It was long overdue when the translation of Joachim Jeremias’ premier scholarship on Jerusalem’s economic, social, and cultural conditions in the first Christian century was produced. Joachim, son of the theologian and Assyriologist Friedrich Jeremias, also the pastor at Erlöserkirche[i], grew up as a child in Jerusalem. These geographical and familial living circumstances armed Joachim with a unique perspective on first-century Jerusalem, beginning with his early doctoral dissertation published in 1922. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions During the New Testament Period,[ii] is a genuine masterpiece of scholarship marked by a robust bibliography with sources primarily drawn from the Old Testament, New Testament, Josephus, and Jewish resources.[iii]
Chapter Breakdown
Part one, discussing the Economic Conditions in the City of Jerusalem, investigates first-century Jerusalem industry, commerce, and the diverse visitation of foreigners to the city. In his discussion on commerce, compelling evidence that sheds light on the activity of Jesus over-turning the tables of the moneychangers (Mark 11:15; Matt. 21:12; cf. Jn. 2:14) in the Temple is introduced, and the conclusion is drawn that “in the Court of the Gentiles, in spite of the sanctity of the Temple area, there could have been flourishing trade in animals for sacrifice.”[iv]
This evidence, carefully examined by Jeremias, helps readers of the biblical text to understand the correlation between the Court of the Gentiles and Jesus’ teaching found in Mark 11:17: “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves” (bold italics mine). The indication of this is compelling in that the Old Testament vision of the Temple specifically incorporated the access of “all people” (Isaiah 56:7; Comp. Mal. 1:11). When Solomon ascended in prayer upon the altar at the dedication of the Temple, he gives mention of the stranger, not of the nation of Israel, coming from a far country having heard of Israel’s great God, and “he shall come and pray toward this house” (I Kings 8:41-42). It could be argued, based on this evidence, that Jesus was angered by the fact that the only place the Gentiles could come and pray toward the God of Israel, the Court of the Gentiles, had become a place of merchandise, thus pushing the non-Jews out of the envisioned purpose of God’s Holy House, a house of prayer for all nations.
Part two, Economic Status, walks readers through the wealthy, middle-class, and poor of the first-century Jerusalem, along with insightful research that outlines the cost of living, taxation, and economic circumstances and polities of the day.
Part three, Social Status, is very insightful as it navigates the priesthood and its varied aristocracy, Lay Nobility, Scribes, and Pharisees. Jeremias’ efforts to delineate a clear distinction between the Scribe and the Pharisee is vital for New Testament scholarship, outlining specific and differing reproaches from Christ toward each group.[v]
Part four, The Maintenance of Racial Purity, dives into research that discusses the Jewish emphasis placed on lineage, ancestral purity, and the rights imbued upon those enjoying prominence in the scope of a national community. Jewish slaves, despised trades[vi], and illegitimacy within the Jewish community due to a myriad of circumstances or conditions are thoroughly discussed, and Jeremias closes out his scholarly work by discussing Gentile slaves, the Samaritans, and the social position of women in first-century Jerusalem.
As stated, this masterful work is a brilliant piece of scholarship that should intentionally fill any bookshelf of pastors, theologians, scholars, and students of the bible. While this review cannot reference every valuable insight gleaned from Joachim Jeremias’ scholarly work, it should be noted that few works today can compare to the scope of his contribution to a subject that is often riddled with bias and skepticism, of which Jeremias avoids as a pleasant and welcome surprise.
[i] The “Church of the Redeemed”, was the second Protestant church in Jerusalem. It was founded in 1898 on Reformation Day in the presence of Kaiser Wilhelm II and was built on the ruins of the St. Maria Latina (a Crusader-period church).
[ii] Jeremias, Joachim, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions During the New Testament Period. Translated by F.H. and C.H. Cave, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969
[iii] The Mishnah, Apocryphal, and Pseudepigraphical works, Qumran writings, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud, and other Rabbinic sources. Archeological evidence is referenced, but minorly.
[iv] Jeremias, Joachim, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions During the New Testament Period. Translated by F.H. and C.H. Cave, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, p. 49.
[v] Ibid., pp. 253-254
[vi] Dung collectors, tax collectors, and various other trades are discussed shedding insight on New Testament texts.