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Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels' Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism
Named a Sejong Book of 2021, Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA)
2020 Center for Biblical Studies Book Award (New Testament Runner-Up)
"Utterly fresh and innovative, important both exegetically and ethically."-- Paula Fredriksen , Review of Biblical Literature
Although most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs--especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law. This fresh interpretation of significant passages from the Gospels shows that throughout his life, Jesus destroys forces of death and impurity while upholding the Jewish law.
2020 Center for Biblical Studies Book Award (New Testament Runner-Up)
"Utterly fresh and innovative, important both exegetically and ethically."-- Paula Fredriksen , Review of Biblical Literature
Although most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs--especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law. This fresh interpretation of significant passages from the Gospels shows that throughout his life, Jesus destroys forces of death and impurity while upholding the Jewish law.
254 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 31, 2022
An excellent reexamination of Jesus' healing narratives, demonstrating that Jesus did not disregard Jewish law. Several of his healings focused on those suffering from ritual impurity caused by lepra, genital discharges, and death. Rather than set aside the ritual purity system, Jesus removed the sources of ritual impurity, showing that his power was even greater than the temple.
Theissen includes a chapter on exorcisms and on Jesus' Sabbath "violations" as well as an appendix on dietary laws. These contribute to the overall picture that Jesus upheld Jewish law.
Theissen includes a chapter on exorcisms and on Jesus' Sabbath "violations" as well as an appendix on dietary laws. These contribute to the overall picture that Jesus upheld Jewish law.
November 1, 2021
Building upon the work of Jacob Milgrom and other OT scholars who have mapped Israel’s understanding of holiness, Matthew Thiessen explores various narratives from the Gospels where Jesus heals those with ritual impurity. The book is a helpful introduction to Jewish teachings about holiness, the profane, and what constitutes impurity. If you want to more fully grasp the import of Jesus healing the hemorrhaging woman, performing resurrections, or healing those with skin diseases, this is a great place to start.
June 27, 2023
In “Jesus and the Forces of Death,” Thiessen’s guiding thesis is that the gospel authors depict Jesus as concerned with Jewish law observance. The Jesus of the gospels is thoroughly Jewish—and his ministry is not concerned with the abolishment of the biblical ritual system, contrary to popular conjecture. Thiessen substantiates this thesis by closely analyzing the gospel’s portrayal of Jesus through the lens of the ritual impurity and Second Temple Judaism. He draws from a wealth of resources, spanning from Scripture itself to ANE documents, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other rabbinic works.
The book begins with a cursory introduction to the purity system. Thiessen attempts to elucidate the ritualistic worldview of Jews in the time of Jesus. He defines terms like “holy,” “profane,” “pure,” and “impure”; he considers the similarities and differences between ritual impurity and moral impurity; and he discusses the primary sources of ritual impurity: lepra, genital discharges, and corpses. Thiessen joins with Jacob Milgrom in postulating that these three things are rendered “impure” because of their association with death (i.e., they are “forces of death,” hence the title of the book). Finally, he describes the work of priests and ritual detergents. Important to this chapter is Thiessen's assertion that the purity system was ultimately animated by compassion, as it was concerned with the sustaining of God’s presence.
In Chapter 2, Thiessen sets out to prove that the life of Jesus as portrayed in the gospels is thoroughly embedded in Jewish law observance. He considers the piety of Jesus's family: Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John. He spends a good deal of time contemplating the ritual backdrop of John baptismal ministry and exploring the details of Jesus’s presentation in the temple as a baby. One compelling (though not integral) argument made in this chapter is that Luke may not have been a Gentile, despite popular belief.
In chapters 3 through 7, Thiessen analyzes several gospel stories in which Jesus is confronted by sources of ritual impurity. In these chapters, Thiessen successfully demonstrates that understanding the ritual contexts of these stories (which have oft been obscured by our modern interpretive lenses) is vital for properly interpreting the stories.
Primarily, Thiessen examines Jesus’ healing of the leper in Mark 1; His healing of the bleeding woman in Mark 5; His raising of Jairus’s daughter in Mark 5; His healing of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5; and His parable about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. What Thiessen ultimately concludes is that the gospels depict Jesus as “so powerful a force of holiness that even the three strongest sources of impurity…cannot withstand Him.” Thiessen believes “Jesus is involved in a broadscale purification mission…[he] not only removes the sources of ritual impurity, but he also removes moral impurities or sins” (178). The Israelite temple was “predominantly defensive” and it “could not eradicate the sources of ritual impurity…but the aftereffects once those source of impurity left a person’s body.” Jesus, however, has no such limitation; he defeats these forces of death at their source (180).
