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1richardbsmith
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
2richardbsmith
Luke brings forward the Mark story of Jesus' rejection in Nazareth, to the beginning of the ministry. And it is instructive to compare the three accounts of the rejection, but our reading this week does not continue to the actual rejection. (That is picked up in next week's reading.)
This week Luke continues to introduce some of his themes - the Holy Spirit, Jesus' teaching ministry, the focus on the poor and the lost. He uses a reading from Isaiah to ground this message of Jesus in OT prophecy. And he does this early in Jesus' ministry, before any miracles, before any disciples.
While the main story of the rejection in Nazareth is Markan - the expansion of details, the insertion of Isaiah's words, and the placement early, at the beginning, of the ministry is Luke. And I think it tells a good bit about how Jesus is understood by Luke.
This week Luke continues to introduce some of his themes - the Holy Spirit, Jesus' teaching ministry, the focus on the poor and the lost. He uses a reading from Isaiah to ground this message of Jesus in OT prophecy. And he does this early in Jesus' ministry, before any miracles, before any disciples.
While the main story of the rejection in Nazareth is Markan - the expansion of details, the insertion of Isaiah's words, and the placement early, at the beginning, of the ministry is Luke. And I think it tells a good bit about how Jesus is understood by Luke.
3richardbsmith
One of Luke's main purposes and overriding principles in his gospel, is to show Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promises to the Jews.
In this account, Jesus explicitly makes that claim of fulfillment.
In this account, Jesus explicitly makes that claim of fulfillment.
4richardbsmith
The Isaiah quote has an interesting development. It is from 3rd Isaiah, the post exilic writings in Isaiah. And as such speaks of the struggles of the people returned to Palestine, and of their hopes for God's future redemption.
It is probably not helpful to look at the list of anointed tasks too literally, but only as an allusion to the hope that is found in Isaiah 3.
The list in Luke from the NRSV:
1) to bring good news to the poor
2) to proclaim release to the captives
3) recovery of sight to the blind
4) to let the oppressed go free
The list in Isaiah from the NRSV:
1) to bring good news to the oppressed
2) to bind up the broken hearted
3) to proclaim liberty to the captives
4) release to the prisoners
It's not exactly the same list.
It is probably not helpful to look at the list of anointed tasks too literally, but only as an allusion to the hope that is found in Isaiah 3.
The list in Luke from the NRSV:
1) to bring good news to the poor
2) to proclaim release to the captives
3) recovery of sight to the blind
4) to let the oppressed go free
The list in Isaiah from the NRSV:
1) to bring good news to the oppressed
2) to bind up the broken hearted
3) to proclaim liberty to the captives
4) release to the prisoners
It's not exactly the same list.
5richardbsmith
I thought it would be good to look at the development of the passage, and maybe some of the learned classical scholars will find the discussion and comment.
In the Hebrew the list (please excuse my translation)
Because Yahweh has anointed me
1) to bring the low, news he has sent me
2) to dress those broken of heart
3) to call for the captives emancipation (דרור, an interesting word)
4) to the fettered opening of eyesight
Number 4 is difficult first because the phrase "opening of eyesight" does not seem to be known with certainty. It may refer to some other opening, such as opening of a prison? At any rate the line is metaphorical in some way - the metaphorical opening of eyesight to the redemption of Yahweh or the metaphorical opening of the prison of the struggles in the post exile Israel.
The Septuagint translates the Hebrew (again my translation)
Because he has anointed me
1) to bring good news to the poor he has sent me
2) to heal those who have broken the heart
3) to proclaim to the captives release
4) the blind new sight
Pretty close. The Septuagint emphasizes the new sight metaphor from the Hebrew and changed those who are fettered to the blind in order to unmix the metaphor.
In the Hebrew the list (please excuse my translation)
Because Yahweh has anointed me
1) to bring the low, news he has sent me
2) to dress those broken of heart
3) to call for the captives emancipation (דרור, an interesting word)
4) to the fettered opening of eyesight
Number 4 is difficult first because the phrase "opening of eyesight" does not seem to be known with certainty. It may refer to some other opening, such as opening of a prison? At any rate the line is metaphorical in some way - the metaphorical opening of eyesight to the redemption of Yahweh or the metaphorical opening of the prison of the struggles in the post exile Israel.
