Jesus' Defence of the Resurrection of the Dead

Abstract

For some time a number of scholars have asserted that Jesus' answer to the Sadducees concerning the resurrection of the dead in Matt. 22:31-32, Mark 12:26-27, and Luke 20:37-38 is typically rabbinic /1/. Yet Jesus' defence of this doctrine does not strictly follow the hermeneutical rules laid down by Tannaitic exegetes /2/, and in contrast with arguments in rabbinic literature concerning the resurrection which do follow these rules, it seems strikingly inadequate from a rabbinic point of view. The fact that Jesus could use such an argument should not surprise us, since it bears out the truth of the Gospel tradition in suggesting that Jesus was not a skilled casuist in the style of the Pharisees and Sadducees.