Thiessen, then, does not understand the work of Jesus as abolishing the ritual system; rather, he understands the work of Jesus as fulfilling the ritual system. Jesus renders ritual impurity “immaterial” by abolishing death itself (183). This was precisely the kind of solution to impurity for which the prophets of Israel longed (Isaiah 25:6-8, 26:19, Psalm 16:9-10).
While Thiessen’s book did leave me with some pressing questions about practical application and eschatology, I nevertheless found it to be an astonishingly insightful resource. This work will undoubtedly change the way I read the gospels from this day forward. For that, I am indebted to him! I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in understanding the continuity between Levitical ritualism and the Kingdom mission of Jesus. If you want to talk about this more, hit me up! I have several pages of notes from my reading.
The book begins with a cursory introduction to the purity system. Thiessen attempts to elucidate the ritualistic worldview of Jews in the time of Jesus. He defines terms like “holy,” “profane,” “pure,” and “impure”; he considers the similarities and differences between ritual impurity and moral impurity; and he discusses the primary sources of ritual impurity: lepra, genital discharges, and corpses. Thiessen joins with Jacob Milgrom in postulating that these three things are rendered “impure” because of their association with death (i.e., they are “forces of death,” hence the title of the book). Finally, he describes the work of priests and ritual detergents. Important to this chapter is Thiessen's assertion that the purity system was ultimately animated by compassion, as it was concerned with the sustaining of God’s presence.
In Chapter 2, Thiessen sets out to prove that the life of Jesus as portrayed in the gospels is thoroughly embedded in Jewish law observance. He considers the piety of Jesus's family: Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John. He spends a good deal of time contemplating the ritual backdrop of John baptismal ministry and exploring the details of Jesus’s presentation in the temple as a baby. One compelling (though not integral) argument made in this chapter is that Luke may not have been a Gentile, despite popular belief.
In chapters 3 through 7, Thiessen analyzes several gospel stories in which Jesus is confronted by sources of ritual impurity. In these chapters, Thiessen successfully demonstrates that understanding the ritual contexts of these stories (which have oft been obscured by our modern interpretive lenses) is vital for properly interpreting the stories.
Primarily, Thiessen examines Jesus’ healing of the leper in Mark 1; His healing of the bleeding woman in Mark 5; His raising of Jairus’s daughter in Mark 5; His healing of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5; and His parable about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. What Thiessen ultimately concludes is that the gospels depict Jesus as “so powerful a force of holiness that even the three strongest sources of impurity…cannot withstand Him.” Thiessen believes “Jesus is involved in a broadscale purification mission…[he] not only removes the sources of ritual impurity, but he also removes moral impurities or sins” (178). The Israelite temple was “predominantly defensive” and it “could not eradicate the sources of ritual impurity…but the aftereffects once those source of impurity left a person’s body.” Jesus, however, has no such limitation; he defeats these forces of death at their source (180).
Thiessen, then, does not understand the work of Jesus as abolishing the ritual system; rather, he understands the work of Jesus as fulfilling the ritual system. Jesus renders ritual impurity “immaterial” by abolishing death itself (183). This was precisely the kind of solution to impurity for which the prophets of Israel longed (Isaiah 25:6-8, 26:19, Psalm 16:9-10).
While Thiessen’s book did leave me with some pressing questions about practical application and eschatology, I nevertheless found it to be an astonishingly insightful resource. This work will undoubtedly change the way I read the gospels from this day forward. For that, I am indebted to him! I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in understanding the continuity between Levitical ritualism and the Kingdom mission of Jesus. If you want to talk about this more, hit me up! I have several pages of notes from my reading.
April 10, 2021
Matthew Thiessen managed to craft an engaging, novel, and approachable book that not only informs and stretches the imagination, but managed to bring me to new depths of awe-filled worship at the mission of the Holy One of God, Jesus the Messiah, who not only deals with the effects of pneumatic, ritual, and moral impurity, but destroys the sources through his contagious Holiness.
January 7, 2025
Readings of the Gospels which interpret Jesus’s healings as violations of Levitical purity law—the result of a widely held notion that his ministry was characterized by Christian “grace” in opposition to Jewish “legalism”—are shown to be exegetically unwarranted. Engaging and concise.