The Septuagint translates the Hebrew (again my translation)
Because he has anointed me
1) to bring good news to the poor he has sent me
2) to heal those who have broken the heart
3) to proclaim to the captives release
4) the blind new sight
Pretty close. The Septuagint emphasizes the new sight metaphor from the Hebrew and changed those who are fettered to the blind in order to unmix the metaphor.
6richardbsmith
Taking these passages to the NRSV translation:
Isaiah
1) to bring good news to the oppressed (oppressed for low in the Hebrew and poor in the Septuagint)
3) to proclaim liberty (liberty is used in translation. The NRSV translators follow the Hebrew and use the same word at Leviticus 25.10 and Jeremiah 34.8. These passages should interpret this whole passage and specifically this line.)
4) release to the prisoners.
The NRSV focuses on the idea of prisoners in line 4, dropping the metaphor of opening the eyes. The emphasis on the "fettered" is translated as prisoners and the idea of opening is taked to mean a literal "release".
This seems to me to be different from both the Hebrew and the Septuagint meanings. Maybe its just me.
Isaiah
1) to bring good news to the oppressed (oppressed for low in the Hebrew and poor in the Septuagint)
3) to proclaim liberty (liberty is used in translation. The NRSV translators follow the Hebrew and use the same word at Leviticus 25.10 and Jeremiah 34.8. These passages should interpret this whole passage and specifically this line.)
4) release to the prisoners.
The NRSV focuses on the idea of prisoners in line 4, dropping the metaphor of opening the eyes. The emphasis on the "fettered" is translated as prisoners and the idea of opening is taked to mean a literal "release".
This seems to me to be different from both the Hebrew and the Septuagint meanings. Maybe its just me.
7richardbsmith
Luke in the Greek follows the Septuagint closely, and this is reflected in the NRSV translation.
Luke omits line 2 "to heal those who have broken the heart" though in some witnesses that is added.
Luke adds "To send the oppressed in release." (NRSV - to let the oppressed go free.)
One of the things not evident in the NRSV translation "go free" is the tie to the idea of liberty in Leviticus 25 and Jeremiah. The Septuagint uses the same word for "release" Leviticus 25.10 as the Luke uses in the Greek text.
The NRSV might have maintained the consistency from the OT language to the NT language with something like
2) to proclaim liberty to the captives
3) recovery of sight to the blind
4) to sent the oppressed in liberty.
This would have given a consistent vocabulary across the different books, for the same theme, using the same word in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Luke for the same concept of freeing of the slaves, manumission.
Luke omits line 2 "to heal those who have broken the heart" though in some witnesses that is added.
Luke adds "To send the oppressed in release." (NRSV - to let the oppressed go free.)
One of the things not evident in the NRSV translation "go free" is the tie to the idea of liberty in Leviticus 25 and Jeremiah. The Septuagint uses the same word for "release" Leviticus 25.10 as the Luke uses in the Greek text.
The NRSV might have maintained the consistency from the OT language to the NT language with something like
2) to proclaim liberty to the captives
3) recovery of sight to the blind
4) to sent the oppressed in liberty.
This would have given a consistent vocabulary across the different books, for the same theme, using the same word in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Luke for the same concept of freeing of the slaves, manumission.
8richardbsmith
The point of all that - the list of items is not the point. The message here in Luke is not for Jesus to restore the sight of the physically blind nor to release prisoners from jails.
The list of items and the discrepancies among the list versions are all traceable matters of translation - Hebrew to Greek to English.
Luke points to the idea of liberty and release from oppression for the humble - that is what is fullfilled in our hearing today.
And yet it is plainly not fulfilled. As with the Israelites of the post exile and of the 1st century the wait continues.
The list of items and the discrepancies among the list versions are all traceable matters of translation - Hebrew to Greek to English.
Luke points to the idea of liberty and release from oppression for the humble - that is what is fullfilled in our hearing today.
And yet it is plainly not fulfilled. As with the Israelites of the post exile and of the 1st century the wait continues.
