Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§17.2 Crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato
concern of Pharisees and Qumranites for purity (§9.3a) does not constitute
counter-evidence; it simply affirms their own recognition of the importance
placed on the purity of the Temple cult by the Torah. 137
Over against such concerns we have the striking sequence of episodes
set out by Mark. Jesus touches a man with skin disease (leprosy — Mark
1.40-45), in evident disregard for the seriousness of the man's impure condition,
and declares him clean prior to any examination by a priest or offering of
sacrifice (Lev. 13-14). Jesus casts out 'unclean spirits' (Mark 1.23, 26-27;
3.11) and is accused of having 'an unclean spirit' (3.30). He eats with 'sinners',
in defiance of law and propriety (2.16). He cites as precedent the disregard
shown by David and his followers for the sanctity of the tabernacle and
the bread of the presence (2.25-26). Jesus exorcizes a man with a legion of
unclean spirits, living among tombs (subject to corpse impurity, the most virulent
of defilements), outside the holy land, and sends the spirits into pigs (unclean
animals) (5.1-17). 138 He is touched by and heals a woman with a haemorrhage
(5.24-34), and thus in a state of perpetual impurity (Lev. 15.25-27),
and grasps by the hand the little girl already pronounced dead (Mark 5.41).
His mission instructions counsel acceptance of hospitality offered, without
thought of impurity which might thereby be contracted (6.10). He disregards
purity concerns (washing hands) and disputes the validity of purity logic
(Mark 7.1-8, 14-23). In short, even if Mark has highlighted the theme by his
structuring of the narrative and sharpening of the issue, 139 the theme itself is
clearly and firmly rooted in the tradition. It is not a matter of much doubt that
Jesus was remembered as casual in regard to purity ritual. 140 That in itself
137. Here we may draw attention once again to the importance of 4QMMT as evidence
of disputes between Qumran and Pharisees on halakhoth regarding sacrifices and purity.
138. See further above, §15.7d.
139. See particularly on Mark 7.1-23 (above, §14.4c-d). But note also the purity concerns
in the Q passage Matt. 23.25/Luke 11.39 (above, chapter 14 n. 143), and the purity overtones
in the parable of the Good Samaritan, which no Jew would miss — the man might well be
dead (see, e.g., J. D. M. Derrett, Law in the New Testament [London: DLT, 1970] 211-17;
Rowland, Christian Origins 142; Kazen, Jesus 189-96).
140. Cf. particularly the central thesis of Kazen, that Jesus was 'indifferent' to various
purity concerns, referring to Jesus' several encounters with three major kinds of impurity, skin
disease, menstrual bleeding, and corpses (Jesus ch. 4). This is not the same as saying that Jesus
was casual about purity; what was at stake was a different concept of purity, how it was maintained
and how impurity was avoided (see again above, §14.4c-d). On the other hand, we
should probably assume that Jesus and his disciples performed the usual rites of purification
during the week of preparation for the Passover (Sanders, Historical Figure 250-52;
Fredriksen, Jesus 205-206; Kazen, Jesus 248-50, 255). See further my 'Jesus and Purity'. See
also W. Loader, 'Challenged at the Boundaries: A Conservative Jesus in Mark's Tradition',
JSNT 63 (1996) 45-61.
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