January 25, 2021
A fresh and compelling thesis. Thiessen critiques a Christian tendency to set Jesus against the purity system, and shows his concern to vanquish the sources of impurity (but not the purity system as such). So many brilliant insights here, but just to share one ... Num 5:2-3 commands Israel to “send out from the camp every lepros (person with a skin impurity), every genital discharger, and everyone who is impure by a corpse.” Mark portrays Jesus addressing these very same purity concerns in the same order in Mark 1:40-45 - lepra; 5:25-34 zavah; and 5:35-43 - corpse of a young girl. This book helped unlock Jesus' healing ministry for me.
July 27, 2024
Matthew Thiessen provides an extremely helpful understanding of Jesus and his encounter with ritual impurity in the context of the synoptic gospels. His approach to ritual impurity is built off of Jacob Milgrom’s approach to Leviticus approach to Holy/Profane and Pure/Impure. He points out that to be impure is not necessarily sinful unless one who is impure comes in contact with the Holy here and causes it to be impure. What we also see in this book is that Jesus is far greater than the impurity on display. This demonstrates his power over death itself. Thiessen addresses this in his chapters, which cover:
1. Mapping Jesus’ World
2. Jesus in a World of Ritual Impurity
3. Jesus and the Walking Dead
4. Jesus and the Dead Womb
5. Jesus and the Dead
6. Jesus and Demonic Impurity
7. Jesus, Healing, and the Sabbath Life
While I disagree with Thiessen, his work is profoundly valuable. Chapter 5 is well worth the price of the book.
1. Mapping Jesus’ World
2. Jesus in a World of Ritual Impurity
3. Jesus and the Walking Dead
4. Jesus and the Dead Womb
5. Jesus and the Dead
6. Jesus and Demonic Impurity
7. Jesus, Healing, and the Sabbath Life
While I disagree with Thiessen, his work is profoundly valuable. Chapter 5 is well worth the price of the book.
January 12, 2024
2024 reads: 5
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rating: 4.5 stars
October 9, 2020
There is a common perception (in the pew and in the academy) that in the gospels, Jesus basically ignores ritual impurity in favor of "compassion." It's as if Jesus treats the whole Levitical system as what many today see it as: unimportant and archaic superstition. Matthew Thiessen argues against this view, showing that the gospels in fact portray Jesus as fully embracing the whole Law, the ritual purity laws included.
The Levitical laws deal with treating the effects of impurities—cleansing after contracting them—but what the gospels show is Jesus confronting and dealing with the actual root sources of ritual impurity: Healing "lepers" (Thiessen gives lots of fascinating historical detail about what the biblical term actually refers to), healing defiling genital discharges, raising the dead, and exorcising impure spirits. In the biblical conception, impurity was something of an actual force at work in the world, and Jesus—the Holy One of God—is a force who directly counters the impurity of death (which is what the various Levitical impurities symbolized). The author makes his case through a close reading of the healing narratives in the gospels and situating them in their Jewish and Greco-Roman context.
In showing that Jesus did not reject the Levitical purity system, Thiessen also makes the case that Jesus did not actually ignore the Sabbath or the kosher food laws either. Jesus' actions on the Sabbath and statements about it indicate that he fell well within a certain stream of contemporary Jewish legal thinking about the Sabbath. As to the food laws in the story about hand-washing in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, Thiessen argues that this story is actually specifically about hand-washing and about the nature of defilement generally, not about abolishing the food laws themselves.
It's annoying and (I think) unnecessary that Thiessen constantly creates distance between the historical Jesus and the gospel portrayals of him (referring almost always to "Mark's Jesus" or "Matthew's Jesus," etc), and there are a few other minor irritations. But that does little to obscure the substance of a very interesting and enlightening book, which I think is convincing in its general thesis. Thiessen doesn't mention it specifically, but his book serves to validate Paul's statement in Galatians 4:4 that Jesus was born "under the Law."
The Levitical laws deal with treating the effects of impurities—cleansing after contracting them—but what the gospels show is Jesus confronting and dealing with the actual root sources of ritual impurity: Healing "lepers" (Thiessen gives lots of fascinating historical detail about what the biblical term actually refers to), healing defiling genital discharges, raising the dead, and exorcising impure spirits. In the biblical conception, impurity was something of an actual force at work in the world, and Jesus—the Holy One of God—is a force who directly counters the impurity of death (which is what the various Levitical impurities symbolized). The author makes his case through a close reading of the healing narratives in the gospels and situating them in their Jewish and Greco-Roman context.
