More James Dunn

[twistedapple]

We can conclude, then, that Jesus was recalled as speaking on the subject of purity, and as insisting that purity of heart is more important than ritual purity (cf. Matt 5.8; Matt 23.25/Luke 11.39). Some heard Jesus as not content to debate issues

Comments

[graymalkn]

I've always found it interesting that Jesus is thought to have had links to the Essenes, considering his disinterest in ritual purity and their absolute obsession with it.

[palaeologos]

It's possible that he was part of the Essene community at one time, and left because of a disagreement around the notion of ritual purity. Of course, that's all conjecture upon conjecture, and those ideas were "in the air" at the time--so one need not have been part of the community or even in basic agreement with the community's ethos to be influenced by their ideas.

John the Baptist seems much more likely to have been linked with the Essenes (or Qumran), in my opinion.