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Expert in
the Law of Moses Bob Hodgson
The first audiences who heard the story of the Good Samaritan did not think of the experts in the Law of Moses as caricatures or cardboard cutouts. They respected them as community leaders. They were professional interpreters of the Law--a Law they deeply loved and zealously guarded. These listeners knew that such experts had a proud tradition. It included heroes such as Eleazar, who had died defending this Law. In addition, they knew that such experts often enjoyed the company of other Jewish leaders such as Pharisees and scribes. They usually remained friends despite heated debates over points of Law.
The first audiences who heard the story of the Good Samaritan did not think of experts of the Law as caricatures or cardboard cutouts. They respected them as community leaders and professional interpreters of the Law--a Law they deeply loved and zealously guarded. The parable of the Good Samaritan begins with a person called a nomikos or "expert in the Law of Moses." He asks about obtaining eternal life. In the New Testament the word nomikos is used nine times, six times alone in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7.30, Luke 10.25, Luke 11.45, Luke 11.46, Luke 11.52, Luke 14.3). (It is also used in Matt 22.35, Titus 3.9, and Titus 3.13). According to Luke 11.37-54, these experts had at least three areas of professional duty. They explained the requirements of the Law to ordinary people. They kept alive the memory of past leaders such as the prophets. Also, they trained others in knowledge of the Law. In the Septuagint the term nomikos occurs only once (4 Macc 5.4), and in a story about a leader named Eleazar. With another story about Eleazar (2 Macc 6.18-31), we get a sense of his personal character, social status, and professional responsibilities as an expert of the Law. Eleazar was a Jewish leader, a descendant of priests, an expert in the Law, and very old. The book of Fourth Maccabees sums up Eleazar’s life and faith with a term of honor, calling them a philosophy. Eleazar describes himself as a person of deep personal piety. He had a sense of justice toward his people and a deep reverence for the traditions of the past. The Greek king tried to force Eleazar to disobey the Law of Moses by eating pork and other meat offered to idols. Eleazar bravely refused and was tortured to death. Luke’s audiences knew that experts of the Law had a proud professional tradition that included figures, such as Eleazar, who had died defending this Law. Also, they knew that such experts often enjoyed the company of other Jewish leaders such as Pharisees and scribes--a company that remained cordial despite heated debates over points of Law.
Expert in the Law in the Parable of the Good Samaritan The parable of the Good Samaritan begins with a person called a nomikos or "expert in the Law of Moses" asking Jesus a question about obtaining eternal life. In the first-century A.D. Mediterranean world, such experts were trained and respected professionals whose social status and expertise made them leaders and role models. Expert in the Law in the New Testament In the New Testament the word nomikos is used nine times, six times alone in Luke’s Gospel ( Luke 7.30, Luke 10.25, Luke 11.45, Luke 11.46, Luke 11.52, Luke 14.3). (The other occurrences of the term are Matt 22.35, Titus 3.9, and Titus 3.13). With the exception of Titus 3.13, the New Testament texts are references to experts in the Law of Moses. Titus 3.13 refers to a man named Zenas as an expert in the law, meaning possibly Hellenistic law. Matthew 22.35 is part of a story about The Most Important Commandment ( Matt 22.34–40), a story that also appears in Mark 12.28–34, although the questioner is designated by a different word in Greek. In Matthew’s version the expert belongs to a group of Jewish leaders called the Pharisees who are listening to Jesus teach. Luke 10.25 is also part of a story about a discussion of important commandments ( Luke 10.25–29). Here, the expert is said "to stand up" before asking his question, a movement that suggests he is sitting down with others who are listening to Jesus. At Luke 7.30, in a story about John the Baptist ( Luke 7.18–35), the experts in the Law are again listed with the Pharisees, but as an independent group. Luke identifies these experts by saying that they had refused to become followers of John the Baptist. In a story about Jesus criticizing some Pharisees and experts of the Law ( Luke 11.37–54), the experts are again depicted as being with the Pharisees, but this time at a dinner party. From the dialogue that Luke has constructed here, it is apparent that he imagines Jesus, the Pharisees, and the experts in the Law to be Jewish professionals, each claiming to know about the Law and its interpretation. What’s more, from the heated nature of the dialogue it is clear that Jesus and the others were Jewish leaders who found themselves competing for followers. According to Luke 11.37–54, these experts had at least three areas of professional responsibility: spelling out the requirements of the Law to ordinary people, keeping the memory of past leaders such as the prophets alive, and training others in knowledge of the Law. Luke’s last reference to the experts also comes in a story about Jesus eating in the home of a Pharisee, a meal at which some experts were also invited guests. Here, too, a debate follows, this time over Jesus’ right to heal on the Sabbath. Expert in the Law in the Septuagint In the Septuagint the term nomikos occurs only once ( 4 Macc 5.4), and in a story about an expert named Eleazar. But coupled with another story about the same person ( 2 Macc 6.18–31), it gives a sense of the personal character, social status, and professional responsibilities of a man identified as a nomikos. The figure identified as Eleazar was one of the martyrs who gave up his life defending Judaism during the second-century B.C. persecutions of King Antiochus Epiphanes IV. In both accounts of Eleazar’s death, the king tries to force Eleazar to disobey the Law of Moses by eating pork and other meat that had been offered to idols. Eleazar bravely refuses and is tortured to death. Fourth Maccabees depicts Eleazar as a Jewish leader, a descendant of priests, an expert in the Law, and very old. In keeping with its philosophical tone, this book sums up Eleazar’s life and faith with a term of honor, calling them a philosophy. Eleazar describes himself as a person of deep personal piety with a sense of justice toward people of his generation and a deep reverence for the traditions of former generations. In 2 Maccabees the sketch of Eleazar’s life and death adds other details. Here he is said to be a scribe and a person of great dignity even in his ninetieth year. He is also conscious of serving as a role model to younger men and women, possibly those he had trained in the Law. Expert in the Law in Hellenism What first-century A.D. experts in general might do on a day-to-day basis as they practiced their profession can be seen in a passage written by Epictetus, a slave turned philosopher. In this passage ( Epictetus 2.13.6), Epictetus reports that such experts were based in the big cities of the Mediterranean world and had responsibility for interpreting the laws and customs of a city. They told people what the laws permitted and what they did not. Additionally, they wrote wills, affixed seals to private and public documents, and drew up contracts and guarantees. On the whole they seemed to function as a combination of the modern lawyer and notary public. |