In showing that Jesus did not reject the Levitical purity system, Thiessen also makes the case that Jesus did not actually ignore the Sabbath or the kosher food laws either. Jesus' actions on the Sabbath and statements about it indicate that he fell well within a certain stream of contemporary Jewish legal thinking about the Sabbath. As to the food laws in the story about hand-washing in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, Thiessen argues that this story is actually specifically about hand-washing and about the nature of defilement generally, not about abolishing the food laws themselves.
It's annoying and (I think) unnecessary that Thiessen constantly creates distance between the historical Jesus and the gospel portrayals of him (referring almost always to "Mark's Jesus" or "Matthew's Jesus," etc), and there are a few other minor irritations. But that does little to obscure the substance of a very interesting and enlightening book, which I think is convincing in its general thesis. Thiessen doesn't mention it specifically, but his book serves to validate Paul's statement in Galatians 4:4 that Jesus was born "under the Law."
January 5, 2021
What a fantastic, engaging, and exciting book! I continue to be amazed at the profound significance of attending to Jesus within the world of first-century Palestinian Judaism. And by “within,” I really mean that—as part of this world, not as some kind of anti-Jewish sleeper agent; not as someone just out to burn the whole thing to the ground, not as one who has come to “abolish.” Thiessen does a phenomenal job of correcting the far-too-common misperception that Jesus was either dismissive of or even hostile to the Jewish purity system. His exegetical discussion of Jesus’s encounters with “lepra” (usually translated, misleadingly, as “lepers”), the bleeding woman, corpses, and “unclean/impure” spirits offered significant insight, providing answers to questions I hadn’t previously articulated for myself—probably because I had unthinkingly just been assuming (in unexamined and unsupported form) the far more common, “anti-purity regulation” reading. To top it all off, the way Thiessen connects Jesus’s dealing with the various sources of impurity he encounters with the “forces of death” has significance for my own work on the place of eschatological violence within Jesus’s ministry. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. The biggest challenge I am taking away from it is how to be able to communicate its significance and its implications clearly and straightforwardly to a wider audience, without a background in biblical studies.
November 13, 2022
I had heard many good things about this book before picking it up to read it for myself, but even with very high expectations, I can say that it exceeded them. Matthew Thiessen convincingly argues, contrary to much New Testament scholarship and contemporary Christian thinking, that the Gospels (primarily the Synoptic Gospels) do not portray Jesus "abolish[ing] the ritual purity system; rather, [Jesus] abolishes the force that creates the ritual impurity in the person he meets" (6). Thiessen's reading of the Gospels helpfully takes into account not only the Jewishness of the Gospel writers (Thiessen even recognizes "the possibility that Luke was himself a Jew" [41]), but also of Jesus the Messiah.
Thiessen looks at a number of stories in the Gospels (usually taking the story as it is found in Mark's Gospel as his starting point) that deal with those considered ritually impure—that is, those with "lepra" (Thiessen argues "lepra" [λέπρα] should not be confused with "leprosy" [ἐλεφαντίασις]: see pages 43-52), those with genital discharges, and corpses. For Thiessen, these stories do not show Jesus's antipathy or disregard for Jewish ritual purity concerns, but instead, they depict Jesus's desire to remove ritual impurity from individuals. Much like Elijah and Elisha—one of whom cured a "lepros," and both of whom raised the dead—Jesus dealt with ritual impurity in a way that the ritual purity system did not (and could not), by not simply removing the "effects of sources of impurity," but the "sources of impurity themselves" (180). In the person of Jesus, the God of Israel inserted "a new, mobile, and powerfully contagious force of holiness into the world," and the purifying ministry of Jesus "signaled the very coming of the kingdom—a kingdom of holiness and life that ... overwhelms the forces and sources of impurity and death" (179).
