Building on the Ruins of the Temple: Apologetics and Polemics in Early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism

280 Pages·2016·1.342 MB·English

by  Adam Gregerman

Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism
Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum
Edited by
Peter Schäfer (Princeton, NJ / Berlin)
Maren Niehoff (Jerusalem)
Annette Y. Reed (Philadelphia, PA)
Seth Schwartz (New York, NY)
Moulie Vidas (Princeton, NJ)
Azzan Yadin-Israel (New Brunswick, NJ)
165

Adam Gregerman
Building on the Ruins
of the Temple
Apologetics and Polemics in Early Christianity
and Rabbinic Judaism
Mohr Siebeck
Adam Gregerman, born 1973; Ph.D. in Religion at Columbia University; Assistant Professor of
Theology and Religious Studies and Assistant Director, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations,
Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA.
ISBN 978-3-16-154322-7
ISSN 0721-8753 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism)
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie;
detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2016 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. www.mohr.de
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by
copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduc-
tions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems.
The book was typeset by Martin Fischer in Tübingen, printed by Gulde Druck in Tübingen on
non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier.
Printed in Germany.
Acknowledgements
Friends and colleagues have graciously helped me at various stages of this pro-
ject, beginning with the writing of my dissertation and then during the process of
revising and updating it for publication as the present work. Alan Segal deserves
special mention. As my graduate advisor and the director of the dissertation,
he was a wise and skillful guide in so many ways, as well as a trusted mentor
and a friend. I benefited from his remarkable knowledge of both Judaism and
Christianity and his enthusiasm for studying the relationship between the two
traditions. I continue to feel deep gratitude for the opportunity to learn from and
with him. His loss is dearly felt.
Celia Deutsch and Burton Visotzky helped shape the project and guided it
through various stages. They were generous with their time and strongly sup-
portive of my interests in undertaking this type of comparative study. Philip A.
Cunningham reviewed the entire book manuscript and eagerly discussed many
of the topics at length. He graciously offered valuable feedback on issues large
and small, especially regarding complex methodological issues. Furthermore, I
am grateful to these mentors and friends for demonstrating an admirable com-
mitment not only to rigorous historical scholarship but to personally working to
improve relations between Jews and Christians today. While my book focuses
on a period marked by religious hostility and even hate, I feel fortunate to live
during a hopeful time, when our religious communities are just beginning to turn
away from centuries of estrangement.
I would also like to thank others for their assistance with this project, in-
cluding David Brody, Jared Calaway, Gregg Gardner, Joshua Kershenbaum,
Jonathan Klawans, Christopher Leighton, Rahel Lerner, John McGuckin, Noam
Mizrahi, Asha Moorthy, Alex Ramos, R. R. Reno, Joshua Snyder, Robert Somer-
ville, and Hal Taussig, and series’ editors at Mohr Siebeck, Annette Y. Reed and
Azzan Yadin-Israel.
Philadelphia 2016 Adam Gregerman

