THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
18 Friday, April 10, 1981
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By ALLEN A. WARSEN
"There are certain advan-
tages in being Jewish when
attempting to understand
the Gospels, especially if
one has been brought up in
close contact with the
Jewish liturgy, the ceremo-
nials of the Jewish religious
year, the rabbinical litera-
ture and the general Jewish
moral and cultural outlook.
Many aspects of the Gospels
which, for the non-Jew, are
matters for scholarly
'enquiry, are for the Jew as
n
s pci G
Who was - Barabbas
whose given name was
Jesus? Was he a rebel like
his fellow prisoner, Jesus
of ,Nazareth? Was he a
bandit as the Gospel ac-
cording to St. John as-
serts?
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The above passage is from
the introduction to Hyam
Maccoby's volume "Revolu-
tion in Judea," subtitled
"Jesus and the Jewish Re-
sistance," published by Tap-
linger.
Maccoby commences his
study of the Gospels with a
thorough examination of
the Barabbas case claiming
that it "contains in minia-
ture not only the elements
that go to make the Gospel
story but also the Gospel
orientation and attitude
towards the life and death of
Jesus."
a Roman army and the Holy
Temple plundered by its
commander Sabinus.
Enraged by this atrocity,
the people ofJerusalem rose
in revolt but were over-
whelmed by the Romans,
who mercilessly crucified
2,000 of the captured rebels.
"Crucifixion," writes
Maccoby, "was originally
not a punishment but a
form of human sacrifice
used in fertility cults be-
cause a slow-dying victim
was held to produce more
beneficial effects on the
crop. It was used particu-
larly in the cult of Tam-
muz, the dying-and-
resurrected god of Leba-
non and Phoenicia."
Asked, "Is it lawful to
give tribute to Caesar or
not?" Jesus replied, "Render
to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's and to God the
things that are God's."
This famous answer,
S.G.F. Brandon (quoted by
Maccoby) interprets thus:
"Let Caesar go back to
Rome where he belongs, and
leave God's land to the
people of God." Maccoby
adds: "In other words-, he
meant to forbid the giving of
tribute, not to allow it."
Maccoby, moreover,
disputes Matthew's as-
sertion that Jesus taught
not to resist evil. Such
teaching, he insists, "is a
negation of everything
the Jews stood for."
Throughout their his-
tory, he points out, "the
Jews fought oppression.
They battled against the
Philistines, Assyrians,
Greeks, and even against
evil Jewish rulers."
It is believed that the
Carthaginians were the
first to extensively use
crucifixion as a punish-
ment. The Romans learned
it from them. It was the Ro-
mans who crucified "hun-
Interestingly, the ex-
dreds of thousands of Jews
pressions robber and ban-
during the period of their
dit, the author explains,
Maccoby, unlike some
occupation."
"have been used throughout
other
scholars, is of the
history to denigrate
The inhuman punish-
opinion that Jesus actually
freedom-fighters. The
ments, the exorbitant taxes
considered himself "the
Greek word for bandit (les-
and "the crass oppression of
king of the Jews." Jesus'
ter) was frequently used to
such governors as Pilate"
transfiguration, he argues,
describe the Jewish
caused an open revolt in
"was neither more or less
freedom-fighters by those
Judea against Roman rule.
who were unsympathetic to
Philo, the Alexandrian than a coronation, carried
out in magnificent tradi-
them." John, for instance,
Jewish philosopher, char-
claimed, "The Jews favored , acterizes Pilate as "cruel by tional style on a carefully-
selected spot, , the lofty
Barabbas just because he
nature, and hard-hearted,
mountain-top of Mount
was a bandit."
and entirely lacking in re-
Hermon."
The author refutes John's
morse." He continued as
allegation and denies the
The author concludes his
governor of Judea until 36
historicity of the "Passover
study thus: "Jesus was a
CE "when he was dismissed
privilege." He contends that
good man who fell among
for a brutal and pointless
nowhere in the Roman Em-
Gentiles. That is to say he
massacre of Samaritans."
pire did such a privilege
The Gospels, written by fell among those who did not
exist. It is, therefore,
anti-Jewish and pro- understand that to turn him
"inherently unlikely that
Roman writers, portray into a god was to diminish
the Jews of all people of the
the Pharisees and Jesus him . . . As a Jew he fought
Empire had been granted
as antagonists. Accord- not against some metaphys-
the unique privilege of fre-
ing to the author, the op- ical evil but against Rome.
eing a prisoner accused of posite was true.
Yet the movement which
sedition."
denied his life-by deifying
Jesus's watchword "the
kingdom of God," the author him misrepresented him as
In the chapter titled
explains, was a metaphor being opposed to the people
"Barabbas," the author con-
whom he molt loved and on
cludes that "Jesus of signifying the end of Roman
whose behalf he fought."
rule.
Nazareth and Jesus Barab-
bas were the same man" and
that Barabbas' of the Gos-
pels is a fictitious character
created by the anti-Semitic
Gospel writers.
held a Bar Mitzva at Zion
NEW YORK (JTA) —
The author describes
National Park and strolled
Every summer since 1977, a
the Roman conquest of
along Fisherman's Wharf in
Jewish summer camp pro-
Palestine and delineates
San Francisco and through
gram has sent some 30
the oppressive policies
Universal 'Studios, she re-
and six adults
and rapacity of the teenagers
ported.
traveling over 4,000 miles
Roman rulers. He singles
out Julius Caesar of the in the western and north-
Roman emperors as the western United States to
friendliest toward the present Jewish-oriented
Jews. Caesar, for exam- theatrical performances for
BONN — In the two years
ple, outlawed tax- campers in national parks, since NBC aired the
according
to
the
February
farming and protected
"Holocaust" television
"Jewish citizen-rights issue of "The Circle," a pub- series in Germany, the Fed-
lication of the National
and freedom of worship
eral Center for Polit; -1
throughout the Roman Jewish Welfare Board.
Education has recei
The Oregon "Teens on
world."
nearly 150,000 requests tor
Wheels" is a program of the
Maccoby recounts Anti-
Additional information con-
Mittleman Jewish Commu-
pater's and Herod's submis-
cerning the extermination
nity Center in Portland.
siveness to Rome and their
Joyce Shields, - director of of Jews by the Third Reich.
high-handedness toward
Some 70,000 of the queries
the summer camp program
the Judeans. He states that
were sent in by teachers.
at the center, reported that
Antipater was assassinated
When it was broadcast in
national camps have been
by his enemies and Herod
January 1979, "Holocaust,"
visited by the group in Ore-
died "disfigured by madness
was watched by 41 percent
gon, California, Arizona,
and murder." Only after his
of the television audience.
Utah, Wyoming, New
death, notes the author, did
Mexico, Colorado and
the Jews realize "how far
Idaho.
Herod had delivered them
into Roman hands." He
In addition to the basic
NEW YORK — Some 200
adds, "It was in the bitter acts of planning, rehearsing
American and Canadian
conditions of this awaken-
and staging the perform-
college students will begin a
ing that Jesus spent his ances, the participants have
program of study this week
childhood."
at Tel Aviv UniverSity in
also baked kugel and halla
Soon after Herod's death in the coals of a campfire at
the overseas student pro-
tierus f alevui wa,,4cciwi.e411y,,,,YRUpwatone NowkiQjipl-V IN*2 „IgranY4 =
Camping, Theatrical Group
Performs in Western Parks
Holocaust Impact
High in Germany
TAU Program