Durash
Brian Dean bridean@worldnet.att.net
Sun, 3 May 1998 21:17:04 -0400 (00894266224, 19980504010606.AAA25921@briandea)
BRIDEAN
I am going to cut and paste something from a discussion board I was once
a part of.
> There are places in the Bible where earlier scripture is
>quoted but doesn't exist. One example is Matt 2:23 where
>a prophecy is mentioned to be fulfilled but doesn't exist
>anywhere in the OT. Also, Paul quotes Christ in saying,
>"It is better to give than to receive." but Christ doesn't
>say this anywhere. Can anyone think of other examples?
>Brian Dean
>--
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Congratulations Brian!
You have just discovered what in Hebrew is known as a DARASH! (Pronounced "dah-
rash" accent on the last sylable, "a" pronounced as in father). Having said all that
now
what's a darash?
A darash is a quotation of a passage from the OT that is either quoted out of context,
misquoted, or is the quotation of a passage that doesn't exist. It was used in Judism
to
illustrate or emphasize (not prove) a historical or theological fact. It is still used
today
among some Orthodox Jews for teaching along with the parable. In scripture it is
usually
introduced by a sterotyped phrase, e.g.: THUS IT WAS FULFILLED THAT WHICH
WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROFIT - AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE SCRIPTURES - AS THE
SCRIPTURES SAY - AS JEREMIAH SAYS.
In the play FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Tevi is always saying - AS IT SAYS IN THE GOOD
BOOK - then he makes something up - a darash. So does the NT - it will make it up. It
will
either quote the OT out of context; it will deliberately misquote the OT; or it will
quote a
passage that dosen't exist in order to illustrate (not prove) a fact. The classic
example is
Mat 27:8-10. "Therefore that field has been called the field of blood to this day.
Then
was fulfilled what had been spoken by the profit Jeremiah, saying AND THEY TOOK THE
THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER THE PRICE OF HIM ON WHOM A PRICE HAD BEEN SET
BY SOME OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL, AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER'S
FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME." A very nice quotation from Jeremiah! BUT
where in Jeremiah does that quoation occur? NOWHERE! Where does Matthew get it
from? In Jeremiah 32 there is a mention of buying a field for 17 shekels of silver (not
30
pieces). And it's not a potter's field. In Jeremiah 18 there is mention of a potter, but
it has
nothing to do with a field.
What has Matthew done here? He has ceated a quotation. If the quotation is created can
it prove anything? No. Is a darash supposed to prove anything? No. By definition it
does not prove. It illustrates a fact. What fact? The fact that the money paid to
Judas
was used to buy a field. That is the historical fact, and the author makes up a
quotation to
illustrate it.
Most darasheth (plural) in the NT are quotes out of context. If you quote out of
context
you can say anything; e.g.: What's the first baseball game in the Bible? Eve stole
first,
Adam stole second, Abraham sacrificed Isaac, and the prodical son came home.
The darash was, at the time of Christ, the most common teaching technique of the Jews.
The NT is full of them. The Jewish Talmud sometimes has five to ten darasheth per page.
Every single one of them is either a misquote, quoted out of context, or is quoting a
passage that doesn't exist. This was considered to be good scholarship. We may not
approve of it, but there is nothing we can do about it.
Ref: (1)The Talmud.
(2) Dr. Arkin (Holds chair of Theology at St. Louis University. Spent
5 years studying in a Jewish Rabinical Seminary. He has not published, but
his students are compiling a book of his lectures - hope to publish them
someday.)
More on non-scriptural scripture from Dr. Arkin's point of view. Continuing with my
posting of Feb 8,96 regarding the DARASH (new readers see background postings at the
end for definition of a darash):
It seems that Jesus used a darash in John 7:37. "He who thirsts let him come to me and
drink. As it is written in the scriptures, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living
water.' "
This doesn't seem to exist in the old OT. It's probably a darash.
The gospels introduce John the Baptist with a darash by misquoting Isaiah 40;3... .
Isaiah
actually says (paraphrasing): A VOICE CRIES: ' IN THE WILDERNESS PREPARE THE
WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE STRAIGHT IN THE DESERT A HIGHWAY FOR OUR
LORD.' But the gospels say (paraphrasing Mat 3:3; Mark 1:2; Luke 3:4; John 1:23): A
VOICE CRIES IN THE WILDERNESS: 'PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.'
Brian, you can pabably find a lot more by looking for the give-away introductory phrases
mentioned below. The NT is loaded with them.
Ted Krieg