Even though the ministry of Jesus (like the ministry of Elijah and Elisha) did what the temple/tabernacle apparatus could not, this should not lead one to assume that Jesus did not believe in ritual impurity or did not view it as significant. The Gospel writers even seem to make the opposite point at times. For instance, in the story of the healing of the "lepros" in Mark 1, Jesus tells the (former) "lepros" to "show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them" (Mark 1:44). As Thiessen rightly notes, "The Gospel writers depict Jesus acting in a way that fits perfectly with the laws of Leviticus 13-14. After cleansing people of their lepra (cf. Lev. 14:2), Jesus commands them to go to the temple to undergo the rituals necessary to remove the ritual impurity that continues to exist after the lepra leaves (Lev. 14:8, 9, 20)" (68). This one example, among many others that Thiessen points to, indicates that our assumptions about Jesus being unconcerned with the Torah or with the ritual purity system may be wrongheaded and incorrect. Each chapter is a treasure trove of new and fresh insights about the ministry of Jesus and the world of the Gospel writers. I would recommend this book to anyone, as I think it counters some faulty thinking within contemporary Christian circles about Judaism, Jesus, and the Old Testament (specifically, the legal literature found in the Torah).
Thiessen looks at a number of stories in the Gospels (usually taking the story as it is found in Mark's Gospel as his starting point) that deal with those considered ritually impure—that is, those with "lepra" (Thiessen argues "lepra" [λέπρα] should not be confused with "leprosy" [ἐλεφαντίασις]: see pages 43-52), those with genital discharges, and corpses. For Thiessen, these stories do not show Jesus's antipathy or disregard for Jewish ritual purity concerns, but instead, they depict Jesus's desire to remove ritual impurity from individuals. Much like Elijah and Elisha—one of whom cured a "lepros," and both of whom raised the dead—Jesus dealt with ritual impurity in a way that the ritual purity system did not (and could not), by not simply removing the "effects of sources of impurity," but the "sources of impurity themselves" (180). In the person of Jesus, the God of Israel inserted "a new, mobile, and powerfully contagious force of holiness into the world," and the purifying ministry of Jesus "signaled the very coming of the kingdom—a kingdom of holiness and life that ... overwhelms the forces and sources of impurity and death" (179).
Even though the ministry of Jesus (like the ministry of Elijah and Elisha) did what the temple/tabernacle apparatus could not, this should not lead one to assume that Jesus did not believe in ritual impurity or did not view it as significant. The Gospel writers even seem to make the opposite point at times. For instance, in the story of the healing of the "lepros" in Mark 1, Jesus tells the (former) "lepros" to "show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them" (Mark 1:44). As Thiessen rightly notes, "The Gospel writers depict Jesus acting in a way that fits perfectly with the laws of Leviticus 13-14. After cleansing people of their lepra (cf. Lev. 14:2), Jesus commands them to go to the temple to undergo the rituals necessary to remove the ritual impurity that continues to exist after the lepra leaves (Lev. 14:8, 9, 20)" (68). This one example, among many others that Thiessen points to, indicates that our assumptions about Jesus being unconcerned with the Torah or with the ritual purity system may be wrongheaded and incorrect. Each chapter is a treasure trove of new and fresh insights about the ministry of Jesus and the world of the Gospel writers. I would recommend this book to anyone, as I think it counters some faulty thinking within contemporary Christian circles about Judaism, Jesus, and the Old Testament (specifically, the legal literature found in the Torah).
April 28, 2023
This is a tour de force of scholarship with a number of paradigm-shifting moments for me:
1. The New Testament (including Jesus himself) regularly refers to the Jerusalem Temple as the place where the God of Israel still dwells.
2. I had never noticed before that in Mark Jesus follows the list of ritual impurity sources in Numbers 5.
3. Surpising instance of substitutionary atonement when Jesus cleanses the man with the ritually impure skin disease in Mark 1. Jesus pays the price for the purification & disobedience of the lepros (not leper) by now being unable to enter towns as if he himself were ritually impure.
4. Thiessen has made me way more attuned to Jesus interacting with ritual impurity all over the gospels, not just in the obvious places (the woman with the involuntary discharge) but in all cases relating to death.
5. I'll also no longer portray Hebrew ritual impurity in a derogatory tone when preaching, and will prevent myself making Jesus out to be somehow against the purity laws which he actually protected.
Nevertheless, I knocked a star off for a number of infractions, such as:
-repeatedly knocking 'Christian interpretations',
-ideological allegiance to the Paul-Within-Judaism movement, which leads to an absurd and not-remotely-persuasive take on Jesus declaring all foods clean.
-divorcing the historical Jesus from each gospel author's 'Jesus', etc.
