reviving the chid, healing the woman: Greco-Roman narrative development and insertion in Mark, Matthew and Luke

Mark 5:25-34

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue (εἷς τῶν ἀρχισυναγώγων), Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flux of blood (ῥύσει αἵματος) for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be saved (σωθήσομαι).” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was cured (ἴαται) of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, having been frightened and trembling, and knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved (σέσωκέν) you; go in peace, and be sound from your affliction.”

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue (ἀρχισυναγώγῳ), “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue (ἀρχισυναγώγου), and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha qum,” which means, “Little girl, rise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Matthew 9:18-26

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler  (ἄρχων) came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman having had a flux of blood (αἱμορροοῦσα) for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be saved (σωθήσομαι).” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has saved (σέσωκέν) you.” And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

Luke 8:40-56

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue (ἄρχων τῆς συναγωγῆς). And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a flux of blood (ῥύσει αἵματος) for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed (θεραπευθῆναι) by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased (ἔστη ἡ ῥύσις τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς) And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately cured (ἰάθη). And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved (σέσωκέν) you; go in peace.”

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler of the synagogue (ἀρχισυναγώγου) came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

This parshah is one of the few in the synoptic gospels in which the Matthean narrative is the shortest and the Markan is the longest.

In this parshah, we find two women, one young, one older, both in conditions that would cause anyone coming into contact with them to be prohibited from entering the Temple.  The older woman is nidda (bleeding), the younger one is presumed dead, (according to the Markan text, is around the age of menarche). 

The Lukan text and the Markan text use the same vocabulary to describe the bleeding of the woman, agree that the “ruler’s” name was Jairus, and agree that he spoke to the child and told her to rise

The Markan and the Lukan authors side-step the issue of Temple purity by identifying the child as the offspring of the “ruler of the synagogue.”  This would tend to suggest that the parshah was written after the destruction and rededication of the Temple to Jupiter—either during or after the bar Cochba revolt.  We have no idea what “ruler of the synagogue” means.  It is possible that the author wanted to ensure that the audience understood that the child’s father was someone of such importance that he could summon whoever he wanted to tend his child.  The Matthean narrative identifies the child as the progeny of “a ruler.”  We know that that “ruler” does not mean “Rabbi,” because that word was already in use and if it had been intended, it would have been used. 

The Markan text tells us that she had been treated by doctors and rather than being healed, she became worse.  The Lukan text tells us that she had spent all her money on doctors and could not be healed.  Yet she believes that touching his garments will save her.  The implication seems to be that without his intervention, her life might not be saved.

In none of the texts does Jesus say “your faith has healed you.”  Rather, he says “your faith has saved you.” Healing is good,  but Yehoshua does not mean “he will heal.”  It means “he will save.”  Because the woman believed in him, the one who will save, she was saved.

With the child, the matter is more obviously one of life and death:  someone comes from the house of the “ruler” and says “your child is dead.”  In identifying her as “sleeping,” and in commanding her to rise, he saves her life. 

These texts would seem to have been devised by Greco-Romans after the bar Cochba revolt.  The texts conflate issues of ritual purity for participation in Temple praxis with basic life-saving.  It is possible to understand this conflation as a result of the bar Cochba revolt:  the Temple was destroyed and rededicated.   To Greco-Romans who wanted to be accepted as fully-functioning members of the Temple cult, who would be using their own cultic praxis as their paradigm, this would seem to render Temple purity irrelevant.  However, Judean cultic purity, like kashruth, is more than just a matter of Temple praxis.  Because they had not been accepted as fully-functioning members of Judean society, Greco-Romans who had wanted to participate in Temple praxis had no way of knowing that.