{"id":3677,"date":"2015-08-02T16:09:09","date_gmt":"2015-08-02T15:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/areopage.net\/blog\/?p=3677"},"modified":"2015-08-02T16:09:09","modified_gmt":"2015-08-02T15:09:09","slug":"the-problem-of-blasphemy-the-fourth-gospel-and-early-jewish-understandings-truex-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/areopage.net\/blog\/2015\/08\/02\/the-problem-of-blasphemy-the-fourth-gospel-and-early-jewish-understandings-truex-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"The Problem of Blasphemy : The Fourth Gospel and Early Jewish Understandings (Truex, 2011)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"0208151\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C’est un peu par hasard que je tombe sur cette \u00e9tude de Jerry D. Truex, The Problem of Blasphemy : The Fourth Gospel and Early Jewish Understandings<\/em><\/a> (Lulu, 2011), monographie issue de sa th\u00e8se de doctorat<\/a> \u00e0 l’universit\u00e9 de Durham en 2001.<\/p>\n

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This thesis argues that the Johannine Jewish Christians\u2014those who produced, preserved, and propagated the Fourth Gospel\u2014were perceived to be blasphemers of God because of their exalted claims for Jesus and their disparaging remarks against the \u0399\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03b9. It was probably on this basis that Jewish Christians were excommunicated from the synagogue (cf Jn 9:22; 12:42; 16:2). We take three steps to establish this claim. First, we review J. Louis Martyn’s hypothesis that the Johannine Christians were expelled from the synagogue as a result of the Birkat ha-Minim. We argue that the Birkat ha-Minim is problematic, suggest that an alternative hypothesis is necessary, and propose that accusations of blasphemy would provide an alternative explanation. Next, we survey recent research on blasphemy, offer an analysis of the historical, social, and literary context of the Fourth Gospel, and present a semantic analysis of \u03b2\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c6\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03c9and related terms. Second, we probe seven Jewish traditions pertaining to blasphemy. We examine the prohibitions against cursing God (Exod 22:27[28]), \u00ab\u00a0naming the name\u00a0\u00bb (Lev 24:10- 24), and sinning with a high hand (Num 15:30-31). Then, we track some of the most notorious blasphemers, including Sennacherib (2 Kgs 18:1\u201419:37), Antiochus (1 Mace 1:20\u20142:14), Nicanor (2 Mace 14:16\u201415:37), and an unnamed Egyptian ruler 2.123-132).Third, we examine three Johannine claims\u2014that Jesus is equal with God, that Jesus is the New Temple, and that the ‘ \u0399\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03b9 are of the devil -and argue that non-believing Jews would have regarded these claims as blasphemous and would have expelled anyone from the synagogue who proclaimed them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

C’est une \u00e9tude extr\u00eamement int\u00e9ressante, \u00e0 tous les niveaux – que j’aurais bien aim\u00e9 d’ailleurs avoir sous le coude pour mon L\u00e9vitique 24.16 : \u1f40\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u1f71\u03b6\u03c9\u03bd \u03b4\u1f72 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f42\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1<\/a>. Comme je viens de commander l’ouvrage, je ne puis m’appuyer que sur la premi\u00e8re mouture, autrement dit la th\u00e8se de 2001 elle-m\u00eame disponible en ligne. Je n’aborde de surcro\u00eet que la partie consacr\u00e9e \u00e0 L\u00e9vitique<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Dans son chapitre 6 (pp.105-120<\/strong>), Truex aborde donc le passage de L\u00e9vitique 24.10-23<\/strong>. Commen\u00e7ant par L\u00e9vitique 24.11<\/strong>, il note que la mal\u00e9diction dont il est question n’est pas pr\u00e9cise, ce qui caract\u00e9rise clairement un euph\u00e9misme puisque le narrateur ne va bien s\u00fbr pas rapporter des propos qu’il juge indignes (comparer avec Job 1.5, 15, 2.5,9, 1 Rois 21.13<\/strong>). Si les sens des termes grecs \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u0301\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9 et \u03b5\u0313\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u0301\u03b6\u03c9 ne font gu\u00e8re de difficult\u00e9, il souligne n\u00e9anmoins que la syntaxe<\/strong> peut, \u00e0 bon droit, faire d\u00e9bat : au verset 11 en effet, le segment \u1f10\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u1f71\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2… \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f42\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1 …\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u1f71\u03c3\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf pr\u00e9sente un participe (\u1f10\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u1f71\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2) qui peut se comprendre de plusieurs mani\u00e8res (cf. p.106<\/strong>) :<\/p>\n