In his contribution to Searching the Scriptures, Roger Aus examines Mark 14:25 (Jesus says, “I will never again drink the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God”). He takes its as a Nazirite vow to refrain from wine until His work is completed, but Aus takes an intriguingly circuitous route to get to that conclusion.
He argues convincingly that there are strong parallels between the life of Joseph and the life of Jesus, and then emphasizes that Joseph is reunited with his brothers in a feast of wine. His translation of Genesis 43:34 ends with “they drank, and they became intoxicated with him” (94).
There is, further, a Jewish tradition that Joseph had refrained from wine until His brothers were reunited: “Joseph's being a Nazirite in Judaic tradition is based primarily on the very similar passages concerning him in Jacob's blessing his twelve sons just before he died (Gen 49:26), and Moses' blessing of Israelites just before he died (Deut 33:16).” The word translated as “set apart” or “prince” is nazir, a noun that “can mean either a prince or ruler as consecrated, or a Nazirite, one who is abstinent (of wine)” (109). Once reunited with his brothers, “Joseph drank wine profusely with them at the reunion meal” (110).
Given these parallels, Aus draws the conclusion: “Just as Joseph . . . drank no wine ‘until that day' when he was reunited with his eleven brothers and again (ate and) drank wine with them, so Jesus declares that he will not drink wine (with the twelve . . . ) ‘until that day' when he drinks it anew in the kingdom of God” (115). . . .
The book is expensive and does not appear to be in any library in Australia hence my query:
Wondering if anyone has access to this book or in particular to Aus's article if it was published separately somewhere else? We can probably all identify a number of Jesus-Joseph parallels but it looks like Aus has gone into this in much more depth with his observation on the last-drinks trope. What other parallels does he cite?
Seems to be a case of frenzied parallelomania to me, but hey wait, observing literary parallels in the service of the faith is not parallelomania, I guess.
vridar.orgMusings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
There were abstinent groups (wine and meat) sprouting up after the aftermath of the First Revolt but the justifications are usually connected with the loss of sacrifices. Jesus refusing to drink from the vine may well be connected and it certainly seems to be compatible with the Marcionite tradition. Another possible line of reasoning to connect Marcionism with Jewish sectarians from the post-70 CE period (= minim). Interesting also that Romans in the late second century rejected the miracle at Cana. I can't see anything on line about this book.
The Ebionites (or one of the Jewish Christian sects I forget which) seem to have accepted wine and meat abstinence but a promise of future wine and meat in the hereafter. This may well have something to do with the conclusion of blessings in Deut 33 "Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew."
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
I wonder when all the meanings of Nazaret and derived terms (Nazirite, Nazoreans, Netsarim, etc.) are easily interpreted to mean radical observance of the Torah. As such, their function in the Gospels can be only anti-marcionite.
Secret Alias wrote: Jesus refusing to drink from the vine may well be connected and it certainly seems to be compatible with the Marcionite tradition. Another possible line of reasoning to connect Marcionism with Jewish sectarians from the post-70 CE period (= minim).
Although you agree that Mcn was the first Gospel, I don't like your efforts to connect Marcionism with Judaism, because it's Catholicism in essentia.
The Catholics judaized the thing created by Marcionites (=the Gospel Jesus).
In my eyes you are doing something of truely similar: judaizing directly the forgers, that is Marcion & co.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
To quote someone: “If every time we mentioned women to a friend he started talking about their breasts, we’d be entitled to think that this was all he was interested in when it comes to women." The question was asking about literary links between Jesus and Joseph but we somehow find opportunities to talk about Marcionism?
vridar.orgMusings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
Because of wine drinking/wine abstention. My apologies if we go beyond assuming that literary references can only be the product of detached mythicist activity rather than developing from the "real" theological/cultural situation at the end of Second Commonwealth Judaism. By all means continue your predictable line of inquiry and I will cease pursuing mine ...
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Just kidding.