1. The New Testament (including Jesus himself) regularly refers to the Jerusalem Temple as the place where the God of Israel still dwells.
2. I had never noticed before that in Mark Jesus follows the list of ritual impurity sources in Numbers 5.
3. Surpising instance of substitutionary atonement when Jesus cleanses the man with the ritually impure skin disease in Mark 1. Jesus pays the price for the purification & disobedience of the lepros (not leper) by now being unable to enter towns as if he himself were ritually impure.
4. Thiessen has made me way more attuned to Jesus interacting with ritual impurity all over the gospels, not just in the obvious places (the woman with the involuntary discharge) but in all cases relating to death.
5. I'll also no longer portray Hebrew ritual impurity in a derogatory tone when preaching, and will prevent myself making Jesus out to be somehow against the purity laws which he actually protected.
Nevertheless, I knocked a star off for a number of infractions, such as:
-repeatedly knocking 'Christian interpretations',
-ideological allegiance to the Paul-Within-Judaism movement, which leads to an absurd and not-remotely-persuasive take on Jesus declaring all foods clean.
-divorcing the historical Jesus from each gospel author's 'Jesus', etc.
February 2, 2021
A friend's recommendation got me to start reading Thiessen's book. As usual, after a couple of chapters, I decided whether I was learning enough from it to continue to the last page. Easy choice on this book: every page brought new insights into how Jesus arrayed himself against the forces of ritual impurity. The author convinced me that Jesus remained a loyal Jew throughout, not pulling away from the law but following it carefully even when some members of his religion were less observant. Jesus (argues Thiessen) set about to address such ritual impurities in a fairly new way: by removing them. The three great impurities he addressed were lepra (not really leprosy but a less severe skin disease); in Mark 1:40-42, Jesus healed a person having lepra making him clean. Second, Jesus healed a woman possessed by a twelve-year flow of blood (Mark 2-3). Third, Jesus returned a girl from death to life (Mark 5). In every case, Thiessen not only analyzes Jewish law for that impurity, but traces parallel laws in other Near Eastern countries for the same impurity. In short, a particularly useful volume, taking a somewhat contrarian position to many other scholars, who assert in various ways that Jesus acts in ways that ignore Jewish law in one way or another. The author could have pointed out that the three stories address the whole human race: man, woman, child.
December 23, 2021
In both the ancient Near East of Moses' time and the Mediterranean world of Jesus' time, there were restrictions on when one could enter sacred space. For Israelites the rules on this topic are recorded in Lev 11-15 and Num 19. These rules protected an Israelite from the death that could result if he tried to approach the holy God while defiled by a skin disease, a genital discharge, or contact with a corpse.
The Gospels record a number of occasions where Jesus interacted with people affected by some kind of major ritual impurity. On those occasions he eliminated the source of the impurity as part of his overall mission to defeat death and all the forces of death. His exorcisms of unclean spirits and healings were also part of this mission.
Matthew Thiessen clearly explains all of these things in this informative and inspiring book. He also shows that the Gospels portray Jesus as a Torah-observant Jew whose teachings often were similar to those of later rabbinic Judaism.
In an appendix he addresses Mark 7:19, a verse that appears in a discussion of the nature of ritual and moral impurity. In agreement with a growing number of scholars, including Daniel Boyarin and James Crossley, he shows that Jesus does not in Mark 7 abrogate biblical dietary restrictions.
The Gospels record a number of occasions where Jesus interacted with people affected by some kind of major ritual impurity. On those occasions he eliminated the source of the impurity as part of his overall mission to defeat death and all the forces of death. His exorcisms of unclean spirits and healings were also part of this mission.
Matthew Thiessen clearly explains all of these things in this informative and inspiring book. He also shows that the Gospels portray Jesus as a Torah-observant Jew whose teachings often were similar to those of later rabbinic Judaism.
In an appendix he addresses Mark 7:19, a verse that appears in a discussion of the nature of ritual and moral impurity. In agreement with a growing number of scholars, including Daniel Boyarin and James Crossley, he shows that Jesus does not in Mark 7 abrogate biblical dietary restrictions.
April 15, 2024
Thiessen makes a compelling argument that the gospels portray Jesus as living within the Jewish ritual purity system, and interacting with the legal interpretations present in his day. At several points, Thiessen provided details that brought new light to stories we all know: the Good Samaritan, the “weightier matters of the law”, Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath, etc.
