Scripture Footnotes. George Martin

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      Daily Life in the Time of Jesus

What is the Aramaic language?

      Aramaic was originally the language of the Arameans, a people living in what is today Syria (Gen 25:20). Their language was adopted by others, becoming an international diplomatic language (2 Kings 18:26) and eventually the language of the Persian Empire. Aramaic became the common language of Jews living in Palestine while they were under Persian rule (much as Spanish became the common language of most of South America because of its time under Spanish rule). As a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great in the fourth century, Greek became the common language of the eastern Mediterranean world. Yet Aramaic persisted as the native language of rural Galileans, and was the native language of Jesus.

Why were banquets so popular?

      Banquets played important social and religious roles at the time of Jesus. They were not only a chance for ordinary people to enjoy ample food and wine, which they otherwise rarely did, but also a form of entertainment in a world that offered few diversions compared to the modern world. Banquets marked special occasions, such as weddings (Matt 22:2; John 2:1–10) or the homecoming of a wayward son (Luke 15:23). Those who were wealthy could feast every day (Luke 16:19). Banquets were also used to celebrate religious feasts, such as Passover (Exod 12:1–28). It was the custom at Greek banquets for diners to recline on their left side on cushions or couches arranged in a U-shape. Servants served the food on low tables inside the U. Jews adopted the custom of reclining during banquets, as John shows in his account of the Last Supper (John 13:12, 23–25). The prophets spoke of God providing a banquet for his people (Isaiah 25:6), and Jesus used a feast as an image for the reign of God (Matt 8:11; 22:1–14; Luke 13:24–29; 14:15–24). Having plenty of good food to eat would have sounded heavenly to Jesus’ listeners.

What was distinctive about Jewish burial practices at the time of Jesus?

      Jewish burials took place as soon as possible after death. The corpse was washed and anointed with ointments and perfumes and wrapped in cloth. Ordinary Jews were buried in simple graves dug in the ground; in the Jerusalem area, some wealthier Jews were buried in cave-like tombs carved into the limestone hillsides surrounding the city. These tombs usually contained several chambers and served entire families for several generations. Burials in family tombs were usually a two-step process. First, the corpse lay on a shelf in the tomb for about a year. Then, after the flesh had decayed away, the bones were collected and placed in a pit containing the bones of the person’s ancestors. Or, in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, bones were often placed instead in an ossuary, a lidded box carved from limestone; typically, such boxes were about twenty-four by eighteen by twelve inches. The box was then set in a recess in the tomb complex. Sometimes the bones of several members of a family were placed in the same box. In 1990, archaeologists excavating a tomb on the southern edge of Jerusalem found a bone box with an Aramaic form of the name “Caiaphas” inscribed on it. Inside were bones identified as those of a man about sixty, an adult woman, a teenage boy, a young child, and two infants. Archaeologists believe that the bones of the man are those of the Caiaphas who was high priest from A.D. 18 to 36 (see John 11:49).

What kind of clothing did people wear?

      The two basic items of clothing at the time of Jesus were the tunic and the cloak (see Luke 6:29; Acts 9:39). The tunic was an inner garment often made by folding a rectangle of cloth, sometimes linen, over on itself and stitching the sides, with openings for the head and arms. The cloak, often wool, was an outer garment, perhaps a loose-fitting robe or a rectangular