Textual Traditions and Jewish-Christian Relations

What I find interesting is how a study of the textual traditions contribute to our understanding of the relationship between Christians and Jews/Judaism in the early centuries. Two examples come to mind:

1. Rom. 15.8. This verse reads: "For I declare that Christ became a servant of the "circumcision" for the sake of God's truth". Robert Jewett (Romans, 886) notes that the perfect verb gegenēsthai is replaced by the aorist genesthai in B C* F G Ψ 630 1739 1881 etc. In Jewett's view this change to the aorist is secondary and "serves to drop the implication of the original reading that Christ remains the servant of the Jews".

2. Matt. 8.4. This verse reads: "Go, show yourself to the priest and the present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them". But the Diatessaron(eph), Ishodad of Merv, Romanos, the Liege Harmony, and the Venetian Harmony, read: "Go, show yourself to the priest and fulfill the law". This reading arguably stems from a Judeao-Christian background that is perhaps more concerned with a closer relationship between Christians and the Torah (Cited from Craig Allert, A High View of Scripture, 118).

Bible Society Worker Killed in Gaza

The Palestinian Bible Society

Jerusalem Office

Bible Society worker assassinated in Gaza

7.10.2007

The PBS announced today that Rami Ayyad was found dead near the Bible Society Bookshop in Gaza early this morning. Rami was kidnapped last night by an unknown group directly after he closed the doors of the bookshop at around 16:30. A day before, Rami noted that a car with no plate numbers had been following him. News of his kidnap was reported to the main office after his family received a telephone call from him at around 18:00 saying that he had been taken by a group of people and will return home late that evening. Another phone call was made carrying a similar message. The director of the Bible Society had informed the Police in Gaza of the incident.

At 6:25 this morning, news was received that Rami’s body had been found at a location near the Teachers’ Bookshop in Gaza were he had spent most of his time running the bookshop. Signs of bullets and knife stabs could be clearly seen on his body.

Rami 26, leaves behind two young children, and a pregnant wife. The funeral is expected to take place at 16:00 today. No group or party has claimed responsibility.

The Bible Society in Gaza has received previous threats and vandalism. However, the support from the community has been very well noticed because of the humanitarian role that the Bible Society has been taking the last four years in the strip.