Thiessen offers a corrective to the typical readings of the gospels in both academy and church, that see Jesus as doing away with ritual impurity laws, and shows rather that Jesus’ mission was aimed at eliminating the sources of impurity, inaugurating the promises of the Kingdom of God that Israel looked forward to.
The book was a little bit repetitive at times and sometimes dragged on in sections detailing the Greco-Roman, ANE, and Jewish contexts. I also was not a fan of the way he separates the historical Jesus from the gospel author’s portrayal of him (“Mark’s Jesus”). But overall, this is a helpful and challenging book, bringing penetrating insights to the gospels and their portrayal of Jesus’ interaction with ritual impurity.
Thiessen offers a corrective to the typical readings of the gospels in both academy and church, that see Jesus as doing away with ritual impurity laws, and shows rather that Jesus’ mission was aimed at eliminating the sources of impurity, inaugurating the promises of the Kingdom of God that Israel looked forward to.
The book was a little bit repetitive at times and sometimes dragged on in sections detailing the Greco-Roman, ANE, and Jewish contexts. I also was not a fan of the way he separates the historical Jesus from the gospel author’s portrayal of him (“Mark’s Jesus”). But overall, this is a helpful and challenging book, bringing penetrating insights to the gospels and their portrayal of Jesus’ interaction with ritual impurity.
June 2, 2024
"Jesus and the Forces of Death" by Matthew Thiessen offers a fascinating take on how the Gospels address ritual impurity. Thiessen skillfully breaks down ancient cultural and religious norms, making complex ideas easy to grasp. His deep dive into the Gospels brings fresh perspectives to familiar stories, enriching our understanding of Jesus' actions and teachings. Contrary to the idea that Jesus aimed to overturn Jewish customs, Thiessen argues that these Gospel stories highlight a faithful and Torah-observant Jesus. Although his tone can be a bit sharp when addressing critics, this doesn't detract much from the book's value. Packed with historical and cultural insights, it's a goldmine for anyone in ministry looking to deepen their teachings. Overall, it's a compelling read for anyone interested in the historical context of the New Testament.
April 18, 2024
With the fascinating and trenchant exploration of the gospels in light of ritual purity, Thiessen makes a compelling case that the common understanding of the gospels as Jesus dismissing and discounting the purity laws of the OT misses the mark. Rather, with the understanding that purity allows one to enter into God's holy presence, Thiessen demonstrates how Jesus's healing of diseases, death, and his exorcism of unclean (= impure) spirits in light of purity laws actually present Christ as the one who eradicates the forces of death by providing the lasting purity that comes in relationship with him and thus receiving his purifying presence. Essential reading for any serious reader of the gospels.
May 31, 2022
Thiessen's thesis is to show how Jesus did not, contrary to popular interpretation, come and disregard Jewish Law in his ministry. He didn't disobey Torah instruction on Sabbath and ritual impurity, but rather shows his authority to abolish the very forces that contribute to ritual impurity in the first place. This book really spells out what it means when Jesus says he did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it. It's fairly academic but I still think accessible. Its main thrust is SO important to understanding the flow of scripture leading to Jesus and I think its concepts can (and SHOULD) be distilled to non-academic audience. I'm really excited to read Thiessen's other work on Paul.
August 10, 2022
In depth research, well laid out logic and arguments for his thesis, which is that Jesus didn't neglect the purity laws, but rather delivered people from the sources of the impurities that needed a ritual cleansing before having access to the temple. Some of it was a little tedious for me and in the end I am left with some questions: How does this affect me and... what am I supposed to do with this information? Though I certainly learned about ritual purity, and I appreciate the solid scholarship, i just don't find much practical application for my life, which is why i arm only giving 3 stars.
May 1, 2023
5/5 if you’re reading it for what it is.
Deceptively short because it’s actually quite technical. Provides needed context for the second temple era debates on ritual purity, and how Jesus engaged with those legal debates amidst the scribes and Pharisees. Some really interesting content about Jesus’ interactions with the purity laws, and how he can affirm them (because holiness is a GIFT to protect us) but also “fulfill” them (because he wars against death, thereby eliminating the need for purity rituals in the first place).
Deceptively short because it’s actually quite technical. Provides needed context for the second temple era debates on ritual purity, and how Jesus engaged with those legal debates amidst the scribes and Pharisees. Some really interesting content about Jesus’ interactions with the purity laws, and how he can affirm them (because holiness is a GIFT to protect us) but also “fulfill” them (because he wars against death, thereby eliminating the need for purity rituals in the first place).