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ........................................... V
Abbreviations ............................................... XIII
Chapter 1: Introduction .................................... 1
A. The Destruction of the Second Temple ......................... 1
B. Methodology and Parameters of This Study ..................... 2
C. The Primary Sources Analyzed in This Study .................... 9
I. The Christian Texts ..................................... 10
II. Lamentations Rabbah ................................... 14
D. Organization of the Book .................................... 17
Chapter 2: Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho ................... 19
A. Justin the Apologist ........................................ 19
B. The Audience and Purpose of the Dial. ......................... 22
C. Scholarship on Justin and the Destruction ....................... 24
D. The Period up to 70 CE: Explanations of the Destruction
as Punishment for the Crucifixion ............................. 26
I. Dial. 109–10: Micah and the Final Rejection of the Jews ........ 30
II. Dial. 52: 70 CE: A New Stage in Jewish History .............. 31
III. Additional Biblical Prophecies of the Destruction ............. 32
E. The Period after 70 CE (Part I): The Implications of the Destruction
for the Law and the Jewish Covenant .......................... 34
I. Dial. 16 and 92: Circumcision as Punishment and Mark
of Separation for the Jews ................................ 36
VIII Table of Contents
II. Dial. 40 and 46: The Impossibility of Temple Sacrifice
and the Abrogation of the Law ............................ 40
III. Dial. 22: Amos’ Critique of Sacrifice and the Destruction ....... 43
F. The Period after 70 CE (Part II): The Destruction and the New
Covenant with the Gentiles .................................. 45
I. Dial. 24–26: Third Isaiah and Israel’s Replacement
in the Covenant ........................................ 47
II. Dial. 41 and 117: Malachi and the Transfer of God’s Favor
to the Gentiles ......................................... 50
III. Dial. 139–40: Supersessionist Typology of Noah’s Sons ........ 52
IV. Dial. 80–81: Millenarianism, the Destruction, and the People
of God ............................................... 55
G. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapter 3: Origen’s Contra Celsum ........................ 59
A. Origen, Celsus, and Third-Century Caesarea ..................... 59
B. The Audience and Purpose of Cels. ............................ 64
C. Scholarship on Origen and the Destruction ...................... 67
D. The Period up to 70 CE: Explanations of the Destruction
as Punishment for the Crucifixion ............................. 69
I. Tensions in Origen’s Views of the Jews’ Past and Present ....... 71
II. Minimizing the Decades between Crucifixion (ca. 30 CE)
and Destruction (70 CE) ................................. 73
III. Origen’s Citation of Josephus on the Destruction .............. 74
IV. The Destruction and the End of the Covenant with the Jews ..... 76
V. Cels. 5:31: The Destruction and the End to Divine Forgiveness
for Sinful Israel ........................................ 78
VI. The Jews’ Losses Assessed Comparatively ................... 79
E. The Period after 70 CE: The Implications of the Destruction ........ 80
I. The Destruction and the Abrogation of the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
II. Cels. 4:22: Removing the Barriers in the Law to the Gentile
Mission .............................................. 83
III. Cels. 4:31–32: The Destruction and the Shift from Life under the
Law to Freedom from the Law ............................ 85
IV. Cels. 7:26: The Law Read Spiritually Aids the Gentile Mission ... 87
V. The Destruction and the New Covenant with the Gentiles ....... 88
Table of Contents IX
VI. Cels. 2:8: The Destruction as a Proof from History of the Transfer
of God’s Favor from Jews to Gentile Christians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
VII. Cels. 2:78: Jewish Disbelief and Punishment is Part of God’s Plan
for All Humanity ....................................... 91
VIII. Cels. 8:41–43: Jewish Exclusion and Gentile Inclusion ......... 93
F. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Chapter 4: Eusebius’ Proof of the Gospel ................... 97
A. Eusebius, Caesarea, and Jerusalem ............................ 97
B. The Audience and Purpose of Dem. ev. ......................... 100
C. Scholarship on Eusebius and the Destruction .................... 108
D. The Period up to 70 CE: Explanations of the Destruction
as Punishment for the Crucifixion ............................. 110
I. Minimizing the Decades between Crucifixion (ca. 30 CE)
and Destruction (70 CE) ................................. 111
II. Biblical Prophesies of the Destruction ....................... 113
1. Amos 8 ............................................. 114
2. Isaiah 1 ............................................. 114
3. Micah 1 ............................................. 115
4. Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 1–2 ............................ 115
III. The Destruction and the Covenant with the Jews .............. 117
IV. Total Rejection and Total Destruction ....................... 119
E. The Period after 70 CE: The Implications of the Destruction ........ 124
I. The Destruction and the Law .............................. 124
II. The Abrogation of the Law, the Destruction, and Eusebius’
Tripartite Division of History ............................. 126
III. The Destruction and the New Covenant with the Gentiles ....... 131
IV. Rome’s Victories over the Jews and the Providential Appearance
of the Pax Augustana .................................... 133
F. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Chapter 5: Rabbinic Challenges to Traditional Theodicy .... 137
A. The Destruction and Theologies of Jewish Suffering .............. 137
B. Deuteronomistic Theodicy ................................... 140
X Table of Contents
C. Rabbinic Theodicy ......................................... 144
D. Rabbinic Challenges to Deuteronomistic Theodicy ................ 145
E. Scholarship on Rabbinic Views of Suffering and the Destruction ..... 148
Chapter 6: Apologetic Midrashim in Lamentations Rabbah.. 157
A. Organization .............................................. 158
B. Accusations of Divine Injustice (I): God’s Unjust Acts ............. 158
I. Lam. Rab. Pr 3: The Sinful “Merrymakers” .................. 159
II. Lam. Rab. Pr 24: Abraham Defends Israel at Trial ............. 162
III. Lam. Rab. 1:37 b: God Did Not Follow the Law ............... 166
IV. Lam. Rab. 1:41: God Affirms Israel’s Righteousness ........... 169
V. Lam. Rab. 1:56: The Ejected Wife and her Former Companions .. 172
VI. Lam. Rab. 2:3 b: Striking Down the Sanctified Ones ........... 175
C. Accusations of Divine Injustice (II): God’s Failure to Act .......... 179
I. Lam. Rab. Pr 15: God has Grown Old ....................... 179
II. Lam. Rab. Pr 24: God is Like a Failed, Old King .............. 182
III. Lam. Rab. 1:50: The Seven Martyrs ........................ 185
IV. Lam. Rab. 5:1 a: The Weaker Gladiator ...................... 191
D. Accusations That God Failed to Keep God’s Promises to the People .. 194
I. Lam. Rab. Pr 24: Abraham Criticizes God for the Destruction .... 195
II. Lam. Rab. 1:37 c: God did not Bury Israel’s Dead ............. 201
III. Lam. Rab. 3:1: The Ejected Wife and Her Devotion
to Her Husband ........................................ 204
IV. Lam. Rab. 5:1 b: Israel’s Loss is God’s Loss Too .............. 206
E. Antitheodicy and the Collapse of Divine Justice .................. 210
I. Lam. Rab. 3:9: Hadrian Kills Jews Inexplicably ............... 210
II. Lam. Rab. 4:3: Kamtza and Bar Kamtza ..................... 213
Chapter 7: Theological Apologetics and Polemics .......... 217
A. Justin, Origen, and Eusebius on the Destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
B. The Rabbis in Lam. Rab. on the Destruction ..................... 221
C. The Destruction and the Context of Jewish and Christian Theological
Apologetics and Polemics ................................... 226
D. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230