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Halakah and Mark 7.4: ‘...and beds’

Department of Theology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD

This article argues that the textually problematic ì [UNKNOWN] in Mk 7.4 reflects a first-century Jewish practice of immersing dining couches. This practice was not based on the ‘beds’ described in Lev. 15. The immersion of dining couches is attested in rabbinic literature and was based on passages that mention the immersion of impure objects (Lev. 11.32; 15.12). This is shown through a discussion of various words used for ‘bed’ in the relevant literature in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac. Some consideration is given to text-critical issues concluding that ì [UNKNOWN] is the original reading. As Mark accurately reflects a Jewish practice, it is suggested that the traditional view of the author of Mark as lacking in knowledge of Jewish practices ought to be abandoned and the view that the author of Mark was a Jew absorbed in the intricacies of Jewish Law ought to be taken very seriously.

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