March 30, 2024
Very useful exegesis clarifying how the Levitical ritual purity system manifests and is legitimized in Jesus's mission against the very sources of forces of Death, far from him rejecting it. In doing this, the book makes categorical distinctions between holy/profane vs pure/impure, as well as helping define impurity's subcategories including ritual, moral, and demonic. It then lays out how the Gospel narrative has Jesus constantly confronting the sources of ritual impurity, forces of death, and destroying them. Christ has overcome. Happy Easter.
August 7, 2025
This is really, really good. It's particularly strong in the ways Thiessen situates certain scenes and actions of Jesus within the context of purity rituals in the 1st century. The way Thiessen disambiguates concepts like "sin," "purity," and "holiness" sheds a ton of light on some commonly misunderstood moments in the Gospels. I only wish Thiessen had spent some more space on how the resurrection itself defeats the ultimate impurity of death.
A very helpful resource, and I will be looking more into Thiessen's other books.
A very helpful resource, and I will be looking more into Thiessen's other books.
August 26, 2023
3.5 stars (probably)
I really liked the insight into Jewish ritual laws and how Jesus interacted with them & worked to remove the source of any ritual impurity through his holiness. Some parts became a bit repetitive and tedious for me (the lengthy discussion on why 1st century lepra is not the same as 21st century leprosy could have been a bit shorter, for example), but I did appreciate the historical context that we often miss in modern readings of Scripture.
I really liked the insight into Jewish ritual laws and how Jesus interacted with them & worked to remove the source of any ritual impurity through his holiness. Some parts became a bit repetitive and tedious for me (the lengthy discussion on why 1st century lepra is not the same as 21st century leprosy could have been a bit shorter, for example), but I did appreciate the historical context that we often miss in modern readings of Scripture.
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September 22, 2023“What Mark (and later Matthew and Luke) conveys to his readers is that Jesus, being the holy one of God, is so powerful a force of holiness that even the strongest sources of impurity (a bone fragment is, of course, part of a corpse) cannot withstand him. Neither can the demonic forces of impurity that run rampant on the earth. What the narrative arc of Mark’s Gospel suggests is that readers must understand that Jesus is involved in a broad-scale purification mission.”, p. 178
October 14, 2023
This one deserves more than 5 stars. Thiessen is one of a group of scholars who takes the Jewish purity system seriously an thinks Jesus (and Paul) did too. Miracle stories in the gospels are not just Jesus showing Himself divine, or doing nice things for people. Rather the healing of skin disease, sexual discharges, and even death show a Jesus who overpowers the forces of impurity that can separate people from God's presence. Just an amazing book.
January 12, 2025
I thought this was a fine book. Does what it sets out to do - convinces the reader that Jesus was intent upon upholding the Jewish law during his lifetime. I don’t find all of Thiessen’s conclusions convincing, and most Reformed Christians will probably find themselves saying “Yeah, duh” at several points. That said, the appendix on dietary laws was super helpful - that probably bumps the rating to 3.5.
December 31, 2020
A much needed corrective to academic and popular level opinions that Jesus routinely broke ritual purity laws, being concerned more about compassion than obeying the Torah. Thiessen shows that much thinking about this is influenced more by modern cultural interpretations than careful reading of the text and its contextual locators.
October 13, 2021
Great and accessible introduction to Jewish thought world. Some sources are missing and the writing is repetitive (for the purpose of emphasis?). Short book, nothing wrong with that, the appendix was unnecessary IMO. Maybe the publisher needed more pages? Anyway, great to see Milgrom’s (and others) work used to analyze the Gospels.
July 15, 2024
This book provides a fascinating and enlightening analysis of the relationship between Jesus and the Jewish ritual purity system as presented in the Gospels. While I would have liked for Thiessen to have discussed the practical implications of his thesis for 21st Century Christ-followers, this book has changed the way I read certain passages in Mark, Matthew and Luke.
July 12, 2025
Fascinating study on ritual impurity and its importance in the ministry of Jesus. I did not expect the chapters on demons related to impurity but it was an enlightening contribution. I would have loved to have seen a culminating chapter on the atonement, but that would have drastically enlarged the scope of the book. Truly an eye opening study.
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