, conflating the two names.) Anyway, the one is the High Priest during David's time, but the other is that during Saul's time, which is the one intended by the citation. This mistake is not carried over to the later parallels in Matthew and Luke, which drop the name altogether. The context of the parallel passages suggests the following point: Jesus' does not forbid his hungry followers to do what is forbidden according to tthe Law, if there is a merciful reason: here they are eating ears of corn in the fields on the Sabbath. He cites David who violated a different Law (not pertaining to the Sabbath, but to eating what is forbidden according to the Law -- cf Lev.24.9), by giving his hungry followers the reserved Bread of the Presence (reserved for Priests, withthe office of Aaron). The citation to David is I Samuel ch 21, before David was king, while he was pursued by Saul, alsothe Philistines. The interpretation given this in the parallel texts is variously: the Sabbath is for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath. (Actually, the following passage makes it clear that Jesus' point is more general -- amounting to: the Law (our religious tradtions) is for mankind, sothat we may live; it is not we who exist for the sake of the Law -- as Jewish tradition (cf Maimonides intro Mishneh Torah) says, we are to ~live~ by the Law, not to die for its sake.) In one of conclusions of the parallels (Matt?), we read "If you had known what it means 'I require mercy, not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the innocent." The following passage also has to do with violation of the Law of the Sabbath, but again it is this principle that is the true point (not the matter about the Sabbath as such). What follows as you may read is that Jesus heals a cripple on the Sabbath, when no work was to be done. (Actually, Jewish tradition has long permitted what is merciful, when the need is apparent.) I am quitting my replies to the Net, so that I can do some other things. Best wishes. David Harwood